3-Year Partnership in support of Indigenous entrepreneurs
Today, Pow Wow Pitch, North America’s premier pitch competition and non-profit organization supporting emerging Indigenous entrepreneurs, announced its expansion through a three-year partnership with Shopify, with an overall investment of $750,000, significant employee volunteerism and strategic integration.
Set to support more than 2,500 Indigenous entrepreneurs in 2022 with mentorship, funding, training, marketing and a safe and trusted community of support, Shopify’s investment is helping Pow Wow Pitch to scale its virtual programs, re-enter communities with on-the-ground support across Canada, and scale its programming to support Indigenous entrepreneurs in the United States and New Zealand.
In addition to supporting Pow Wow Pitch with three years of sponsorship support at a Co-Presenting Level, Shopify employees are involved as mentors, trusted advisors, and judges for Pow Wow Pitch virtual pitch contests and on the ground at pow wows across Canada and the United States, and Shopify is supporting Pow Wow Pitch to develop a marketplace as a go-to online destination for Indigenous-owned products and brands.
“Shopify’s Build Native Team and employees are truly vested in the success of Pow Wow Pitch and Pow Wow Pitch entrepreneurs,” said Sunshine Tenasco, the Founder of Pow Wow Pitch. “We are grateful for Shopify’s support in scaling with us for the long-term to create safe, trusted and empowering Indigenous-led programs and platforms for Indigenous entrepreneurs.”
“Shopify aims to bring more voices to entrepreneurship, and Pow Wow Pitch allows Indigenous entrepreneurs from all stages and intersections to share their dreams, beliefs, culture, and expressions of economic self-determination,” says Kyle St-Amour-Brennan, Indigenous Entrepreneurship Program Manager at Shopify. “Pow Wow Pitch has built one of the greatest Indigenous entrepreneurial showcases anywhere, and we’re privileged and excited to continue our ongoing partnership and shared mission to empower more Native entrepreneurs from communities everywhere.”
To learn more about the partnership between Pow Wow Pitch and Shopify, visit https://www.powwowpitch.org/shopify.
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About Pow Wow Pitch
Pow Wow Pitch is an entrepreneurship program for emerging Indigenous entrepreneurs, which provides a safe, supportive, collaborative, empowering and culturally supportive environment that addresses the unique challenges of Indigenous entrepreneurs and aspiring Indigenous entrepreneurs. Pow Wow Pitch enhances, develops and accelerates the growth for current and aspiring Indigenous entrepreneurs in a sustainable way through programs and resources. In addition, community leadership through volunteerism is promoted to reflect respect and reciprocity as the foundation of the Pow Wow Pitch. For more information, visit https://www.powwowpitch.org/.
About Shopify
Shopify is a leading provider of essential internet infrastructure for commerce, offering trusted tools to start, grow, market, and manage a retail business of any size. Shopify makes commerce better for everyone with a platform and services that are engineered for reliability, while delivering a better shopping experience for consumers everywhere. Proudly founded in Ottawa, Shopify powers millions of businesses in more than 175 countries and is trusted by brands such as Manitobah Mukluks, Cheekbone Beauty, Sisters Sage, Gymshark, Netflix, and many more. For more information, visit www.shopify.com