While there are ­compelling reasons for Indigenous women and girls to pursue entrepreneurship, they face a host of significant barriers and challenges. ­

A primary challenge is the lack of entrepreneurship support available to them. As prospective entrepreneurs, they need to understand the full scope of activities required to start and run a business and get support when answers are needed to continue their journey.

We are proposing the co-creation and implementation of a National Indigenous Women Entrepreneurs’ Ecosystem (NIWEE) to positively shape the journey of indigenous women entrepreneurs.

At the Core of NIWEE is new Indigenous Entrepreneur start-up program to be delivered online. This course is co-created by the ICN, the University of Ottawa, Indigenous partners and Canadian corporations. This experiential online Indigenous Entrepreneurial course reflects Indigenous world views, ways of knowing and being and provides step-by-step guidance for what it takes for prospective entrepreneurs to bring their business idea to launch.

The Niwee EcosystemPost-course, learners will have the opportunity to prepare their market-ready pitch deck. We will introduce our prospective entrepreneurs to a supportive group of potential investors, business partners, government and financial agencies and provide them with the opportunity to pitch their business. We will assist our new entrepreneurs in launching their business, providing access to comprehensive support for up to a 36-month period including coaching and mentorship.

The objective of establishing an ecosystem (Figure 1) in addition to the training course is to help Indigenous women launch their business, to accelerate growth and success and decrease the likelihood of failure. This will provide a pathway to financial sustainability for the women and girls.

The program is based on extensive consultations, including a pilot. Throughout the design and implementation, consultations will continue with program participants, Indigenous entrepreneurs and community leaders (e.g. economic development officers, education managers, Knowledge Keepers). In addition, coaches, mentors and educational support experts will provide feedback on a regular basis, allowing for adjustments in the program delivery and ecosystem creation as needed. Curriculum development experts from the University will remain available throughout the program to effectively act on participant suggestions and needs.

We have obtained funding for the “Indigenous Entrepreneurship” course co-creation, we are now in the early stage of its development. We are now in talks with corporations for the funding needed for the full deployment of the program. We anticipate deploying the course as a pilot in January 2022.

Our Collaborators

Denise Anne Boissoneau
Denise Anne Boissoneau

Legal Indigenous Policy Consultant

Kathleen Kemp
Kathleen Kemp

Manager of @uOttawa eHub

EHub

Bob Crane
Bob Crane

Advisor

Brad Greyeyes Brant
Brad Greyeyes Brant

President, CEO

Kiyam Nutrients Inc.
Kiyam

Tuesday Johnson-MacDonald
Tuesday Johnson-MacDonald

President

Tuesday Johnson-MacDonald

Guy Dancause
Guy Dancause

NIWEE Co-Lead

CEO – IdeaConnector.net & Proteus Canada Institute

Stephen Daze
Stephen Daze

Entrepreneur in Residence at the Telfer School of Management

Telfer

Veronica Farmer
Veronica Farmer

Director, Partnerships & Commercializations, uOttawa

uOttawa

Sandra Schillo
Sandra Schillo

NIWEE Co-Lead

Inclusive Innovation Research Cluster Lead ISSP. — Associate Professor, Telfer School of Management, U of Ottawa.
Telfer

Dwight Powless
Dwight Powless

Manager Performance Enhancement Culture Scapes

Jace Meyer
Jace Meyer

Social entrepreneur, educator, speaker coach, artist.

Expertise in co-creation of culturally relevant, trauma-informed, place-based STEM and entrepreneurship education.

Brenda Macdougall
Brenda Macdougall

Academic Delegate for Indigenous Engagement Director, Institute of Indigenous Research and Studies

uOttawa

Sandi Boucher
Sandi Boucher

Speaker, Author, Facilitator

Canada’s Reconciliation Expert supports both sides of the feather for creating safe space for essential conversations. www.sandiboucher.com

Jacques Pilon
Jacques Pilon

Career entrepreneur, focus telecommunications and information technology industry

David Harries
David Harries

Career entrepreneur, focus telecommunications and information technology industry

uOttawa

TLSS
TEAM MEMBERS

Jeanette Caron, Manager Digital Development

Karine Poghosyan, Web Designer

Jennifer Yaya Falanga, Multimedia Designer

Mélanie Tremblay, Specialist, Educational Development and Digital Learning

Gisèle Richard, UI/UX Design Specialist