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Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Windspeaker.com
Pow Wow Pitch announced Dr. Shyra Barberstock, a member of Kebaowek First Nation in Quebec, as the first-place winner of this year’s competition receiving a $25,000 prize.
“It feels really surreal, to be honest with you,” said Barberstock. “I mean it’s pretty exciting to think that over 300 people submitted pitches and that I came in first place. It was actually really emotional when I found out I had won. It was a really overwhelming experience but it also felt very validating.”
Barberstock’s company, Kebaonish Inc., is a coffee and tea company headquartered in Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory in Ontario. She owns the majority of the shares. Her husband Ryan also owns a large portion.
“What distinguishes us in the market is our intentional integration of Indigenous culture into every aspect of our business,” Barberstock said. “Our tea collection draws inspiration from the Anishinaabe Seven Grandfather Teachings, while our coffee blends honour the stories and values embedded in various wampum belt treaties.
“I like to say at Kebaonish, we're creating more than just a coffee and tea company. We're building a bridge between traditions and modern life. Every cup we serve represents an opportunity for connection and understanding. We've thoughtfully incorporated our cultural foundations; the Anishinaabe teaching of Mino-Bimaadiziwin, ‘living the good life,’ and the Haudenosaunee principle of Ka'nikonhrí:yo, ‘the good mind.’ These aren't just philosophical concepts to us, they're the principles that guide how we develop our products and build relationships with our customers and communities.”
The idea for Kebaonish was inspired by the isolation in 2020 during the pandemic. Barberstock realized the importance of human connection and how sitting with friends or family and sharing a coffee or tea was a natural way to connect.
She said the money she received from Pow Wow Pitch will be reinvested into Kebaonish as they continue to scale the business growth.
“We’re currently in an exciting growth phase, and the prize funding will be used to expand our inventory and create opportunities to hire Indigenous contractors for our administration and sales operations,” Barberstock added.
Providing financial support that would enable business growth for Indigenous entrepreneurs across Turtle Island is the reason Pow Wow Pitch, a non-profit organization, was established in 2015 by Sunshine Tenasco.
“I started Pow Wow Pitch because I believe entrepreneurship is the path to self-sufficiency,” Tenasco said on the Pow Wow Pitch website.
Tenasco launched the organization following her own appearance on the TV show Dragons Den, where her own business pitch was invested in.
“One of the Dragons invested in her business, and she was like ‘Oh my God, we need to create this for Indigenous people,’” said Naomi Sarazin, the executive director of Pow Wow Pitch.
Since its inception in 2015, the platform has awarded $750,000 to Top 3 finishers across Canada and the United States.
In 2020 the Pitch moved to a completely online competition.
This year the competition received 300 Indigenous applicants, who pitched either their existing business or a business idea.
From that number semi-finalists were chosen and moved into the final stage of the competition.
In this stage each of the contestants are teamed up with a mentor to refine their original pitch in preparation of presenting to a select group of judges depending on the category their business falls into.
As Pow Wow Pitch alumni, individuals are provided the opportunity to participate in future competitions as judges, mentors or to participate in various events throughout the year including podcasts.
“We continue to engage them in our Pow Wow Pitch community and give them opportunities to be seen out in the world and amplify their stories,” added Sarazin.
Third-place winner Darion Ducharme, of Lac Seul First Nation in Ontario, said he will be using the $5,000 prize to create a promotional video that showcases his company Teqare.
Teqare is an information technology company which provides technology training, education and support including scam-prevention for seniors and financial-literacy workshops for teens and adults.
“It goes a little deeper actually, in 2019 I lost my late wife to cancer,” Ducharme said. “It taught me a lot of things and it was the hardest season of my life. But it taught me that you have a short time to leave an amazing legacy to help people.”
Having this opportunity to be recognized by his peers is something he is very grateful for and encourages others to put themselves out there when Pow Wow Pitch begins accepting applications next year.
“It doesn’t matter how small you are or how big you are, as a business you get a lot of value from doing Pow Wow Pitch and also the lasting community after you finished Pow Wow Pitch,” Ducharme added.