Cassandra
A break in the ice for EntrepreNorth
The Indigenous-led initiative makes major changes to become independent charitable entity
Xina Cowan, CEO of EntrepreNorth, sat in conversation with CKLB this past week to discuss changes taking place for the Indigenous-led organization as they take a leap away from the MakeWay Foundation platform to become an independent entity as a charitable organization.
According to their website “EntrepreNorth, an Indigenous-led entrepreneurship initiative that has supported Northern founders since 2018, has formally transitioned into an independent charitable entity, marking both an organizational milestone and a broader signal of social innovation and systems change in the North.”
This development will see many evolutions of their current offerings to the entrepreneurs of Northern and Indigenous communities, one of those changes being able to offer financial support to businesses and entrepreneurs through their SINEWS Impact Fund, which will see a formal launch in the near future.
“The new organization” Cowan told CKLB, “has been co founded by Benjamin Scott, myself and our colleague, Kristen Richard, who is leading the Impact Fund work at entrepreneurs and we knew that we wanted this new organization to be governed by Indigenous leadership and Northern leadership and allies as well, who have a deep appreciation for the work that we’re doing.
“So I’m really proud of our new board of five directors, three of whom are from the Northwest Territories, Nunavut and Yukon, and two who are advisors that have been with entrepreneurs since the very beginning. I have full confidence in the board’s ability to help steward entrepreneurs mission into the next phase of its journey.”
As the team makes their transition Cowan said their next steps are making sure, “that all the foundational pieces for entrepreneurs are in place, that we’re still rooted in our original mission, vision and purpose. Continuing that work with Indigenous entrepreneurs across the north through programming and Indigenous centred curriculum development and technology events, and then, of course, our Impact Fund, which we’re calling the SINEW Impact Fund, that will flow patient, equitable capital into the hands of Indigenous Northerners. In order for us to start deploying capital, we needed to become our own charitable entity. So now that can actually come to life.”
As co-founder Ben Scott describes, Entreprenorth “was about creating the conditions for Indigenous economic self-determination from within, where people can build in ways that reflect who they are and where they come from.”
