Blackbird Medicines, a social enterprise founded and led by Chrystal Toop, is one of the Semi-Finalists of the 2023 Pow Wow Pitch; a highly competitive and prestigious contest for Indigenous entrepreneurs in North America, supported by RBC, Shopify, and Mastercard.
Chrystal shared her vision and goals for her business in a 1-minute video pitch, hoping to win the $25,000 prize. She was chosen from more than 2,000 applicants who also have a strong commitment and enthusiasm for Indigenous entrepreneurship.
“My social enterprise has become so busy that I knew it was time to expand, so I applied to Pow Wow Pitch,” said Chrystal Toop, Founder and CEO of Blackbird Medicines. “By joining the Pow Wow Pitch Community and competition, I hope to be able to hire some help and continue to support the community I live and work in, while the potential funding will help me scale up in a thoughtful way.”
Sunshine Tenasco, Founder of Pow Wow Pitch. said “We look forward to spotlighting and sharing Chrystal’s business with the Pow Wow Pitch community and growing together.”
Winning the prize will help Chrystal to grow her business by funding the development of an app to support Indigenous Doulas, Caregivers, and Helpers by creating a space for Indigenous communities to connect on a global scale.
Chrystal will now benefit from expert pitch training and one-to-one mentorship with Industry leaders. Chrystal will pitch her business to a panel of Judges in early Fall Semi-Finals and, if successful, will win $1,000 and advance to the Finals for a chance to win $25,000. Blackbird Medicines is proudly 100% owned and operated by a First Nation woman, on the unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabeg.
You can help her take that next step towards the big prize by registering and voting on the Pow Wow Pitch website between now and September 17th.
(Written by Luke Notman)