Lethbridge Polytechnic graduate Kariza Manychief (Business Administration – Management 2024) is one of 20 finalists in Pow Wow Pitch 2024.
The online competition, which encourages Indigenous entrepreneurs to present their business ideas to a panel of judges, attracted more than 300 applicants from across North America. Manychief, who resides in Lethbridge, will learn Wednesday whether she will have benefit of the $25,000-grand prize to bankroll her business, Night Owl Games, and the production of the first of her Blackfoot board games.
The business idea was born out of a class assignment to invent a language-based game for a Blackfoot course at the polytechnic. Manychief expanded upon that original idea after her mother asked if she could create something to reinforce the Blackfoot culture and language for her kindergarten students.
Manychief fleshed out a business plan with the help of the Lethbridge Polytechnic’s AgENT Innovation and Entrepreneurship program. Staff with the extracurricular program, which provides experiential learning opportunities for students, also guided her through the pitch process and helped prepare her online submission. Manychief, who already earned $1,000 for making the semi-finals of the Pow Wow Pitch, is committed to seeing her dream become a reality. Her backup plans include financing through crowdfunding or grant applications.
“I just hope that these (games) can be used as a way for people to get more comfortable with asking about the culture and more comfortable learning about certain things, not just from the game, but from actually going out there and asking the Elders and asking people with real-life experience,” she says.
Manychief also hopes to inspire others who might dream of starting their own business and encourages them to take advantage of all the resources available.
Read more on the results of the grand finale of Pow Wow Pitch, which was streamed online on Oct. 23.