Potawatomi Ventures has launched the Bwadwét Innovation Community to mentor Native American business startups among Forest County Potawatomi Community tribal members and across Indian Country.
Bwadwét Innovation Community will host two cohorts annually for a 15-week session where participants receive personalized guidance based. The curriculum integrates business fundamentals with Indigenous ways of knowing. Future offerings will include quarterly workshops, self-guided resources and plans for co-working spaces and artisan storefronts.
“What began as a spark — an idea to help tribal members step into business ownership — is growing into a movement designed to transform the future of Indigenous entrepreneurship,” said Alexis Harris, Director of Bwadwét Innovation Community.
Primary candidates for the program include Forest County Potawatomi tribal members, their spouses and descendants who own businesses or have business ideas and artisans with an inventory of work. The inaugural cohort, which will begin July 13, will be comprised of FCPC tribal members located in Wisconsin. Future cohorts will be open to entrepreneurs from across Indian Country. All non-FCPC applicants must be connected to a federally recognized tribe.
Bwadwét is pronounced bwah-DWET and translates to the one who starts a fire. To learn more about the Bwadwét Innovation Community or to apply for the cohort program, visit https://www.potawatomiventures.com/bwadwet-innovation-community.
