The Indian Pueblo Cultural Center and Creative Startups are collaborating to accelerate entrepreneurship among Native American businesses. The collaboration is delivering a pre-accelerator virtual incubator program, along with information about financial and other resources designed specifically to meet the needs of Native-led businesses.
The six-week “LABS” pre-accelerator program guides Native founders as they launch and grow their ventures, employing mentorship and a rigorous online acceleration curriculum to support their growth. Case studies of Native entrepreneurs and tribal ventures that inspire, challenge, and problem-solve with Native entrepreneurs are included, and new modules will be created with Native communities to ensure relevancy to each community or market conditions. The portal also utilizes storytelling through video-based case studies of six Native entrepreneurs.
The LABS program, which aims to create new jobs and revenue in Indigenous communities where resourcefulness and creativity outpace access to world-class entrepreneurship tools and networks, serves as a pilot for a broader initiative created in partnership with the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development, and Creative Startups, and supported by funding from The Carl & Marilynn Thoma Foundation of Santa Fe.
The first pre-accelerator cohort showcases a diverse set of talents, from wearable art to food to music. Participants also include a film company that creates documentaries and shorts expanding the way Native communities are presented; a company that provides virtual or in-person meeting space focusing on Tribal, STEM, government, and educational communities; and an eco-friendly laundry service, among others.
The program addresses a unique set of challenges. Organizers said creative entrepreneurs in Tribal communities face geographic isolation and structural inequities that impede many creators from obtaining educational resources and accessing entrepreneurial networks. Native Americans have been disproportionately impacted by the Covid crisis, leading to higher unemployment and poverty. The closing of arts festivals and markets—upon which many Native creatives rely for a significant portion of their annual income—has had a far-reaching impact on their ability to make a living from their craft. Considering these distinct challenges, the new online learning portal will reach entrepreneurs in far-flung communities and reflect the learning styles, values, and specific needs of Indigenous Entrepreneurs.
To learn more or apply, contact Creative Startups.