Preferred learners
- Canada
- Academic experience or paid work
Categories
Skills
Project scope
- What is the main goal for this project?
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The main goal of this project is to research and develop new social finance instruments for Indigenous Entrepreneurs. This will involve talking with Indigenous entrepreneurs, capital providers, and ecosystem actors to understand their needs, challenges, and opportunities. The project also involves researching existing social finance instruments and traditional ones.
These new instruments will complement, leverage, and/or improve, not compete with or replace, existing capital providers. These new instruments will also be culturally appropriate, not harm entrepreneurs, nor bind them into colonial ways of oppression that dominates the existing capital system – like traditional loans or equity.
- What tasks will learners need to complete to achieve the project goal?
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The tasks that learners need to complete to achieve the project goal include:
- Researching existing ways that Indigenous entrepreneurs are accessing capital and their interactions in that.
- Researching existing Indigenous and non-Indigenous capital providers and their views on the barriers that exist for Indigenous entrepreneurs.
- Identifying the needs, challenges, and opportunities of Indigenous entrepreneurs.
- Ideating new social finance instruments that could benefit Indigenous entrepreneurs.
- Adding to the data pool and summarizing the research and development process.
- What is the main goal for this project?
-
The main goal of this project is to research and develop new social finance instruments for Indigenous Entrepreneurs. This will involve talking with Indigenous entrepreneurs, capital providers, and ecosystem actors to understand their needs, challenges, and opportunities. The project also involves researching existing social finance instruments and traditional ones.
These new instruments will complement, leverage, and/or improve, not compete with or replace, existing capital providers. These new instruments will also be culturally appropriate, not harm entrepreneurs, nor bind them into colonial ways of oppression that dominates the existing capital system – like traditional loans or equity.
- What tasks will learners need to complete to achieve the project goal?
-
The tasks that learners need to complete to achieve the project goal include:
- Researching existing ways that Indigenous entrepreneurs are accessing capital and their interactions in that.
- Researching existing Indigenous and non-Indigenous capital providers and their views on the barriers that exist for Indigenous entrepreneurs.
- Identifying the needs, challenges, and opportunities of Indigenous entrepreneurs.
- Ideating new social finance instruments that could benefit Indigenous entrepreneurs.
- Adding to the data pool and summarizing the research and development process.
- How will you support learners in completing the project?
-
Learners will have training by Wakopa Financial and the Social Entrepreneurship Enclave staff and then unfettered access to the research lead for Wakopa Financial. We have also set up the research process, including interview questions.
For those that do an exemplary job, we have a second phase of the project, which is also paid through the LevelUP program via Riipen.
Supported causes
About the company
- https://wakopafinancial.com
- 2 - 10 employees
- Banking & finance, Business & management, Business services, Non-profit, philanthropic & civil society
We are a distinct Indigenous-owned and operated financial services firm that operates within, but is divergent from, the existing colonial economy. We focus on social finance and investment readiness of organizations. Wakopa Financial is cooperatively-owned by radical professionals working to create positive change in our community. We do this by providing the wrap around financial supports and mentorship for atypical entrepreneurs (non-conforming youth, LGBTQ2+, Indigenous, social, people of colour, and women facing additional barriers), startups, and social enterprises that are innovating, organizing, and creating systems change for the world.