{"id":7813,"date":"2022-08-27T05:33:59","date_gmt":"2022-08-27T05:33:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/indigenous-sme.ca\/?p=7813"},"modified":"2022-08-27T05:34:49","modified_gmt":"2022-08-27T05:34:49","slug":"first-nations-woman-holly-atjecoutay-leads-futurpreneurs-indigenous-entrepreneur-startup-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indigenous-sme.ca\/first-nations-woman-holly-atjecoutay-leads-futurpreneurs-indigenous-entrepreneur-startup-program\/","title":{"rendered":"First Nations Woman, Holly Atjecoutay Leads Futurpreneur\u2019s Indigenous Entrepreneur Startup Program"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Nehiyaw entrepreneur,<\/em>\u00a0Holly Atjecoutay,<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0has been appointed director of the Indigenous Entrepreneur Startup Program (IESP) at Futurpreneur. In her new role, Atjecoutay will oversee the development of a comprehensive program dedicated to empowering and supporting Indigenous youth as they embark on the journey of entrepreneurship.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Commenting on her recent appointment, Atjecoutay said she was drawn to Futurpreneur because \u201cit is a nationwide initiative, not constricted by provincial borders.\u201d She added, \u201cIt presents an opportunity to build a community and to build programming specific to our Indigenous entrepreneurs, to our Indigenous communities, and particularly to our Indigenous youth so that they can see themselves as part of the greater national entrepreneurial ecosystem. The programs will focus on their specific needs, present solutions to challenges they experience, and will give nuance to their perception of what defines a successful business.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Indigenous Entrepreneur Startup Program is one of several startup programs offered by Futurpreneur. It was established to provide tailored support and programming for Indigenous entrepreneurs across Canada. Through the IESP, young entrepreneurs can receive up to CAD $60,0000 in capital financing, are matched with an expert mentor for up to two years, and gain access to an array of resources and workshops designed to help them set up their businesses for success. Since the program\u2019s launch in 2019, more than 100 young Indigenous entrepreneurs have received financing from Futurpreneur programming to launch various businesses nationwide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Atjecoutay has long been immersed in the world of Indigenous entrepreneurship and youth empowerment. She started her career working for an Indigenous-led oil and gas organization in Alberta before shifting her focus to the nonprofit sector. With an interest in economic and business development and a hyper-focus on entrepreneurship within Indigenous communities, she worked with youth at the Aboriginal Friendship Center in Calgary, developing programs and initiatives for Indigenous youth in that region. Subsequently, she joined a First Nations-owned and operated law firm to work with residential school survivors, conducting research and extensive interviews that resulted in compensation being put forth from the federal government for the hardship, abuse, and suffering endured by First Nations people. Prior to her joining Futurpreneur, she led the Indigenous Business Development Services Program at Business Link, creating and implementing tools, supports, and programming for Indigenous entrepreneurs in Alberta.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As Atjecoutay became more involved in entrepreneurship, her \u201clove truly blossomed and grew for the resurgence of economic resiliency within Indigenous communities.\u201d According to her, pre-contact First Nations peoples lived in egalitarian societies where \u201cpeople very much took care of one another. Everyone held a strong role in society, which nowadays really translates to what we would consider \u2018entrepreneurship\u2019 or a \u2018business.\u2019 So, that\u2019s where I started to draw those finite lines to what our communities can do on a grassroots level, to ensure that we\u2019re prosperous and that we\u2019re building a positive and prosperous future for our next generations.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n An entrepreneur herself, Atjecoutay\u2019s side business, Thunderbird Consulting, stemmed from her passion to bring Indigenous resilience to the forefront of social and corporate conversations in Canada and raise awareness among Canadians and non-Canadians, alike about Indigenous culture, heritage, and history.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n