Indigenous Tech Circle

🚀 Excited to Launch: Indigenous Tech Founders Program by The Discovery Foundation 🚀 In partnership with New Ventures BC, program managed by Ryan St. Germaine ♾️and in alignment with our commitment to nurture and empower Indigenous innovation, we are thrilled to announce the Indigenous Tech Founders Program. This unique 8-week mentorship journey is tailor-made for Indigenous Founders poised to make significant strides in the tech industry. Why This Program? - Personalized guidance from experienced Indigenous Startup Founders. - A vibrant community of mentors and like-minded entrepreneurs. - Exclusive networking and learning opportunities. Program Highlights: - Intimate cohorts of 4-8 founders. - 50-minute weekly mentorship sessions over 8 weeks. - Post-program follow-up meeting to ensure continued progress. - Access to a 3-part speaker series designed to inspire and educate. Who Should Apply? - BC-based, early-stage Indigenous tech and ecommerce ventures. - Teams with Indigenous founders or C-level executives. - Individuals committed to full participation over the 8-week span. Thanks to the generous support of the Discovery Foundation, this program is offered at no cost to selected participants. 🗓 Key Dates: - Application Deadline: April 10th - Program Start: April 15th Your journey towards impactful innovation begins here. Apply now and be a part of shaping the future of Indigenous tech entrepreneurship. Apply Now: https://lnkd.in/gEzbPHHd More Information: https://lnkd.in/gDnFThgX Let's innovate, support, and succeed together. #IndigenousTech #Innovation #Mentorship #TechFounders #ApplyNow

I’m excited to share an initiative here in BC that is bringing together Indigenous women, men, and non-binary entrepreneurs, allies, intermediaries, and investors on October 31st for a unique session designed to share our upcoming goals of 2025 with leaders in the space. Get tangible advice, discover what your peers in the Indigenous entrepreneurial ecosystem are working on, learn how your vision connects with others, and find opportunities to collaborate. Participants on the call will be invited to attend a larger in-person gathering in Vancouver on November 12th where you can connect with other key players to help you achieve your next big step of 2025. Feel free to share this with key people in your network who could benefit from being in this room. https://lu.ma/8ftifrcj

Assertiveness is not the same as aggressiveness! As a clinical psychologist, I often see confusion between assertiveness and aggressiveness. Understanding the distinction is crucial—not just for personal growth, but for maintaining healthy relationships. Here’s what I tell my clients👇 1. Intent and Respect Assertiveness is about advocating for yourself while maintaining respect for others. It’s a constructive way to express needs without dismissing someone else's rights or feelings. For example, saying: "I need more time to process this" opens up a space for mutual understanding. Aggressiveness, however, pushes your needs at the expense of others. It's often hostile and dismissive—like demanding "You never listen!" 2. Communication Style In assertive communication, we use "I" statements to take ownership of our feelings and foster collaboration. Example: "I feel overwhelmed and could use some help." Aggressive communication tends to blame, using "you" statements that trigger defensiveness: "You never support me!" 3. The Outcomes Being assertive leads to productive conversations, where both parties feel heard and respected. This builds trust and strengthens relationships—whether at home or in the workplace. Aggressiveness, on the other hand, escalates conflict, leading to strained relationships and unresolved tension. The Takeaway Assertiveness is about finding a balance—standing up for your needs while maintaining respect for others. Aggressiveness disregards others’ needs in favor of your own, often damaging the very relationships you want to improve. Understanding this distinction is essential for healthy, effective communication—in both your personal and professional life. 🔄 Found this helpful? Feel free to share it with your network. #MentalHealth #Assertiveness #ClinicalPsychology #CommunicationSkills

Here are a few of the core takeaways from the panel Jeff Ward moderated yesterday at Forward Summit. The STEM and the Future of Work" panel featured Tirzah S., First Nations Technology Council, Ryan St. Germaine ♾️, Founder of Indigenous Tech Circle, Mike Wuetherick, Emmy award-winning Producer and Tech Director, and Brandon Ringham, Senior Consultant at Creative Fire. 🌟 Indigenous perspectives in STEM are catalysts for innovation, bringing unique viewpoints on sustainability, time horizons (7 generations thinking), and kinship-based approaches to technology development. 💡 The tech sector narrative needs reframing: it's not just about coding. Indigenous professionals are leading cross-sectoral initiatives where traditional values meet modern solutions, from environmental conservation to ethical AI development. 🤝 Creating meaningful change requires employers to move beyond basic inclusion to actively building safe, culturally responsive tech spaces where Indigenous employees can bring their whole selves to work without sacrificing their values. What's your perspective on building culturally responsive tech spaces? Share your thoughts in the comments below 👇 #TechDiversity #STEM #IndigenousLeadership #TechCareers

Expedia has more than 70 petabytes of data. So when rumours started swirling around last week about Uber contemplating a bid to purchase Expedia Group, I was curious. Here my thoughts on why Uber is considering this acquisition!

I am excited to chat with the President of Mastercard Canada tomorrow where we will talk about how underrepresented entrepreneurs are shaping the future through innovation and resilience. Join us in Toronto tomorrow, October 24th. #mastercard #indigenous

The Simple Market Research Many Companies Overlook. I've noticed something surprising: a lot of startups and even some seasoned companies skip the basics when it comes to market research. There’s a wealth of free information out there to guide strategy, but it often gets overlooked. Here are some accessible resources to get started: 1. Google Trends It’s simple but insightful. Use it to track search interest and compare keywords. Quickly gauge if interest in your market is growing or cooling off. 2. Statista (Free Version) Offers some free statistics and industry reports for a broad overview. Even the free summaries can be a great starting point. 3. Government Statistics (Federal, State/Province, Municipal) Public data from government sources can offer insights into demographics, industry trends, and economic indicators. Try Statistics Canada, the U.S. Census Bureau, or local data portals. 4. Google Keyword Planner Primarily for paid search, but also valuable for understanding search volumes and trends. It’s a glimpse into what your potential customers are searching for. 5. LinkedIn Use it for more than just networking. Research competitors, follow industry trends, and see what your target market is discussing. Join groups and stay active. 6. Social Media Listening Free tools like Hootsuite (basic) or TweetDeck can help monitor social conversations about your industry, revealing trends or customer pain points. 7. Public Databases (Crunchbase, AngelList) More than just for fundraising, these platforms provide insights into competitor activity, emerging companies, and market trends. 8. Google Scholar For deeper research, academic papers offer insights that are hard to find elsewhere. Search studies on industry trends, consumer behavior, and more. 9. Reddit & Quora Community-driven platforms where browsing threads related to your industry can reveal genuine customer feedback, pain points, and preferences. 10. Survey Tools (Basic Plans) Tools like SurveyMonkey, Google Forms, and Typeform have free versions for collecting feedback. Sometimes, the best insights come straight from your audience. 11. Stuck? Ask a Librarian When you hit a wall, remember that librarians are experts in finding information. They often have access to databases and resources that aren’t available to the public. Pro tip: PitchBook will often share some initial data with early stage companies free when you book a demo. they are awesome and the data is excellent! Don’t let these free resources go to waste. Simple research can save time, money, and guide you to better decisions. You don’t have to know everything—just make sure you know enough.

I often hear founders say they have strong "validation" for their startup idea because potential users or customers responded enthusiastically when asked "Would you use a product that did X?" But when they build it, they're met with crickets. Positive feedback didn't translate into actual adoption. I've been there myself, and discovered the problem: I was basing product decisions on imagined futures, not concrete pasts. People are bad at predicting what they'll do, but can easily discuss prior experiences. The book that illuminated this for me was The Mom Test by Rob Fitzpatrick. Key takeaways: • Ask about past behaviors, not future hypotheticals. "When did you last face this issue?" yields specifics vs the speculative "Would you use this?" • Explore their life/business priorities before pitching your idea. Understand their problems and habits to see if you're solving a real need. • Frame it as a casual chat to learn, not a sales pitch to persuade. • Break up conversations. First conversations are for learning about their problems/priorities, the second to propose a potential solution for feedback, and a third for a demo of the solution. Note: if prototypes or even an minimum viable offer is easy, 2 and 3 can be combined. • Look for commitments, not compliments. This can be in the form of pre-sales, willingness to refer you and risk their reputation or a willingness to invest time supporting your products success. • Welcome concerns, not just support. Hesitations surface what truly matters to them. The lesson? Have authentic conversations about customers' past problems, solutions, and purchases. Observe their actions, not just their words. By grounding your discovery in their real lives vs imagined futures, you'll uncover insights to build something they'll actually adopt. If your startup idea feels strongly validated, but you suspect the foundation is shaky, let The Mom Test be your guide. I credit it for transforming how I think about customer conversations. Highly recommended for any founder. P.S. Thanks Todd McCann for originally recommending this book to me! 🔥 #entrepreneurship #startupideas #customerresearch #productvalidation #foundertips https://a.co/d/1Hcyu5T

At Forward Summit today. Hit me up! I’m the worst at pics, but ran into so many amazing indigenous leaders, builders, entrepreneurs. Feeling much love and support, let’s keep building!