The NACIA Growth Capital Program was an eight month, no cost educational experience designed for Native entrepreneurs who were curious about raising capital and wanted to better understand which funding path might be best for them.
The 2025 cohort ran from May through November and supported Native founders from across Indian Country in building the language, confidence, and strategic understanding needed to navigate capital conversations. Through monthly virtual sessions and guided learning, participants explored how different forms of capital work, how investors think, and how to assess whether growth capital aligns with their business goals and values.
Rather than pushing founders toward fundraising, the Growth Capital Program centered on capital alignment. Participants were encouraged to understand their options, ask better questions, and approach capital with clarity, sovereignty, and intention.
Mentors and guest speakers included investors, entrepreneurs, and industry leaders who shared practical insight and lived experience.
Founder, Chief Imagination
Officer, Indigenous Imagination
Vice President
Bank of America
Founder & CEO
Prados Beauty
Deputy CIO
NYC Comptroller
General Partner
Raven Capital
Portfolio Manager
Native American Bank
Founding Partner
Velveteen Ventures
Access the portal online on your PC or phone to work alongside the program
Comes with eight workbooks full of valuable insights from industry leaders
“My most valuable takeaway from the first session was realizing how deeply NACIA is committed to reframing capital in a way that respects Indigenous identity and lived experience.
It was empowering to be in a space where Native entrepreneurs weren’t being asked to compromise their values for access to funding, but instead were supported in building economic systems rooted in our own ways of being.”
– Bernina Gray, nDigitize
“My biggest takeaway has been reframing capital as a relationship, not a transaction. The program encouraged us to seek alignment — shared mission, time horizon, and stewardship — and showed that confidence grows when investors and founders co-create around values, not just valuation.
That affirmation matters: we can pursue investable growth and maintain cultural integrity at the same time.”
– Sinjin Wolf, Sinjin Wolf Inc.
“I have really enjoyed getting to know the other business owners and being in community, I plan to keep in touch after the program! I truly appreciated how thorough but also accessible the curriculum is.
Having the ability to answer the workbook questions about my own current and future businesses is going to be crucial as I grow and adapt.”
– Mari Hicks, Scattering Seedlings
46 participating founders represent 36 tribal affiliations.
As NACIA reflects on the 2025 cohort, we are exploring how to continue building education and access pathways that support Native founders in navigating capital with intention and alignment.
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