SFU’s $1-million investment in fall 2020 in the Raven Indigenous Impact Fund (RRIF) is already supporting Indigenous entrepreneurs, the Indigenous economy and Indigenous social enterprise.

In a bid to further its commitment to reconciliation, SFU was the first university to invest in the fund. It supports Indigenous entrepreneurs with flexible capital to help them overcome the systemic inequalities created through colonization as they grow their operations.

To date, the fund has invested in seven Indigenous enterprises including PLATO Testing, Cheekbone Beauty, Virtual Gurus, OneFeather, Satya, Social Awareness Group/Nisto Link and Animikii Indigenous Technology.

SFU Vice-President, Finance and Administration, Martin Pochurko, says, “We are counting on this investment to make a difference, both to the Indigenous community and to the SFU endowment fund, which supports researchers and students.”

All Indigenous businesses that apply to the RIIF are evaluated based on four criteria including: commercial viability, potential for scale, transformational impact benefits for Indigenous peoples, and Indigeneity in management/ownership and governance.