Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship & Indigenous Economic Development

Building pathways from community innovation to durable Native-owned enterprises

Hawikku advances entrepreneurship as a core pillar of community resilience and self-determination. In Zuni and across Indian Country, entrepreneurial success is often constrained not by lack of ideas or talent, but by limited access to capital, mentorship, technical assistance, and culturally aligned business ecosystems. Hawikku addresses these gaps by supporting Indigenous entrepreneurs through capacity building, ecosystem partnerships, and applied learning pathways that translate lived experience into viable, community-rooted enterprises.

Ecosystem Partnerships

Hawikku’s entrepreneurship work is closely aligned with UNM Rainforest Innovations, a statewide leader in technology transfer, Tribal entrepreneurship, and ecosystem development. From 2022–2025, UNM Rainforest Innovations spearheaded the New Mexico Tribal Entrepreneurship Enhancement Program, funded by the U.S. Economic Development Administration, which supported Tribal liaisons, discovery services, mentoring, and ecosystem building with Indigenous entrepreneurs across New Mexico—particularly in coal-impacted and rural communities.

Hawikku leadership has been engaged as a recognized practitioner and thought partner in this work, contributing real-world experience from building and sustaining Native-owned enterprises such as Major Market, Inc., and launching Hawikku as a Zuni-led nonprofit focused on clean energy, food systems, and workforce development. This engagement includes participation in invitation-only strategy sessions convening entrepreneurs, Tribal leaders, policymakers, and ecosystem builders to shape the next phase of Indigenous entrepreneurship support statewide.

Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Native American Veterans (EBV-NAV)

Hawikku also supports access to high-impact entrepreneurial training opportunities, including the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Native American Veterans (EBV-NAV)—a nationally recognized program delivered in partnership with Hesperus and The University of New Mexico

EBV-NAV provides no-cost, intensive entrepreneurship training to Native American Veterans from New Mexico and the Southwest, leveraging higher-education infrastructure to deliver experiential learning in:

• Business model development and validation
• Financing and profit models
• Operations, supply chains, and government contracting
• Marketing, sales, and personal branding
• Legal issues and technology leverage

The program’s phased design—online instruction, in-person residency, and ongoing post-program support—aligns with Hawikku’s philosophy that entrepreneurship development must extend beyond short courses to include long-term mentoring, networks, and applied support.

Storytelling, Mentorship & Indigenous Visibility

Hawikku leaders have been invited to share their entrepreneurial journey through platforms such as the Indigenous Entrepreneurs Podcast, hosted by UNM Rainforest Innovations. These conversations elevate Indigenous-led business stories, normalize Native entrepreneurship, and provide culturally relevant inspiration and guidance for emerging founders across Tribal communities.

By sharing both successes and hard-earned lessons—from bootstrapping Major Market through multiple economic cycles to launching Hawikku amid unprecedented clean-energy opportunity—Hawikku contributes to a growing body of Indigenous-centered entrepreneurial knowledge.

Outcomes & Impact

Hawikku’s entrepreneurship work contributes to:

• Increased participation of Indigenous entrepreneurs in regional and statewide ecosystems
• Stronger linkages between Tribal communities, universities, and capital providers
• Improved access to technical assistance and mentorship for early-stage ventures
• Greater visibility of Native-owned businesses as drivers of community resilience
• Scalable models that connect entrepreneurship with clean energy, food systems, and workforce development

Long-Term Vision

Hawikku envisions an Indigenous entrepreneurship ecosystem where community-rooted enterprises can emerge, stabilize, and scale—without sacrificing cultural values or local accountability. By embedding entrepreneurship within broader systems of energy sovereignty, food security, and education, Hawikku ensures that business development is not extractive, but regenerative.Investment in Hawikku’s entrepreneurship programming strengthens the conditions for durable Native-owned enterprises that create jobs, circulate capital locally, and reinforce Tribal self-determination for generations to come.