Source: Canva
October has been a month of great accomplishments and facts to remember. That's why we are looking forward to what comes next. Every November, Native American Heritage Month invites us to recognize the histories, cultures and contributions of Native and Indigenous peoples. For an entrepreneurship community, it also raises a practical question: who gets to build businesses with the full support of the ecosystem, and who builds despite it?
Native founders are already part of the story. The Census Bureau’s 2024 Annual Business Survey counted roughly 55,000 American Indian and Alaska Native-owned employer businesses, generating $70.8 billion in receipts. Another 378,000 Native-owned businesses operate without employees, which tells us that much of this entrepreneurship happens at the individual level, often with limited support. The activity is there. What often lags is the infrastructure around it.
Source: Canva
That gap shows up most clearly in capital. A 2025 fact sheet from the Association for Enterprise Opportunity found that non-Native-owned businesses receive all the financing they apply for at almost twice the rate of Native-owned businesses (39% vs. 23%). Research from the Minneapolis Fed points to lower credit scores and distance from financial institutions as part of the picture. On reservations, land ownership structures can also make conventional underwriting a poor fit, and “friends and family” rounds are often unavailable where wealth is held collectively rather than individually. Without a first dollar, it is harder to reach the second.
At Digitalundivided, we see versions of these barriers across our community: limited access to warm investor networks, financing that was not designed with certain founders in mind, and a lack of visibility that makes it harder to be seen as investable. The experience of each group is different, but the pattern is familiar. There are signs of progress, too. Native CDFIs have grown from 14 to 64 certified institutions since 2001, and a 2025 Minneapolis Fed survey found that among those facing capital constraints, many say they could lend two to three times more, or even more, with additional funding. The demand and the capacity exist. The resources need to follow.
Source: Canva
That is where our community comes in. Through Lift While We Climb Circle, you can support founders in the way that fits you best: by sharing your expertise as a subject matter expert, by investing in the businesses we support, or by giving as a donor. Every contribution helps founders access the knowledge, relationships and capital that make growth possible.
Join the Circle.
Invest in What’s Next.
Lift Us While We Climb.