Press release

Animikii Raises $1M to Scale Social Impact through Indigenous Technology

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Animikii is excited to announce that it has successfully raised $1
million in financing from Raven Indigenous Capital Partners (Raven) and
the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC). The funds will be used to
further build out the team and support the further development of
Animikii’s Indigenous data sovereignty product to complement the
company’s existing digital services.

“This $1 million in financing marks an historic event as it is the
largest investment of its kind to support an Indigenous technology
social enterprise on Turtle Island.” says founder Jeff Ward. He
continued, “We hope to lead the way for other Indigenous tech companies
to access capital at this level in the future.”

The financing consists of $750k equity investment from Raven, who will
be joining Animikii’s board. Jeff Cyr, Managing Partner at Raven says “As
an Indigenous impact investor in Canada, we found the perfect partner in
Animikii, a cutting edge tech firm with a deep impact narrative and
Canada’s first Indigenous B Corp, it’s really a trifecta for impact
investment. We believe Animikii is amongst the first in a wave of high
value Indigenous social enterprises.”

BDC’s support comes through its Indigenous Entrepreneur Loan Program at
$250K and reinforces its track record of supporting Indigenous
entrepreneurs over the years, with a current Indigenous entrepreneur
client base of over 600 for $325M. “Indigenous entrepreneurs face unique
challenges in accessing financing; Animikii is a shining example of the
emerging, innovative businesses we want to help succeed”, adds Ryan
Mclean, Vice President of BDC’s Indigenous Business Unit.

Ward closed by saying “We’re honoured to receive this level of support
from two amazing, values-aligned organizations. We have a lot of work
ahead of us as we continue developing technologies to support Indigenous
data sovereignty at scale.”

About Animikii

Animikii is an Indigenous owned, values-based digital agency and social
enterprise based out of Victoria, BC. It was founded in 2003 by Jeff
Ward and was the first Indigenous certified B Corp in Canada. Learn more
at animikii.com.

About Raven Indigenous Capital Partners

As an Indigenous-led and owned intermediary, Raven prioritizes the
development of trust-based relationships with entrepreneurs at the
centrepiece of its investment strategy. Learn at ravencapitalpartners.ca.

About BDC

BDC is the only bank devoted exclusively to entrepreneurs. It promotes
Canadian entrepreneurship with a focus on small and medium-sized
businesses. With its 123 business centres from coast to coast, BDC
provides businesses in all industries with financing and advisory
services. Learn more at bdc.ca.

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