EXCPE 1529 - Responsibility: Pitching & Relationship Building

This course moves learners from planning into action. Participants build a professional public profile and refine a concise 30-second pitch to communicate the value of their venture to partners, advisors, and financial institutions. Practical topics include authentic storytelling and managing daily operational risks.

Learners complete an Action and Risk Package, consisting of a networking plan, advisor decision records, and an operational risk register,demonstrating the readiness to lead a venture with professional integrity and confidence.

This course is part of the Roots and Relations certificate, a space for Indigenous learners (First Nations, Métis, and Inuit) who are ready to walk the path of entrepreneurship. We welcome those at every stage of their journey:

• 🗸Youth and Early-Career Learners: For our young leaders, this is a safe and supportive place to explore entrepreneurship. It is a space to test your ideas, find your voice, and see how your unique gifts can create a future for yourself and your community.
• 🗸Aspiring Entrepreneurs: For those carrying the seed of a new idea, we help you nurture it into a viable venture. By weaving the "Four R's" (Respect, Relevance, Reciprocity, and Responsibility) into your business design, you will create a plan that is both practical and rooted in community-focused values.
• 🗸Early-Stage Business Owners: For those whose businesses have already begun to sprout, we provide the tools to help your roots grow deep. We focus on the essentials (governance, financial literacy, and compliance) needed to formalize your operations and secure support from Indigenous financial institutions.

By the end the course, students will be able to:

• 🗸 Build a professional pitch deck tailored for Indigenous financial institutions or community partners.
• 🗸 Practice "relational pitching", focusing on long-term partnerships rather than just transactions.
• 🗸 Develop a relationship-management plan to support business growth and reciprocity.
• 🗸 Refine communication skills to present business goals clearly and confidently.

Our Journey Together (Schedule & Flow)

• 🗸A Sustainable Pace: The full circle of the certificate includes approximately 60 hours of learning across four courses. To ensure balance with your personal and community life, each course is designed to take roughly 15-20 hours of your time.
• 🗸Walking Through the Modules: We move through the modules together at a steady pace, intended to be completed in about a week to a week and a half (roughly 5 hours per module).
• 🗸Your Completion Timeline: This path is flexible to honour your individual needs. Most learners will complete the full certificate within 3 to 6 months of part-time study.

How We Connect (Learning Format)

• 🗸Grounded in Community: Our "bichronous" model means you have the freedom of self-paced activities combined with the warmth of scheduled Advisor meetings.
• 🗸Accessibility Across the Land: This certificate is delivered entirely online. We recognize the importance of staying connected in remote or rural areas; therefore, all materials are low-bandwidth optimized and easy to use on a mobile phone, tablet, or laptop.

A Different Way of Knowing (Academic Model)

• 🗸A Safe Entry Point: There are no rigid academic prerequisites to join us. We offer a space that meets you exactly where you are in your educational journey.
• 🗸Honouring Your Gifts (Assessment): We move away from traditional exams. Instead, our competency-based model focuses on practical deliverables. You will grow your "bundle" (portfolio) with a living business plan, financial records, and a pitch deck: tangible tools for your future.
• 🗸Complete/Not Complete Learning: Courses are assessed based on your mastery of the material rather than a letter grade, ensuring you feel confident in every skill before moving forward.

Recognition & The Gift of Learning (Costs)

• 🗸Honouring Your Success: Upon completing the four-course journey, you will receive a University of Alberta digital certificate. You will also be awarded individual digital badges for each course to honour your progress along the way.
• 🗸Removing Barriers: In the spirit of reciprocity and to support this inaugural launch, the certificate is offered at no cost to learners. This is our commitment to ensuring financial barriers do not stand in the way of Indigenous economic self-determination.

A digital badge will be issued upon course completion. After the grade is posted, Learners will receive an email from MyCreds with instructions on how to access their badge.

It is recommended that learners complete both Relevance: Roots, Identity, Community and Venture Design and Reciprocity: Structure, Story & Market Strategy prior to enrolling in this course.