The project includes indigenous participants from Saami, Nenets, Veps and Komi communities in Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia, who set up and develop businesses closely related to indigenous culture and traditions. Many kinds of traditional activities are represented in the project: handicraft, reindeer herding, hunting and fishing but also new forms such as tourism, modern design, arts and performance, web and information technology. The first Indigee Indigenous Entrepreneurship project was initiated in 2010; Indigee 2 Indigenous Entrepreneurship project lasted until June 2014.
Within the project, three groups were organized: first group is for people without previous experience in business second is for people with the business idea and the third is for people who already have their business – wannagees, rookiegees and indigees. Participants had an opportunity to take part in seminars, workshops and business counselling in order to develop their ideas and skills.
Among the results of the first Indigee project, 26 % of the participants reported increased income or results, 27% had registered a new enterprise and 36 % had started selling a new product or service. As for the Indigee 2, 47% of participants had increased their income/profits; 45% had established an enterprise; 57% had started to sell a new product or service; 47% had launched a concrete cross-border business cooperation; 69% had set up concrete cooperation with another Indigee participant as a result of their participation in the project.
