Calling all emerging founders, students, and CPG enthusiasts! Join Naturally Minnesota and WE* at our highly anticipated WE* TALKS x Women in CPG event! Unleash your potential as we bring together extraordinary minds, industry leaders, undergraduate students, MBA students, and recent graduates, all under one roof. This meetup promises to ignite your passion and connect you with trailblazing women entrepreneurs who are transforming the CPG industry.

In our upcoming edition, we are thrilled to feature Dana Thompson as our WE* Talks speaker. Dana is a descendant of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate and Mdewakanton Dakota tribes, has been active in the food sovereignty movement for over a decade. As former co-owner and COO of The Sioux Chef, she co-founded Owamni​, Minnesota's first Indigenous restaurant, which won the James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant in 2022. She also co-founded NĀTIFS, focusing on health initiatives through Indigenous wisdom, and launched Heti​, a beverage brand supporting sustainable housing for Indigenous communities. In 2024, she founded The Modern Indigenous​, promoting decolonized meals. Dana serves as Vice Chair of Owámniyomni Okhódayapi and was a founding member of the James Beard Foundation's Investment Fund for Black and Indigenous Americans.

Join us on November 13th as Dana shares her journey, and insights into the world of entrepreneurship from her unique perspective as an indigenous female founder.

This event is a collaboration between Naturally Minnesota, as part of the national Women in CPG Summit​, and the Carlson School of Management's​ WE* Talks series. Both Naturally Minnesota and WE*​ are initiatives of the Holmes Center for Entrepreneurship​.