How Makwa7 is putting data back in the hands of Indigenous communities

For many First Nations communities across Canada, data has long been a source of vulnerability. That’s why Jon Harrison, the Founder and CEO of Makwa7, started looking for a way to gather insights from his community without risking the information getting into the wrong hands. To address this challenge, Makwa7 turned to Checkbox. With Checkbox, Makwa7 could collect community insights safely, ensuring the data stayed on sovereign land.

What is Makwa7?

Makwa7 is an Indigenous-led technology and data governance company based in Calgary, Alberta. Founded on the principle that communities should control their own data, Makwa7 builds secure digital ecosystems that empower First Nations to make informed decisions – on their own terms.

Founder and CEO Jon Harrison brings a background in oil and gas, an industry where data governance is business-critical. Translating that rigour into Indigenous community settings means one thing above all else: sovereignty has to be built into the infrastructure itself, not just promised in a privacy policy.

Moving away from the cloud

When Makwa7 began searching for a survey tool, the options on the market all had the same problem: the data lived somewhere else. As Harrison mentions, they needed an on-premises solution.

“When we realized most survey tools were hosted externally, we knew we needed a system we could run on-prem. That’s when we turned to Checkbox,”

For communities where data has historically been used against them, this isn't a minor technical concern. It's a matter of trust.

“Data governance and data sovereignty aren’t just buzzwords; they’re real. When someone else can take your data, interpret it, and report on what they think you mean, that’s a serious problem.”

On-premises, on sovereign land

Makwa7 found what they needed in Checkbox: the ability to deploy entirely on-premises, within Makwa7's own First Nation-owned and controlled data hosting facility on First Nation land. Checkbox also offered API flexibility to integrate seamlessly.

Today, Makwa7 is using Checkbox to collect community feedback on infrastructure and governance initiatives, structure survey outputs within a metadata-driven environment, and build long-term data literacy across the communities they serve.

Building an ecosystem 

What makes this partnership notable isn't just the technology, it's the model. Makwa7 isn't simply deploying a survey platform. They're building a community-owned data ecosystem where every layer, from collection to storage to analysis, remains under sovereign control.

As Harrison puts it simply:

"We don't build software. We build solutions."

With speaking engagements, national awareness initiatives, and a growing client base, Makwa7 is actively educating communities about data sovereignty and residency. As interest in sovereign digital infrastructure expands across Canada and beyond, their approach offers a compelling model for community-led data governance in action.

Ready to take control of your data?

Whether you're building sovereign infrastructure or simply need a survey platform that keeps your data where it belongs, Checkbox gives you the flexibility to deploy on your terms with different hosting options: on-premises or on a server in your region.

‍Get in touch and see how Checkbox can help your organization.