Honouring its commitment to helping local entrepreneurs has won the Northern Alberta Business Incubator (NABI) an award from Startup Canada.
The St. Albert incubator will receive the award for the non-profit support organization of the year in the prairies region. The award is the first of its kind given out by Startup Canada, an independent entrepreneurship organization that works across the country, said NABI’s communications co-ordinator Brittany Kustra.
“It’s certainly an honour to be recognized for all the hard work that we do,” she said.
According the Startup’s website, the awards can be likened to the Oscars for the Canadian entrepreneurship community, “recognizing those that create the environment for startups to thrive.”
NABI’s award was created to honour a non-profit organization that demonstrated innovative approaches and “the largest impact in advancing the success of entrepreneurs, startups, startup communities and entrepreneurial activities locally and nationwide.”
Kustra added that NABI has strong numbers in terms of growing local businesses, which in return helps the local economy. Between 1989 and 2009, NABI incubated 91 businesses.
Almost 64 of them are still in operation today.
“It’s a good way to recognize that Edmonton, and the region, is such a good place to be doing local business,” she said. “It sends a strong signal out to the local community and local businesses that, if you want to start a business, this is a good place to do it.”
The regional winners of the inaugural awards were announced on Wednesday, April 30. An awards ceremony will take place on May 15 in Calgary.
