Women’s Equity Lab (WEL) Manitoba has invested in Aurea Technologies Inc., a Dartmouth company that makes portable wind turbines for charging electronic devices.

The parties are not revealing the size of the investment.

Founded in 2017 by CEO Cat Adalay and Chief Revenue Officer Rachel Carr, Aurea produces the Shine turbine, a three-pound device that folds to approximately the size of a water bottle. It uses wind power to charge phones, tablets, lights and portable power stations.

The company holds patents in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom. It has also signed retail agreements with major retailers in Canada and the United States, with product distribution forthcoming.

"I watched Cat pitch the Aurea story and was deeply impressed by her business acumen," said Katie Hall  Hursh, Managing Partner of WEL Manitoba.  Hall Hursh described Adalay as “an exceptional business operator, with one successful exit before Aurea under her belt.  WEL Manitoba is backing a founder we believe in, a product that works, and a trajectory we can see."

Hall Hursh brought Aurea to the fund’s investment committee after seeing Adalay pitch at an angel investing summit earlier this year. The investment followed a due diligence process led by Johanna Chipman, including a visit to Aurea’s Nova Scotia facilities over the summer.

Aurea had previously received backing from WEL Atlantic.

WEL Manitoba made the investment through its third fund, which closed in May with $310,000 in commitments from 62 limited partners, the largest investor group in the national network’s funds to date. Most of the investors are participating in angel investing for the first time.

Women’s Equity Lab, a national network of women angel investors, said its members have deployed more than $7 million across 97 investments in 75 companies since 2017. About 72% of those companies are women-led.

The organization said its investments have helped portfolio companies create more than 300 jobs. Its active portfolio has a combined reported valuation of approximately $780 million.

Women-led businesses continue to face challenges accessing capital. According to figures cited in the WEL announcement, female founders receive less than 4% of venture capital in Canada.

Aurea was named one of Canada’s Top Moonshot Ventures of 2026 at the National Angel Capital Organization’s Canada Summit in May. Last year, it won a 2025 HardTech Award from Vancouver-based MistyWest, a product development firm focused on sustainability. Earlier this month, it was named a winner in Canada Post’s Tales of Triumph program, which recognizes entrepreneurs for their resiliency, innovation and community impact.

Full Disclosure: Cat Adalay is the daughter of Entrevestor’s founders.