Cat Adalay, founder and CEO of Dartmouth-based Aurea Technologies, is one of four emerging entrepreneurs to be recognized this week by the Nova Scotia Business Hall of Fame.

Aurea is the cleantech company behind the Shine and RISE turbines, portable wind energy systems designed for outdoor recreation, emergency preparedness, and defense applications. Lightweight, collapsible, and powerful, these systems enable clean energy access wherever the grid doesn’t reach, the company said.

“We’re not just catching the wind - we’re turning it into power, freedom, and possibility. That’s what innovation means to me: taking something invisible and making it useful,” Adalay said.

Since founding Aurea in 2017, Adalay has raised over $8 million, launched award-winning products, and built a growing team based in Atlantic Canada.

Held at Halifax’s Nova Centre on Wednesday, the annual fundraising event hosted by Junior Achievement Nova Scotia, honoured individuals who have inspired current and future business leaders.

In keeping with Entrevestor’s focus on innovation-driven companies, we have featured Adalay first, but three other emerging entrepreneurs were also recognized Wednesday evening. They are:

Tia Upshaw, founder and CEO of Blk Women in Excellence

An award-winning entrepreneur, speaker, and community advocate, Upshaw has built a nationally recognized organization dedicated to empowering Black and Brown women through entrepreneurship. The platform provides free training, coaching, mentorship, and access to business tools for women across Canada. Upshaw is also the host of Tuesdays with Tia on CTV Morning Live, a segment that highlights the power of diverse entrepreneurs and community voices in Atlantic Canada.

Sheena Russell, founder of Made with Local

Made with Local began with Russell hiring a table at a farmers’ market in 2012, selling bars made with Canadian family-farm ingredients. Since then, the company has experienced rapid growth, and now sells in over 3,000 retailers across Canada. Russell aims for Made with Local to become one of the world’s most sustainable food companies with the help of her team of 20.

Tareq Hadhad, founder and CEO of Peace by Chocolate

Hadhad came to Canada in 2015 as a Syrian refugee. The multi-award-winning entrepreneur and his family relaunched the family chocolate business in Nova Scotia to recreate the chocolates they once exported across the Middle East. Now that their chocolates are distributed across Canada, they look to offer more employment opportunities as their business grows. Author Jon Tattrie wrote a book about the family’s story. A feature film, Peace by Chocolate, also based on the family’s story, was shown in theaters in 2022.

Four lifetime business achievers were also honoured Wednesday night. The inductees were: Mike Brien, President and CEO of Rockland Capital, Jim Mills, CEO of Office Interiors and Thane Stevens, President of the Stevens Group of Companies. Posthumous recognition went to George E.M. Lewis, who was born in Economy N.S. of Scottish immigrant parents, and who went on to be involved in multiple businesses. He was recognized in the Who's Who of Canada in 1924.

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