Two central players in the Atlantic Canadian startup ecosystem are taking home some award hardware this week: TechImpact CEO Cathy Simpson and the Verschuren Centre bioprocessing hub in Cape Breton.

International industry group the Women’s Executive Network, which is headquartered in Toronto, has named Simpson as one of its Top 100 Most Powerful Women in Canadian business. And the Verschuren Centre has been given an Innovation and Advancement Award by the Cape Breton Chamber of Commerce.

Simpson, who also chairs the New Brunswick Innovation Foundation, has helmed TechImpact since 2018. She is also the co-founder of UP+GO, which is a social enterprise that offers training and support services for women in STEM.

“I love my work at TechImpact and New Brunswick Innovation Foundation,” wrote Simpson on LinkedIn. “The teams at these organizations do incredible work every day. It makes for many, many, many great days at the office.

“There is a strength and tenacity that comes from within when you know what you are working on is valued and important to your community.”

Led by CEO Beth Mason, the Sydney-based Verschuren Centre provides startups with access to industrial fermentation and bioprocessing infrastructure. In September, the facility received a $1 million federal grant to help expand its operating capacity by a factor of 15. A bioprocessing cluster has been showing signs of emerging around the centre, with companies like Dispersa and Cotex Technologies relocating some or all of their operations to the area.

“We envision a low carbon, circular economy where Canada is a leader in net-zero smart manufacturing and clean energy,” said the Verschuren Centre. “We use this focus to develop and scale sustainable solutions, connect cleantech innovation to industry, and accelerate decarbonization at all levels towards a net-zero future."