Four local entrepreneurs were honoured for their contributions to the city as part of the 12th annual Immigrant Entrepreneur Awards at TiE (The Indus Entrepreneur) Ottawa’s Entrepreneurship Conference.
The Immigrant Entrepreneur Awards recognize the contributions of local individuals born outside of Canada. Since their inception in 2012, the awards have recognized 49 entrepreneurs for ventures as diverse as tech companies, real estate firms and pastry shops.
This year, the awards were given to Hamed Demyati (Jenna Foods), Dr. Babalola Adejumo (Adejumo Medicine Professional Corp.), Catalina Henao (Tebcal Services Corp. and Tebcal Cleaning) and Gabriel Rubio Maldonado (Welbi Technologies).
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For Ginger Bertrand, some of her earliest childhood memories in Ottawa are centred around healthcare. “I grew up across the street from what was originally the General Hospital,” she explains,
Demyati was born in Syria and raised in Dubai. He moved to Ottawa with his family in 2008 and founded his business, Jenna Foods, with his brother in 2015. Jenna Foods specializes in the import and distribution of international food products. As founder and general manager of Jenna Foods, Demyati has helped his company grow, now partnering with grocery retailers and restaurants across the country.
After moving from Nigeria to the United Kingdom, Dr. Adejumo moved to Ottawa in 2021 to open his own medical practice. Within a year, Dr. Adejumo was able to expand to four clinics, addressing the need for primary care physicians in the city. Dr. Adejumo was not present at the TiE event on Nov. 8 and his award was accepted on his behalf by one of his staff members.
Henao is an engineer and entrepreneur who made Ottawa her home in 2022, after founding Tebcal Corp. in 2020. Tebcal Corp. provides strategic management and business development services, focusing on bridging Canada and Latin America. Henao also created Tebcal Cleaning, a cleaning service company, in an effort to create job opportunities for newcomers and foster community ties.
Maldonado came to Ottawa from Colombia and co-founded Welbi, a health-tech startup, in 2016. Welbi aims to enhance the quality of life for older adults by empowering front-line workers in senior living communities. Maldonado helped the company secure significant funding and support from seniors and caregivers across Canada.
Mayor Mark Sutcliffe presented each recipient with their award at the TiECon Ottawa event on Nov. 8.
“Diversity is one of our greatest assets. Congratulations to all the recipients at the TIE Canada Immigrant Entrepreneur Awards. Events like these are really important. They give us an opportunity to celebrate the role of immigrant entrepreneurs in our community and the contributions that they make to our city,” he said.
TiE Ottawa fosters entrepreneurship in the National Capital Region by supporting budding entrepreneurs with mentorship, networking, education and global connectivity.
