Podcast: Catalyst incubator helping central Alberta entrepreneurs find their path

Launched in 2021, the free course lasts eight weeks, and is designed for entrepreneurs or people with a business idea to explore its feasibility and viability.

“There are a lot of mistakes entrepreneurs make because there’s information they don’t always know. We help refine those ideas so they don’t have to make all the mistakes, and we can get them heading in the right direction faster and cheaper,” explains Cathy Forner, program manager.

CARIN has two co-chairs, she adds, those being the Olds College and Red Deer Polytechnic centres for innovation.

The incubator tends to focus on agriculture and manufacturing because it’s tied in with those centres, but there are other valuable players, including Community Futures, and the Central Alberta Economic Partnership.

Municipalities are also involved through their economic development officers.

Importantly, the program has been successful since it got off the ground, with the most recent season garnering 35 applicants for around seven spots.

“We’re seeing an increase in the level and quality of the entrepreneurs coming in. We see them succeeding, and we were their first step,” says Forner.

“We make introductions to them throughout the whole province; we’re seeing ongoing success and we’re really building a strong network here in central Alberta to our our businesses grow and help them find their niche markets.”

The program is for everyone, Forner insists, with participants ranging from 19- to 70-years-old, and from all different backgrounds.

Forner says the program touches on various things, including connection.

“Entrepreneurship is very lonely, so we try to build those within the cohort,” she says. “We’ve had entrepreneurs come through trying to do methane reduction, to food trucks, to ag tech; the diversity has been incredible.”

Forner also notes the passion from participants has been through the roof, which is energizing for those folks running it.

“They’re passionate about their ideas and really want to make a difference in our world. So at the end of the program we have three elements we ask entrepreneurs to evaluate their idea on. First is a pause: are you going to pause your idea? We then have some who pivot, and we have lots who proceed,” explains Forner.

“Pausing is okay, because they’re there to explore their idea, and if it isn’t going to make sense and make money, there’s no point in investing time on it. They’ll end up moving to another idea.”

To register for the Catalyst Incubator program, visit ca-rin.ca.

Listen to the full conversation with Cathy Forner on the Oct. 10, 2025 episode of The Everything Red Deer Podcast!