A Nelson company who produces a software to help craft cannabis growers cut red tape has taken home $40,000 from a local investment challenge–and now the founder is happy to finally offer his employees extended health benefits.

"We're all pretty excited about that," said Sami Majadla, founder of Certicraft, in an interview with KCR News. "We had a pretty small budget on our team, so things like that would not have been a possibility without that."

His company was the winner in the Kootenay Association for Science and Technology's investment challenge, which saw a number of local startups compete for the prize. Now, the founder is looking forward to expanding the business to help more producers in the cannabis sector stay compliant with the heavy regulations that currently face cannabis producers.

'We'll be in a really strong position'–Certicraft founder Sami Majadla tells KCR News what's in store for his company next year