INNOVATE™ Alberta

Have you ever thought about the difference between being future proof or future fit? InceptionU co-founders Margo Purcell and Greg Hart certainly have. In fact, the two Calgary professionals have built a business around it. InceptionU is a place of meaningful learning where individuals, businesses and organizations go to learn...

University Innovation Quarter (UIQ) is a 76-acres destination that is currently being revitalized to become a world-class innovation district. Imagine UIQ as a driving force for the future of innovation in Calgary. The outcome is unmatched. A dense destination where research and discoveries are made and talent clusters. A place...

Fort McMurray Wood Buffalo, AB – In 2019, a visionary entrepreneur by the name of Julieta Miranda embarked on a mission to solve a pressing challenge faced by parents everywhere: juggling work and personal commitments while ensuring their children safely reach school and extracurricular activities. This is how Kid Drop...

When Renee Matsalla and Christa Hill first met, they were on the team that would scale a Calgary-based tech startup to global heights. The two women formed an immediate connection through their passion for Product Management and problem-solving, yet in those early days on the team of Benevity — a...

LEADERSHIP. COLLABORATION. CAPITAL. IT’S HOW WE’RE TURNING ENERGY TRANSITION INTO A MASSIVE OPPORTUNITY.Avatar was born from the simple premise that solutions to the complex challenges of climate change and energy transition must come from within the energy industry. By working inside incumbent heavy industry, Avatar Innovations unlocks industry validated solutions...

As the pace of change accelerates, innovation becomes essential for organizations to adapt and maintain a competitive edge. Motiv, an award-winning digital innovation firm and venture builder, guides its partners through their innovation journey. With a mission to generate new value through digital innovation, Motiv works with its partners to...

Alright stop! Collaborate and listen! We hit the tech industry with a brand new intention! What is something you see all the time? Is it companies focusing on iteration, always eager to jump directly into the development of neat, new technology? (A desire to explore the Great Unknown – to...

In an era marked by record heat events, unprecedented rainfalls, and the alarming melting of Antarctic ice, the urgency to address climate change has never been more palpable. Observing these changes raises a critical question: can we act quickly enough to mitigate their impact? Undoubtedly, this is the most significant...

The Centres for Manufacturing and Energy Innovation collaborate with business and industry clients to help them reach their goals. “Every innovation starts with a challenge, but that challenge is not always coming up with a new idea. Sometimes the biggest challenge entrepreneurs face is overcoming barriers to accessing the technology...

FINANCING PARADIGM SHIFTSA paradigm shift is a revolutionary and disruptive change in the human experience. Inverted Ventures is a single family office of investors with a passion for technology that radically improves the human experience. We invest in founders with visions for the future that will lead to fundamental changes...

BUILDING ON SUCCESSIn 2021, the Government of Canada embarked on a new approach to economic development in the West. To better recognize the unique economic drivers of the Prairies and British Columbia, the department known as Western Economic Diversification (WD) evolved into two departments. On August 6, 2021, Prairies Economic...

Canada’s population is growing older. In 2019, the population of seniors 65-years of age and older was almost one-fifth of the overall population, and by 2040 the population of seniors is predicted to reach one-fourth of the overall population, with over one-third of seniors having two or more chronic diseases.1...

PLATFORM CALGARY BRINGS TOGETHER THE RESOURCES OF CALGARY’S TECH ECOSYSTEM TO HELP STARTUPS LAUNCH AND GROW AT EVERY STEP OF THEIR JOURNEY – FROM IDEATION THROUGH TO SCALE. Calgary has what it takes to be a global innovation hub: affordability, liveability, high levels of investable wealth, and a population that...

SolarSteam’s purpose is to decarbonize the highest emitting and hardest to abate heavy industry segments. The problem that SolarSteam addresses is the elephant in the energy room – industrial heat. Globally, thermal energy requirements constitute close to 50% of total GHG emissions. In Alberta approximately 2⁄3 of GHG emissions come...

In a galaxy far, far away but closer than you may think lived a company called Start Me Up PR. Landing in YYC first — because even extraterrestrials love the mountains — to invade the local and global tech scene, they set off to support emerging-founders, the investors who help...

Wayne Karpoff, CEO of Willowglen Systems, and his team of Scada rock stars are making innovative improvements to the rail transportation and energy industries. “We reimagined SCADA to meet the needs of the future. And it all started here in Alberta.” — Wayne Karpoff, CEO at Willowglen Systems. Innovation is...

“When I started The Agency in 2009 as a boutique firm servicing the tech sector in Calgary, I heard the same thing over and over: What tech sector?” — Arleigh Vasconcellos, CEO/Founder, The Agency Communications Inc Calgary is one of the fastest growing tech centres in North America, and The...

Our company was established in 1986 during a difficult recession. Grit, determination, and an unwavering pursuit to reimagine what is possible, has gotten us to where we are today. Our ability to consider our role as a company, as leaders, and as a team in relation to the industries we...

A CENTURY-OLD BUILDING IS GETTING A WHOLE LOT SMARTER, THANKS TO SOME INNOVATIONS DRIVEN BY ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE RESEARCHERS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA. The 101-year-old dentistry and pharmacy centre is one of the first buildings you see when you come onto the University of Alberta’s North Campus. Right now, the...

If you love video games, you may have thought about making one. So, what’s stopping you? Ten years ago, the answer likely would have been the industry itself. Video games were typically produced only by studios with enough capital to house the entire game creation pipeline. And that pipeline was...

When Wunmi Adekanmbi first stepped into the Alberta tech scene out of sheer curiosity in 2019, she had no idea what awaited her. To her pleasant surprise, she discovered a vibrant and innovative community governed by a social contract of giving first, with a strong support system and valuable industry...

A CHANGE FOR THE SMALLER.Micro, in fact. Rapidly decreasing technology costs, combined with digital innovations such as artificial intelligence, data and analytics, cloud computing, SaaS, and the Internet of Things, are disrupting our existing business and operating models. This means that Alberta’s emerging-technology sector is primed to be a catalyst...

The Calgary Innovation Coalition (CIC) is striving to create a healthy, inclusive, globally recognized innovation ecosystem supporting thriving ventures in the Calgary region. To accelerate the venture’s journey we leverage the connectivity, experience, and knowledge of our member network to identify and address ecosystem needs, enhance connections, and enable venture...

Mitacs helps organizations reach their commercial goals, fund innovation, and create employment opportunities that promote economic growth and productivity and improve quality of life for Canadians. Mitacs’s work is supported by generous funding from the Government of Quebec and the Government of Canada. Since its foundation in 1999, Mitacs has...