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 is educated, technical, and diverse. The proof is in the numbers. According to the Economist Intelligence Unit, Calgary is routinely ranked as one of the top five most livable cities in the world.
Platform Calgary has seen how thriving tech ecosystems accelerate startup growth in other cities around the world, and are applying that to Calgary. Platform brings together founders, investors, tech talent, and local industry under one roof. This community works together to build diversity, accessibility, and equity into Calgary’s innovation economy.
With the opening of the Platform Innovation Centre in June 2022, Calgary now has a purpose-built downtown hub for tech and innovation that centralizes the resources of the tech sector. Platform contributes to the community by reducing barriers and increasing speed to success for early stage entrepreneurs who are launching and growing their startup — making it easy for all Calgarians to connect into technology and innovation, while empowering youth, underserved communities, and workers who are highly skilled but underemployed.
With a community of 110+ ecosystem partners and growing, Platform Calgary is focused on helping startups launch and grow at every step of their journey, from ideation through to scale.
Platform Calgary supports over 1,300 entrepreneurs and 500+ member companies through programs and mentorship, with the help of 110+ ecosystem partners.
JONAH CHININGA, CEO AND CO-FOUNDER OF WOVEO
Woveo is a community wallet that enables newcomers to Canada to access credit and build credit history. Jonah, an immigrant himself, drew on personal experience in developing Woveo.
“Me and my co-founders, we are all immigrants to Canada, and our biggest challenge settling in Canada was our access to credit.”
Woveo recently earned second place and a $60K cash prize in the Digital Commerce Calgary Fintech Award. The award and program is a partnership between Platform Calgary and Digital Commerce Group of Companies, to nurture local talent and facilitate company growth in Calgary’s fintech sector.
“Winning the award helped us with the resources to do our rebranding, SOC2 compliance, and securing partnership with a bank,” says Jonah.
Jonah relocated from Prince Edward Island to Calgary, attracted by Calgary’s reputation and resources. In 2022, Calgary was named one of the top 30 fintech hubs in North America.
“Moving to Calgary has been really great for the company,” he says. “Starting a business is hard; starting a tech business is harder, but starting a fintech business is way harder because you have to deal with so many things. You benefit from the education and mentorship.”
Currently, it’s in beta testing with 1,000 users and has a waitlist of 16 communities with more than 14,000 users.
“There’s a great opportunity to be able to solve some of the most pressing problems within the fintech ecosystem. In Canada, there is a lot of immigration. Adjusting our services to be able to cater to new Canadians coming into the system and into a high-inflation environment where the cost of living is really high, financial services are going to be key.
In 2022, 25 startups received valuable mentorship and connections through the inaugural Digital Commerce Calgary Fintech Award and two startups — Fillip Fleet and Woveo — won a total of $310,000 in non-dilutive cash.
HONG PHUC “HP” NGUYEN, FOUNDER OF KIBBI
Kibbi is a local job community that makes it easier for businesses to connect with local job seekers, and lowers barriers for eligible, ready-to-work newcomers.
That focus was inspired by HP’s own experiences navigating a job search in a new country, when she arrived in Canada in 2020. She had a Bachelor of Commerce, an MBA, and more than 8 years of marketing and business development experience at a Fortune 500 company. Still, she found it difficult.
HP’s first role in Calgary would be at a non-profit. Serving as chair of the Calgary Vietnamese Women Association exposed her to more of the challenges newcomers face when trying to find work.
She started Kibbi as a community project to address common challenges like finding a job near home, lack of transportation, not speaking the language, and not understanding job listings.
“What we’re trying to build is really the LinkedIn for hourly job seekers,” HP says.
A prototype was built with the help of feedback from job seekers and employers who shared their experiences. HP chatted with other immigrants, to understand their pain points.
Today, Kibbi’s goal is to help newcomers land their first job and feel more settled in their new country. The app allows inclusive employers to proactively connect with potential hires, instead of waiting for applicants.
Following its MVP launch last June, the number of app downloads and key partnerships have been trending upwards. Kibbi has raised $895K, thanks to The51’s Fund II, Viewpoint Partners, and angel investors.
As a participant in the Platform Incubator program, HP says that talking to people who have been where she is now has been incredibly valuable.
“Getting the right people to support you is so important. Having someone open the door first makes it easier.”
The Platform Incubator launched in 2022 with 14 ready to scale ventures, supported by expert advisors from the community.
Calgary’s Home for Innovators
The Platform Innovation Centre is the front door to the innovation community — a single point of access to resources, support, programming and events to help founders launch and grow their startups.
Located in the heart of Calgary’s East Village neighbourhood — beside City Hall, Central Library, and Studio Bell, home of the National Music Centre — the Platform Innovation Centre helps create connections, driving new economic growth and job creation in Calgary.
When someone walks through the doors of the Platform Innovation Centre, they’ll be greeted by the Platform Café — tucked under the KPMG Pitch Stage — which acts as a concierge for the community, connecting them to the person or resource they need to help launch or grow their business.
Part of a first of its kind, future-proof project, the Innovation Centre was built in partnership with Calgary Parking Authority and Calgary Municipal Land Corporation to meet the needs of Calgary now, and into the future. The Innovation Centre occupies the first two floors of the building, with parking on the levels above, and a panoramic view of Calgary’s downtown from the rooftop.
Platform Innovation Centre in 2022:
- Opened to the public June 6
- 20,000+ visitors 1,740 space bookings
- 14,000+ hours of space bookings donated to non-profit partners
$5.3M private donations to help bring the Platform Innovation Centre to life.
Platform Calgary is supported by the City of Calgary, the Government of Alberta, Alberta Innovates and the Government of Canada.
AT THE PLATFORM INNOVATION CENTRE YOU’LL FIND:
- 110+ tech and innovation partners under one roof.
- Access to classes, seminars, workshops, and programs for entrepreneurs and industry professionals.
- Access to businesses, top talent and expertise from across Canada and beyond for industry meetups, pitch nights, keynotes and collisions between entrepreneurs, investors, and founders.
- KPMG Pitch Stage and event-based community space equipped with display screens, built-in sound system, lights, and streaming cameras.
ALONGSIDE PLATFORM CALGARY, THIS IS THE COMMUNITY THAT MAKES UP THE PLATFORM INNOVATION CENTRE:
Platform Calgary is bringing together founders and their teams, corporate and community partners, investors and tech talent all under one roof. All these people are committed to a city-wide culture of collaboration anchored in diversity, accessibility and equity. Meet the Members, Partners and Pillar Team community.
