RAINFOREST ALBERTA IS ROOTED IN AN ANALOGY
Although the cold, dry climate of Alberta might not seem to have much in common with the Rainforest, our innovation ecosystem sure does. This connection is explored in the book: “The Rainforest: The Secret to Building the Next Silicon Valley” by Greg Horowitt and Victor Hwang where they emphasize the importance of serendipity, randomness and unexpected events when it comes to innovation and human interactions. They explore how innovation ecosystems are like rainforests, as they support the birth of new ideas, create a culture of trust, encourage new connections, and bring people together to achieve common goals.
Back in 2015, Calgary’s tech sector was on the rise. That’s when Brad Zumwalt and Jim Gibson, co-founders of Rainforest Alberta, were inspired by the rainforest analogy. They knew that in order to build a thriving tech sector in Alberta, they needed to turn the analogy into a reality.
“There were a lot of support organizations, but who was responsible for the space in between the support organizations and the companies? What is that culture piece in our city? It happens to be the Rainforest Model.” — Brad Zumwalt, Co-Founder of Rainforest Alberta
To make it happen, they collaborated with a group associated with the original book to develop a framework for the Alberta innovation ecosystem. With their guidance, Brad and Jim brought the Rainforest analogy to life and created a supportive environment where innovation and creativity could flourish. Working alongside other founding community members, they laid the foundation for what would become a vibrant and successful tech ecosystem in Alberta.
“Rainforest Alberta, started with Brad who is a great reader of innovation ecosystems, a student of cities and what’s going on. We assembled a group of 65 people from all parts of the Alberta ecosystem – entrepreneurs, investors, government, and academia to create a social contract. The rest was history.” — Jim Gibson, Co-Founder of Rainforest Alberta
RAINFOREST ALBERTA WAS BORN
What started as a grassroots initiative and informal gathering has grown into a thriving community of hundreds of individuals coming together to collaborate, build connections and foster a culture of trust to generate new ideas and companies. To help grow new ideas, the Social Contract was created, which is an agreement that embodies ten values including: Trust, Diversity, Free Help, Pay It Forward, Fairness, Listening, Honesty, Team Sport, Sharing and Role Model. It serves as a framework on actions and behaviours for individuals to follow while collaborating and growing new ideas. Presently more than 4,000 individuals are committed to these values by signing the social contract online.
Along with the social contract came the introduction of Lunch Without Lunch, one of Calgary tech’s longest standing events, which happens every Wednesday at noon. It provides a space for discussion on innovation, welcomes everyone with open arms, and creates an inclusive environment where people can connect and exchange ideas freely.
As the ecosystem continued to grow, Brad and Jim recognized the need for a tool to promote ongoing dialogue around a shared cultural narrative of innovation to drive ecosystem-wide behaviors. They introduced the Rainforest Scorecard, a tool used to assess the strengths and weaknesses of Calgary’s ecosystem that measures the ecosystem against six pillars from the rainforest analogy. The scorecard also promotes an honest examination of the ecosystem’s assets and identifies opportunities to improve the culture of innovation in Calgary.
THE ROOTS OF INNOVATION ARE ALWAYS GROWING
Over the years, Rainforest Alberta has grown into a thriving community of entrepreneurs, innovators, and ecosystem builders who support each other’s journeys through innovation. The movement is the foundation of Calgary’s tech and innovation culture and continues to build awareness around diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging.
A Rainforest is diverse, and it’s all these diverse backgrounds and folks with lived experiences in the community coming together to collaborate, share ideas and being open, where innovation thrives and how you build a culture of trust”. — Amber Rowden, Community Storyteller, Rainforest Alberta
The diversity that drives the Rainforest analogy continues to build as the tech sector grows in Alberta. With this growth comes increased programming, events, and resources to match.
“We’re innovators, let’s look to the future. While we curate new culture building initiatives in the Rainforest, we’re always focused on the core of the movement, which is the Social Contract.” — Brigitte Legault, Community Manager, Rainforest Alberta
To amplify and accelerate the journey of startup founders, and other stakeholders, the Rainforest has digitized the community through an online platform that democratizes the resources, knowledge, and opportunities available to individuals in the city and across the province.
