Alberta Catalyzer Starts 2022 with a New Name and First Cohort of Entrepreneurs

Source: · ALBERTA INNOVATES · | January 11, 2022

Source: Alberta Innovates

EDMONTON and CALGARY, ALBERTA, January 11, 2022 – Alberta Catalyzer, the new provincial pre-accelerator for tech-focused startups, is kicking off the new year with its official name and its inaugural cohort of 35 participating entrepreneurs from across the province. A collaboration between Platform Calgary and Innovate Edmonton, Alberta Catalyzer is providing education, mentorship, programming, and resources to help innovation-driven startup founders prepare for their next phase of growth.

“The name, Alberta Catalyzer, speaks to the power of this program to supercharge our innovation ecosystem throughout our province – it is a catalyst for the economic diversification and job creation that comes with strengthening our tech-focused economy,” said Innovate Edmonton CEO Catherine Warren. “Thanks go to the 150+ startup founders from across the province who submitted name suggestions and helped us select the winning name: Alberta Catalyzer.”

The name for the pre-accelerator was inspired by a submission from Nancy Mandaher, CFO and Co-founder of Sarcomere Dynamics, a robotics startup based in St. Albert. For seeding the chosen name, Mandaher received a $1,000 cash prize.

Over the course of the year, Alberta Catalyzer will support a target of 180 qualified founders with a program focus on prototyping, ideal customer profiling, creating a minimum viable product, and validating business models. The founders in the inaugural cohort represent food and beverage, solar energy, fintech and AI from urban and rural communities across the province and internationally looking to establish their business in Alberta.

“By combining our innovation ecosystem resources and networks, we are able to bring valuable programming, mentorship, and education to startup founders who we might not normally reach,” said Dr. Terry Rock, CEO of Platform Calgary. “Together, we are providing key building blocks for innovation-driven startup founders who are preparing for their next phase of growth. We’re helping to create Alberta’s future economy.”

Alberta Catalyzer is a free, merit-based program series dedicated to Alberta-based startup founders. Divided into three phases and led by seasoned delivery teams in Edmonton and Calgary, it is a coordinated expansion of startup support in the province.

“The Alberta Catalyzer pre-accelerator is a huge step forward in fostering a pan-Alberta innovation system for the benefit of all Albertans,” said Alberta Innovates CEO Laura Kilcrease. “With accelerator programming encompassing Edmonton, Calgary and all parts of the province through the Regional Innovation Networks, early-stage startups now have an exceptional opportunity to advance. Alberta Innovates has championed the Scaleup and

Growth Accelerator Program to create a critical mass of entrepreneurial activity that will put Alberta on the global stage as a technology leader.”