Calgary and Edmonton Innovation Groups Join Forces to Boost Alberta as a Tech Powerhouse
Source: · ALBERTA INNOVATES · | September 23, 2021
Source: Alberta Innovates
EDMONTON, ALBERTA, CANADA. September 23, 2021 – Platform Calgary and Innovate Edmonton are joining forces to boost promising tech startups in the early stages – as part of a broader vision to build on a pan-provincial innovation system and propel the province forward as a global tech powerhouse and proving ground for founders.
After a competitive and thorough review process, Alberta Innovates chose the Alberta pre-accelerator as one of four proposals that will receive provincial, federal and municipal investment under an unprecedented entrepreneurial initiative for Alberta: the Alberta Innovates Scaleup and Growth Accelerator Program (Scaleup GAP). This program is intended to fill a scaleup gap in the province’s innovation system by helping local tech companies grow, and to attract global firms and investment to the province.
Alberta’s pre-accelerator is a collaboration between Innovate Edmonton and Platform Calgary with support from organizations within all eight regional innovation networks across the Alberta Innovation Network. The program will be free to any qualified tech startup in Alberta.
Alberta’s pre-accelerator will complement the three other chosen accelerators by delivering business support and advice to qualified founders, entrepreneurs and startups in the early stages of their company’s development; getting them ready to advance to the scaleup/acceleration stage.
This provincewide initiative will offer in-person business development programming in Edmonton for startups in the northern part of the province and in Calgary for startups in the southern half. Online programming will be available for founders unable to travel to these two cities.
Special attention will be given to recruiting coaches and mentors who reflect the diversity of Alberta’s population. Governance of Alberta’s pre-accelerator will include member organizations that advocate for underserved tech founder communities.