Calgary.tech

✨ It’s That Time of Year Again! ✨ Calgary.tech is assembling our annual 10 Homegrown Calgary Startups to Watch list, and we want your input! We’ve got some incredible companies on our shortlist, but we’re always on the lookout for startups poised to make waves in 2025. 🌟 Previous lists have included standout names like Fillip, Goodlawyer, Quickly, and WaitWell—who’s next? Check out the 2023 and 2024 lists in the comments, and let us know which startups deserve a spot this year! Tag a startup (and founder) you think should make the list. Let’s spotlight the best of Calgary’s thriving startup ecosystem! #CalgaryTech #YYCInnovation #StartupsToWatch

🌿 Alberta's Cleantech Scene: A 2024 Retrospective 🌿 While Alberta is renowned for its oil sands, the province is making waves in clean energy and cleantech innovation. From groundbreaking hydrogen advancements to top-tier geothermal and lithium tech, 2024 was a banner year for Alberta’s green innovators. 🏆 Key Highlights: - Alberta Cleantech Awards: Calgary's Litus Inc. won Venture of the Year for its nanotech solution to lithium harvesting. - Global Cleantech 100: Carbon Upcycling Technologies, Eavor Technologies Inc., and Summit Nanotech represented Alberta on the global stage. - Cleantech 50 to Watch: Calgary-based Ayrton Energy and Litus were spotlighted for hydrogen and lithium innovations. - Foresight 50: Five Calgary companies, including Drishya AI Labs and Ionic Solutions, were named among Canada’s most investable cleantech ventures. From AI-powered emissions reductions to sustainable hydrogen transport, Alberta’s innovators are shaping a cleaner, greener future.

🎙️ The Founder Mindset Season 2 Finale: Live Panel Event 🎙️ Calgary’s Leah Sarich wraps up Season 2 of The Founder Mindset podcast with an unforgettable Live Panel on Entrepreneurship Growth at Platform Calgary on January 21st. Brought to you by Thin Air Labs, this podcast has highlighted the bold founders driving Calgary’s rise as a global innovation hub. Now, the finale features a live-to-tape discussion with some of Calgary’s top entrepreneurial minds: 🌟 Terry Rock, Platform Calgary 🌟 Martin Toner, CFA, MBA, ATB Capital Markets 🌟 Shelley Kuipers, The51 🌟 Amreesh Khanna, OraQ AI Join them for this one-of-a-kind event to explore the highs, lows, and critical moments of the entrepreneurial journey.

After the tragic gas explosion in Cleat Hill, Bedford, UK, residents are finally returning home—and they’re doing so with peace of mind, thanks to Calgary-based Blackline Safety. The company’s G7c wearable gas monitors, now installed in 83 homes near the blast site, provide real-time detection of toxic gases like methane. These cloud-connected devices sound alarms and alert emergency services immediately in the event of danger. As resident Ruth Pressley shared: “I felt safe about coming home because the gas monitors had actually been installed. After seven weeks away, we can now get to the stage of thinking it’s Christmas.” 🚨 With gas-related incidents on the rise, Blackline’s innovation is proving critical in both industrial and community settings, offering a new standard in safety technology.

Fluid Biomed Inc., a Calgary-based pioneer in neurovascular treatments, has closed an oversubscribed USD $27M Series A funding round! 💡 Co-led by Amplitude Ventures and an undisclosed strategic partner, the funding will accelerate the development of ReSolv™, the world’s first bioabsorbable stent for brain aneurysms. Unlike traditional metallic stents, ReSolv™ dissolves into the body, reducing long-term risks and promising better outcomes for millions affected by this life-threatening condition. Congratulations to co-founders Dr. John Wong and Dr. Alim Mitha for their groundbreaking work—and to the team of international investors driving this innovation forward! 🌍 #HealthTech #Innovation #MedicalDevices #Neurovascular #CalgaryTech

🌟 Big News in Learning Tech! 🌟 Calgary-based Absorb Software has acquired Toronto’s Together, a leading mentorship software provider. This marks a transformative step in bridging the gap between mentoring platforms and learning management systems, creating a unified approach to professional growth and workforce development. Absorb CEO Kimberly Williams emphasizes that this integration will empower organizations to foster deeper learning experiences, boost engagement, and drive measurable business success. Together CEO Matthew Reeves shares this vision, highlighting the partnership’s potential to elevate continuous learning and mentorship.

🚀 Fueling Alberta’s Tech Ecosystem: Accelerate Fund IV Launches with $15M Anchor Investment Alberta Enterprise Corporation (AEC) has announced the launch of Accelerate Fund IV, its fourth early-stage angel co-investment fund, with a $15M anchor investment. This fund aims to raise $25M to support Alberta’s pre-seed and seed-stage tech startups in sectors like AI, life sciences, and digital transformation. With private angel investors matching contributions, Accelerate Fund IV builds on a decade of success, having supported 46 startups, including samdesk and Helcim. Managed by Yaletown Partners, this fund is a critical step in positioning Alberta as a global innovation hub.

💼 Building Calgary’s Tech Talent Pipeline with $862K Investment 🌐 The The Opportunity Calgary Investment Fund (OCIF) is investing $862,500 in TECHNATION to support 250 work-integrated learning (WIL) placements in Calgary’s growing tech sector. This initiative, backed by Mayor Jyoti Gondek, aims to diversify Calgary’s economy, focusing on artificial intelligence and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Key highlights: 🔹 More than 80% of placements with SMEs. 🔹 At least 50% of participants from underrepresented groups. 🔹 Additional funding from Canada’s Student Work Placement Program ($1.25M), Alberta’s Workforce Development Grant ($1.13M), and employers ($720K). “This program is a win for students, businesses, and the province,” said Matt Jones, CFA, Minister of Jobs, Economy and Trade. Angela Mondou ICD.D., CEO of TECHNATION, emphasized its impact: “This fuels growth while preparing professionals in AI and cybersecurity.” With support from Brad Parry of OCIF and nationwide collaboration, Calgary continues to rise as a premier tech hub.

🌟 Kevin O’Leary Leads $70B Wonder Valley Data Centre Project in Alberta 🌟 Kevin O'Leary, through O'Leary Ventures, is spearheading Wonder Valley, the world’s largest AI data centre industrial park, in Alberta’s Greenview Industrial Gateway. This transformative initiative is supported by the Municipal District of Greenview, with Premier Danielle Smith and Minister of Technology and Innovation Nate Glubish championing Alberta’s potential as a global innovation hub. With $2 billion earmarked for Phase 1 and partnerships with First Nations communities, Wonder Valley will generate 7.5 GW of power over the next decade using natural gas and geothermal energy. This project is expected to create thousands of jobs, deliver economic benefits, and set a benchmark for sustainable AI infrastructure. “This is the Greenview Model,” says O’Leary. Paul L. Palandjian, CEO of O’Leary Ventures, emphasizes the project’s commitment to mutual benefits and respecting Indigenous lands and traditions.

🚀 Celebrating 10 years of innovation and a bold new chapter! EasyRedir, a pioneer in URL redirection, has rebranded to urllo as it marks a decade of excellence. With a new identity and an expanded mission, urllo now serves over 1,000 clients in 75 countries, managing an astounding 18 billion redirects annually for brands like IKEA, Porsche, and Cheesecake Factory. Founder and CEO William Richards says, “This change is more than a rebrand; it’s a reflection of everything we’ve learned from our customers, how far we’ve come, and where we’re going next.” With enterprise-grade tools to streamline and secure digital connections, urllo is redefining what it means to connect in today’s complex digital world.