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Alberta’s tech innovators and entrepreneurs are leading digital transformation across the province and the world.
Enabled by a robust talent pipeline, academic collaborations and a supportive ecosystem, Alberta’s innovators and entrepreneurs are developing technologies to solve the greatest global challenges. Embedded within the economy and leveraging the province’s expertise in energy, agribusiness, finance and logistics, Alberta tech companies are leading the digital transformation of these sectors.
With startups clustering around established tech firms that have relocated to the province, Alberta has grown into a global tech hub — and investment is following. The province experienced a record-breaking year for venture capital investment in 2020 and is home to over 3,000 tech companies. As the tech sector continues to mature and gain critical mass, Alberta is the place to be.
Alberta Stories
mCloud
Alberta offers the ideal environment to launch or scale a tech company. A young, diverse and educated workforce, great quality of life and a cohesive ecosystem provide businesses with a solid foundation for success.
Alberta’s spending on digital transformation (DX) is set to surpass $20B between 2021-2024, a forecast of 13% year over year growth.
Calgary, Alberta
Photo Credit: Thiago Terleski on Unsplash
RECORD-BREAKING INVESTMENTS
Alberta’s tech sector is maturing and investors are taking note. In 2020, the province experienced a record-breaking year for venture capital investment. Four Calgary-based tech companies: Benevity , Solium Capital (now Shareworks by Morgan Stanley ), RS Energy Group (now Enverus Intelligence Research Inc. ) and Parvus Therapeutics have reached unicorn status.
Alberta is well-positioned to attract global tech firms to scale up their North American footprint while attracting investment into early-stage tech startups. Alberta is home to the second most private equity firms in the country and boasts policies and incentives that mirror the province’s entrepreneurial mindset.
Alberta Innovates , Alberta Enterprise Corporation (AEC) and regional partners have joined forces to launch Start Alberta , a pan-provincial scaleup and growth accelerator program, as part of a broader vision to strengthen Alberta’s innovation ecosystem.
Alberta-based companies received $562 million in PE and $999 million in VC funds in 2021
LEADER IN AI RESEARCH AND ADOPTION
Edmonton is one of three hubs at the core of the Government of Canada’s Pan-Canadian AI Strategy , designed to leverage and grow the country’s expertise in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML).
DeepMind, Google’s AI subsidiary, has praised the incredible talent emerging from the University of Alberta when they were selecting Edmonton for its first research lab outside the UK.
The province’s AI ecosystem is supported by the Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute (Amii) which brings together academics and entrepreneurs to advance the adoption of AI. Amii has been critical to attracting the talent, innovation and capital needed to grow Edmonton into a global AI hub.
Talent
Alberta’s tech sector is supported by a diverse, highly educated workforce and top universities
Diverse
Talent
50% of Alberta startups have at least one founder who identifies as a visible minority and 4% who identify as Indigenous.
Computer Science Education
The University of Alberta’s computer science program has experienced a 86% increase in enrolment since 2015.
Moving Toward Gender Parity
27% of Alberta tech companies have at least one female-identifying founder — 35% higher than the global average.
Edmonton
Edmonton’s tech ecosystem is deeply intertwined with academic and research institutes. With the top computer science school in the country and a global leading AI institute, Edmonton is one of Canada’s top technology hubs.
Growing Tech Workforce
Edmonton counts 35,400 tech workers and a projected 1.5% annual growth of jobs.
Cutting-Edge Nanotechnology
National Research Council of Canada’s Nanotechnology Research Centre is located at the University of Alberta.
Health City
Edmonton-based nonprofit that coordinates efforts of researchers, tech innovators and entrepreneurs to develop new technologies.
Calgary
Calgary is an emerging tech hub. The city is leveraging its technical expertise to solve global challenges with critical mass clustering around its established fintech and healthtech ecosystems.
Affordable Office Space
The most affordable downtown office space of any major Canadian city
Advancing Quantum Technology
The University of Calgary’s Institute for Quantum Science and Technology hosts 15 research groups making advancements in quantum technology.
Leading Digital Transformation
Calgary companies will lead the $20 billion spend on digital transformation in Alberta from 2021 to 2024.
ECONOMICALLY STRONG
As the most entrepreneurial province in Canada, Alberta connects innovators with capital to turn ideas into reality
2nd
Alberta is home to the second most private equity firms in the country.
$36B
Private equity invested in Alberta companies in 2020.
$1.3B
Venture capital investments made in Alberta companies in 2020.
$16M
Invested by The51 — a Calgary investment platform looking to change the gender disparity in venture capital.
Areas of Focus
Cleantech
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Carbon capture, use and storage
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Low-carbon hydrogen production
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Solvent extraction technology
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Methane reduction
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Emerging geothermal
As a global energy leader, Alberta is leveraging its expertise to accelerate the global transition to a low-carbon economy. The province is a hub for the trillion-dollar cleantech industry.
Agritech
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Advanced monitoring
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Big data
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IoT-based sensor networks
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Satellite photography and sensors
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Computer vision and spectral analytics
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Hydroponics
Home to a thriving agricultural sector, innovators collaborate with farmers to increase yields, find efficiencies and promote sustainability through increased connectivity and data.
Fintech
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Cryptocurrency and blockchain
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Digital transformation of financial sector
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Equity financing
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Green financing
Calgary’s growing fintech sector is comprised of the world’s most prominent finance players intermixed with exciting fintech startups — all supported by a skilled workforce.
AI and Communications Tech
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Nanotechnology and micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS)
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Intelligent automation
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Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML)
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Internet of Things (IoT)
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Machine vision
Working closely with the AI and IoT sector, Alberta’s emerging robotics industry is developing integrated and responsive systems to improve supply chains, energy, healthcare and manufacturing.
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