Alberta is home to one of Canada’s largest technology and startup hubs. The Calgary region in particular breeds top-notch startups who receive substantial funding from a supportive local ecosystem.
Despite a notable impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Alberta’s economy, the province’s digital economy remained resilient and thrived.
Not surprisingly, Calgary.tech also thrived in its first year with site traffic & newsletter subscribers growing every month during 2022.
As we look forward to 2023, let’s take a moment to reflect on what the Calgary tech community read and shared online over the past 12 months.
1. Three Calgary Startups Ranked Among ‘Top 1%’ of Canadian Tech
In 2022 Communitech unveiled the first ever Team True North. The Waterloo hub for entrepreneurship created the list to spotlight “the best of Canadian tech”—which by their measure is defined as high-performing tech firms tracking to $1 billion in annual revenue with growth rates that match the top 1% of companies in the world. Revealed at Communitech’s Techtoberfest event, the Team True North 2022 expansion featured three Calgary startups.
2. Legaltech Startup Goodlawyer Named Calgary’s Small Business of the Year
The Calgary Chamber of Commerce capped Small Business Week by naming Goodlawyer the ATB Small Business of the Year at its annual awards gala. The ultimate hardware at Small Business Week, the award is presented to the Calgary small business that has demonstrated significant business achievement, sustained growth, and the potential to become a true pillar in Calgary.
3. Tech CEOs Call On Alberta Premier To Intervene In Battle Over Engineer Title
Canadian tech CEOs called on Alberta Premier Danielle Smith to intervene after the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta (APEGA) took legal action over job titles such as Software Engineer. More than 100 signatories of a letter sent to Smith said the APEGA has taken the aggressive position that software engineers must be regulated, and subject to onerous, restrictive, and unnecessary certification requirements.
4. Neo Financial Named Top Canadian Startup To Work For
Canadian challenger bank Neo Financial raised a financing in 2022 valuing the Calgary-born fintech at over $1 billion. Also in 2022, the unicorn was included on LinkedIn’s 5th annual Top Startups list that features 15 Canadian companies that are rising to the challenges of the moment and continuing to innovate and gain attention in 2022.
5. Attabotics Secures USD $71 Million to Revolutionize Legacy Fulfillment Centers
Calgary’s Attabotics raised USD $71 million in Series C funding led by EDC with participation from Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board through Teachers’ Venture Growth. The round brings Attabotics’ total funding to USD $165 million to date and will be used to further accelerate the commercialization of its 3D robotics warehousing solution.
6. Symend Raises USD $40 Million Round To Accelerate Growth
Symend raised a capital growth round of over USD $40 million led by Inovia Capital to further accelerate its growth and global market expansion. The company is on track to double the number of customers served for the third consecutive year and will serve over 40 million consumers on behalf of North America’s largest companies this year.
7. Calgary’s Largest Startup-focused Showcase Announces Top 10 Startups of 2022
As the signature event of Innovation Week, Launch Party is the largest startup-focused showcase of the year and spotlights some of Calgary’s most promising startups. From nanotech healthcare solutions to personalized digital real estate transactions, 10 Calgary startups were poised to make their mark in the global innovation community.
8. IBM To Open New Client Innovation Centre In Calgary And Hire 250
Calgary will become home to another major technology hub as IBM announced today the creation of a Client Innovation Centre (CIC) for Western Canada based in the city, creating 250 jobs. In the last year Amazon, RBC, and Rogers have all announced that they would be establishing engineering hubs in Calgary and aggressively hiring.
9. WestJet Announces Calgary As Exclusive Global Connecting Hub
WestJet is making Calgary its home base and exclusive global connecting hub with all its 787 Dreamliners flying through YYC Calgary International Airport as part of a partnership with the Government of Alberta.
10. KPMG Opens Calgary Innovation Lab
Calgary has joined Toronto and Vancouver as home to a KPMG Ignition centres. Today KPMG officially opened KPMG Ignition Calgary at the Platform Innovation Centre, creating a dedicated innovation lab to help clients solve their most-complex problems.
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