This year’s South by Southwest (SXSW) conference in Austin, Texas kicks off on March 10th and, thanks to Alberta Innovates, 50 high potential Alberta ventures will be making the trip.
The companies are graduates of Alberta Innovates’ Scale-up and Growth Accelerator Program and represent the province’s strength in agri-food, sustainability, health, and digital technologies sectors. These Alberta entrepreneurs are both ready and interested in expanding in the U.S. market, and in bringing investment back to the province.
The Alberta Scaleup and Growth Accelerator Program attracts home-grown entrepreneurs and others around the world with the twin aims of growing international collaborations and attracting capital to Alberta’s ecosystem. The program involves a consortium led by Alberta Innovates and includes all three orders of government – federal, provincial, and municipal.
Considerable effort has gone into preparing the companies going to SXSW to take full advantage of the opportunity. “From sharpening their pitches, attending workshops, and receiving one-on-one coaching, they’ve all put in the work,” said Laura Kilcrease, CEO of Alberta Innovates.
“During their six days in Austin, the companies will attend curated one-on-one meetings, participate in invitation-only networking events with potential U.S. investors, customers and partners, and take in workshops and events at SXSW. Building global business networks will help these Alberta companies scale up much faster.”
Prior to her appointment as CEO of Alberta Innovates, Kilcrease was a driving force in Austin’s technology and innovation community. She founded the Austin Technology Incubator, co-founded the Austin Technology Council, and served as executive director of the University of Texas IC2 Institute’s Center for Commercialization and Enterprise, along with her venture capital prowess.
“There are many similarities between Austin and Alberta,” Kilcrease notes. “Both grew up based on natural resources and have continued to pivot into innovation and technology at all levels and stages. They both have highly educated populations and phenomenal research universities that can support tech growth.”
Among the companies that will be showcasing the innovation coming out of Alberta are Alto, Bode, Digital Carbon, HEMPALTA, OneCup AI, and Propra.
“We are truly honored to be representing Alberta at a globally renowned showcase of the world’s most compelling new companies. This fellowship brings together Alberta’s leaders of the new economy who are collaborative and passionate about driving the diversification and sustainability of our province that we love,” says Bōde CEO Robert Price.
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