Alberta Innovates and its Scaleup Growth and Accelerator Program announced this month that dozens of high-potential regional startups will be attending the iconic annual tech and culture event SXSW in March.
Fifty delegates will participate in curated meetings and attend invite-only networking events in an effort to make connections, attract investors, and take in learning opportunities at one of the world’s largest tech conferences, according to a statement issued by Alberta Innovates, whose Scaleup GAP program aims to help create jobs and foster innovation with roots in the province.
This delegation builds off a successful trip in 2023: Since the event, $6 million in finalized business deals have been completed to date while thousands of total reported connections were made by attending companies, according to Alberta Innovates.
The 50-strong delegation offers the full spectrum of Alberta innovation. The armada of companies, from fledging startups to longstanding anchors of the region, cover a wide array of sectors including health-tech (PurposeMed, MedEssist), business-to-business software (IrisCX, Symend), legal-tech (Goodlawyer), health-tech (Lusome), and more.
Other attendees that readers of Calgary.tech will recognize include the AgTech firm HEMPALTA, and climate-tech firms Carbon Upcycling, and Earthware. Financial technology companies participating include Trust Science, Quickly, and data-driven investment fund Berkley Street Capital. The full list is available here.
The Alberta Scaleup GAP is run by a consortium comprising the Government of Alberta, Prairies Economic Development Canada, The City of Edmonton through Edmonton Unlimited, and the City of Calgary’s Opportunity Calgary Investment Fund.
The program provides a network of end-to-end business support services for growth-oriented companies, from those just starting out up to organizations who need advice or investment to help them expand globally.
Established in 1987, SXSW takes over Austin, Texas each March as a hybrid event: part tech conference and part music festival, the iconic annual affair is known for celebrating the convergence of technology, art, and culture.
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