Calgary’s fintech momentum continues as Finofo announces a $3.3 million oversubscribed seed funding round to scale its platform for global finance operations. The startup, co-founded by Alberta finance veterans Prateek Sodhi and Charles Maranda, enables mid-market companies to streamline international payments and reduce foreign exchange losses. The funding was led by Watertower Ventures, with support […]
Alberta Caps Data Centre Grid Access Amid AI-Fueled Power Surge
In a decisive move to manage unprecedented electricity demand, the Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO) has announced an interim cap on new large load connections to the province’s power grid. This measure comes in response to a surge of 29 proposed data centre projects seeking over 16 gigawatts (GW) of capacity—surpassing the current load of […]
$700M and Counting: How Alberta Quietly Became a VC Magnet
Image: Jennifer Friesen, Digital Journal A decade ago, Alberta barely registered on the national venture radar. Today, it’s pulling in hundreds of millions—and proving the skeptics wrong. Venture capital used to be a rare commodity in Alberta’s tech sector. In the early 2000s, investments into local startups totalled just a few million dollars a year. […]
What Canada Needs Now: Gary Vee’s Blueprint for a Talent-Led Economy
“This is a talent game.” That was the message media mogul Gary Vaynerchuk delivered in Calgary during a wide-ranging discussion with BetaKit CEO Siri Agrell. The outspoken entrepreneur and investor, better known as Gary Vee, didn’t hold back when asked how Canada should position itself in an increasingly competitive global economy. As countries around the […]
No More Excuses: Vaynerchuk Shreds Canadian Startup Myths
Gary Vaynerchuk didn’t come to Calgary to coddle Canadian entrepreneurs. In a high-energy fireside chat with BetaKit CEO Siri Agrell, the outspoken investor and media executive, better known as Gary Vee, delivered a series of truth bombs aimed squarely at the excuses he hears too often from startup founders in Canada. From hiring woes to […]
Foresight Canada Names Alberta Cleantech Award Winners at Inventures 2025
Foresight Canada celebrated Alberta’s top clean technology innovators last night at the Alberta Cleantech Awards, held during the Inventures 2025 Conference in Calgary. The awards recognize companies and organizations accelerating the adoption of cleantech solutions and contributing to the province’s economic resilience. This year’s winners highlight Alberta’s growing strength in transforming industrial expertise into sustainable, […]
Calgary Emerges as Canada’s Fastest-Growing Startup Ecosystem in 2025
Calgary is making waves on the global innovation stage, securing its place as Canada’s fastest-growing startup ecosystem in 2025. According to the latest Global Startup Ecosystem Index by StartupBlink, the city climbed 15 spots to rank 92nd worldwide—marking the largest jump among Canada’s top 10 ecosystems. Calgary also overtook Kitchener to become the fifth-ranked startup […]
Alberta’s Position as a Data Centre Powerhouse Strengthened by New Stantec Partnership
Alberta’s rise as a data centre powerhouse has taken another leap forward with a major new project from Beacon AI Centers, supported by Nadia Partners, and designed by Stantec, headquartered in Edmonton. Stantec has been selected as the lead consultant for a multi-site artificial intelligence data centre initiative spanning six locations across five municipalities in […]
OCIF Express Injects $3.5M Into Calgary SMEs to Spur Jobs, Tech Innovation
The Opportunity Calgary Investment Fund (OCIF), with support from the Government of Alberta, has launched a new funding stream—OCIF Express—to rapidly deploy up to $3.5 million into 23 Calgary-based small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), fuelling job creation, skills training, and innovation across key sectors. With a focus on projects under 24 months in duration, OCIF […]
Chromasense Leads Student Food Innovation With CFIN Backing
Five student-led ventures tackling critical food industry issues—from plastic-free packaging to AI-powered cultivated fat—have received funding through the Canadian Food Innovation Network’s (CFIN) NextGen Food Innovators program. The program is designed to accelerate the development of pre-commercial, science-based technologies by supporting student entrepreneurs with funding to validate, refine, and explore the market potential of their […]