Event will inform future deep tech-focused programming at the innovation hub.
Edmonton Unlimited welcomed hundreds of people, including VCs from across Canada, to a showcase intended to catalyze commercialization for the city’s deep-tech entrepreneurs.
The news: The June 9 showcase featured an investor panel on what makes successful deep tech companies—those typically founded on complex scientific or engineering innovation—with participation from Continuum Health Ventures, BDC, Panache Ventures, Risc Capital, Innovobot, and Eecomobility. It was followed by a fireside chat with Edmonton’s Wyvern on how the company went from university spinout to a globally competitive deep tech business.
From the source: “In order for us to serve all of the entrepreneurs in the city, we have to be able to evaluate who’s here and what they need,” Edmonton Unlimited chief operating officer Sangeet Brar said in an interview with BetaKit. “This is a segment of companies that are essential to Edmonton that we haven’t necessarily been bringing the programs or experts they need, and this is helping to broaden that.”
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Following the thread: The event was intended to act as a bellwether for both future programming and a deep-tech focused segment of October’s Edmonton Startup Week. Edmonton Unlimited CEO Tom Viinikka said the organization plans to debrief on the event and use the collected data from attendees and participants to design and implement future, long-term programming around deep tech startups, which often face a longer and more challenging path to commercialization than other startups.
Final thought: As a result of the showcase, there are as many as 30 private startup-to-investor meetings happening this week with more than 20 Alberta-based companies, according to Amit Monga, the president of Eecomobility, who helped bring several of those VCs to the showcase. Monga said he’s hoping to bring more VC interest to future events, with the aim of bridging the gap between Edmonton’s research talent and commercialization.
BetaKit’s Prairies reporting is funded in part by YEGAF, a not-for-profit dedicated to amplifying business stories in Alberta.
Feature image courtesy of Jesse Cole for BetaKit.