{"id":3805,"date":"2019-06-06T04:53:59","date_gmt":"2019-06-06T04:53:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.startupblink.com\/blog\/?p=3805"},"modified":"2021-03-05T12:02:58","modified_gmt":"2021-03-05T12:02:58","slug":"edmontons-startup-ecosystem","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.startupblink.com\/blog\/edmontons-startup-ecosystem\/","title":{"rendered":"Edmonton’s startup ecosystem"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
This article was written in cooperation with Innovate Edmonton in preparation of Startup Ecosystem Ranking Report 2019<\/a> that ranked Edmonton in spot 95 out of 1,000 cities.<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Click here<\/a> to view Edmonton\u2019s Startup Map<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Edmonton is one of Western Canada\u2019s most dynamic startup ecosystems, being home to over 394 tech companies that excel at developing businesses in the fields of AI and Machine Learning, Augmented & Virtual Reality, Web and Mobile Apps, Video Games, Health Technology and Big Data. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Together with the community, Edmonton\u2019s service providers have started building an ecosystem that supports the commercialization of the knowledge and research coming out of our post-secondary institutions and engaged citizens. Edmonton counts 11 co-working spaces, three accelerators and 20+ organizations offering incubation programs and services; and is home to the third best university incubator in the world (TEC Edmonton).<\/p>\n\n\n

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As Canada\u2019s northernmost metropolis, Edmonton isn\u2019t the first place people look to when thinking about technology and innovation. We\u2019re a dark horse. But our growing ecosystem is already solving some of the world\u2019s most complicated problems \u2014 from closing the global radiology gap (Medo<\/a>) to treating tumors with biodegradable microspheres (IMBiotechnologies<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Current momentum of Edmonton\u2019s startup ecosystem<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Edmonton\u2019s technology and innovation ecosystem is evolving rapidly. Over the past five years, the city has seen the creation of three health accelerators (all based out of TEC Edmonton.) In 2018, the provincial government announced funding 3,000 new post-secondary seats in tech-related programs over the next five years. In the past year, Edmonton saw more than 145 new seats added to programs like NAIT’s Digital Media and Information Technology Program, Concordia University of Edmonton’s Masters of Information Systems Security Management, and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The provincial government also announced an Interactive Digital Media Tax Credit that will cover up to 25 per cent of labour costs. This announcement will help level the playing field for video game developers based in Alberta. The investment is already paying off: in September, U.K.-based Improbable announced it would build an office in Edmonton. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most recently, the Government of Alberta pledged $100 million to the AI\/ML sector over the next five years. A portion of this funding will go toward establishing a technology accelerator program to help Alberta researchers and entrepreneurs commercialize their tech research into viable products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2018, Edmonton Economic Development Corporation, the city\u2019s arms-length economic agency, created Innovate Edmonton. Innovate Edmonton contributes to Edmonton\u2019s economic growth and diversification through the creation of new tech-enabled businesses, by helping high potential businesses scale up, and by inspiring action to fuel growth in our city\u2019s innovation and technology business community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The biggest success stories<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Edmonton\u2019s innovators, inventors, and entrepreneurs are making a global impact and have been doing so for a long time. From building a top 10 global architecture firm in the 60s (Stantec<\/a>) to establishing North America\u2019s largest chain of specialty running stores in the 80s (The Running Room<\/a>), Edmontonians have always punched above their weight. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

More success stories include: developing Canada\u2019s best-selling financial and tax software (Intuit<\/a>); establishing two of Canada\u2019s leading telecommunications companies (TELUS and Shaw); and developing the most comprehensive and frequently visited website for investor education (Investopedia<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We also lay claim to Canada\u2019s largest provider of online training, testing and certification (Yardstick<\/a>); have collected Orders of Canada for our game development skills (Dr. Ray Muzyka and Dr. Greg Zeschuk, BioWare<\/a>); helped online retailers get more bang for their buck (Granify<\/a>); and allowed Internet users to register for a website through a social media account (LoginRadius<\/a>). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The following startups and scaleups have also started making a name for themselves in their respective fields: <\/p>\n\n\n\n