Platform Calgary

25 Years in the Making: Celebrating a Calgary Global Landmark 🏔️✨ From a Calgary garage in 2001 to a $4.75 Billion USD global exit in 2026. The journey of CoolIT Systems is the ultimate "North Star" for our tech ecosystem. Beyond the record-breaking numbers lies a story of resilience, innovation, and a perfectly timed pivot into the heart of the global AI infrastructure. On April 16, Platform Calgary is proud to convene an unprecedented conversation between CoolIT Founder Brydon Gierl, Chief Operation Officer Patrick McGinn, and Dean Prodan, Platform Calgary Board Chair. Together, they will pull back the curtain on:  🔹 The AI Infrastructure Blueprint: How CoolIT became the standard for cooling 5 million+ GPUs and 7 of the world’s top 10 supercomputers.  🔹 The Scaling Playbook: Lessons from a 25-year journey that culminated in a 25x capacity expansion to meet the "insatiable" demand of the AI era.  🔹 Boardroom Decisions: An insider’s look at the strategic moves and global partnerships (including KKR and NVIDIA) that defined this historic exit. 🎟️ Tickets include lunch and networking. Register here: https://lnkd.in/gKhb8_8P #CalgaryTech #yycTech #StartupCalgary #CoolIT #GlobalScale #TechExits

What happens when a Canadian tech staple and a global youth powerhouse team up in Calgary? 🤝 Five months ago, a unique collaboration took shape during Calgary Innovation Week, Interac Corp. and The Knowledge Society (TKS) joined forces to lead a workshop with a bold objective: reimagining Alberta as Canada’s next innovation superpower. What made this initiative stand out was the room itself. It brought together youth innovators from TKS with industry leaders, academia, and community builders. It was a deliberate effort to ensure that the people building the future of our province are working alongside the next generation who will inherit it. The takeaway? When we embolden our youth and elevate their perspectives, we move from simply finding their ideas “inspiring” to treating young people as essential contributors to the ecosystem. National organizations like Interac play a distinct role in developing Calgary’s homegrown innovators. With the right partners, "made-in-Calgary" innovation doesn't just stay here—it leads the way. Check out the full story on how this partnership is still making waves five months later. Read the full story: https://hubs.ly/Q048Vy-S0 #CalgaryTech #yycTech #NextGen #Interac #TKS #HomegrownTalent #YYC

A global venture capital perspective is coming to Calgary. On April 1, the team from White Star Capital will be at the National Bank Investor Hub at Platform Calgary for a dedicated Investor Networking Office Hour — creating space for local founders to connect directly with investors who operate across major technology hubs in North America, Europe, and beyond. This session is designed for founders who are actively building and preparing to raise Seed or Seed+ rounds, in software or hardware, and are looking to understand investor fit early. You’ll have the opportunity to meet: 🔹 Catherine Ouellet-Dupuis 🔹 Sanjay Zimmermann 🔹 Matthew He Expect focused conversations on what they look for in companies, how they partner with founders, and where their investment priorities align. More details on stage and sector focus are available on the registration page. These smaller, curated sessions are built to create real dialogue, not just introductions. 📅 April 1 🕑 2:30 – 5:00 PM 📍 National Bank Investor Hub, Platform Innovation Centre Apply to join → https://hubs.ly/Q048nSld0 #TechinYYC #yycTech #InvestorHub #StartupFunding

🤠 Save the Date: Let's show the city how we do Stampede. Calgary is now home to the fastest-growing tech sector in North America—a fact many in our own backyard are only just beginning to realize. We’re channeling that energy into a single, high-wattage afternoon at the National Saloon Tent—a signature event designed to show our collective teams, partners, and the broader city exactly what this community is made of. Whether you’re honoring your team of builders, welcoming international guests, or introducing new collaborators to the heart of the YYC tech scene, expect live music, electric energy, and the kind of connections that only happen in the heat of July. Let’s show the city—and the world—how Calgary tech hosts its own. 🎟 Early Bird tickets drop April 7 We’re grateful to have the support of our partners: Official Community Partner: UCalgary Faculty of Science Mark your calendars and round up your crew. Join the notification list to be the first to access tickets, experiences and event updates: https://hubs.ly/Q048vlZm0

At our March 5 Pitch Breakfast, six Calgary startups took the stage to share their companies and receive candid, practical feedback from investors. From refining the story to pressure-testing the business model, the conversation focused on the questions that matter most when building venture-scale companies: scalability, defensibility, revenue clarity, and go-to-market strategy. Meet the startups who stepped up to pitch: 🔹 SpeakX AI Inc. (XingChao Wang | Pre-Seed | EdTech) – An AI-powered IELTS speaking tutor providing real-time feedback and test simulation 🔹 MOJISONS (David Orieji | Seed | Marketplace) – A global marketplace connecting verified buyers and sellers of heavy equipment 🔹 lavawall (Chris Nowell | Seed | B2B SaaS) – A cybersecurity and IT visibility platform helping organizations monitor risk across devices 🔹LOUIS Toolkit (Trevor Wiens | Pre-Seed | B2B SaaS) – A data management platform supporting decision-making for small and Indigenous communities 🔹VRCORE Education (Jason Van Hierden | Seed | EdTech) – Multi-learner virtual reality field trips transforming school gymnasiums into immersive learning environments 🔹Memorique (Najla I. | Seed | AI/ML) – A relationship intelligence platform automating personalized client engagement Pitch Breakfast is designed to create exactly this kind of dialogue — a smaller, curated setting where founders can present their companies and walk away with actionable insights from experienced investors. Events like this are a core part of the National Bank Investor Hub at Platform Calgary, helping strengthen connections between founders and capital while supporting the next generation of Calgary startups. Thank you to the investors who joined us early in the morning and shared their perspectives with the founders. #TechinYYC #yycTech #InvestorHub #StartupFunding

Innovation isn’t just about technology, it’s about the conditions we create around people. At the next Tech Talent Tuesdays, we’re exploring what it actually takes to build environments where innovation and talent can grow. Join us on March 31 for Sowing the Seeds of Innovation: Creating the Conditions for Successful Growth — a conversation grounded in recent talent research and real-world experience from leaders working across Calgary’s tech ecosystem. You’ll hear from: 🔹 Margo Purcell, Co-founder & CEO, InceptionU Ltd 🔹 Lisa Moon, Executive Director, Alberta, NPower Canada 🔹 Bao Ho, Specialist, Regional Business Development, Alberta, NPower Canada Together, they’ll share practical insight on how individuals, employers, and ecosystem partners can strengthen talent pathways and build the conditions for long-term growth. Whether you’re building teams, developing talent, or navigating your next career step, this session offers grounded perspective on where the workforce is heading — and how to stay ready. 📅 Tuesday, March 31 🕓 4:30 – 7:00 PM 📍 Platform Innovation Centre 🎟 Register → https://hubs.ly/Q0484zJF0 #TechTalentTuesdays #yycTech #TechinYYC

Fundraising is one of the hardest parts of building a startup. Not because capital isn’t available, but because most founders approach it without a clear strategy. Our Raising Capital series returns this April to help founders better understand how venture funding actually works: from how investors evaluate companies to how founders can prepare for meaningful investor conversations. This two-part series is one of our most sought-after founder sessions, designed to help demystify the fundraising process and give founders practical insight into navigating the venture landscape. If raising capital is part of your roadmap this year, this series is a great place to start. 📅 April 14 & 21, 2026 📍 Platform Innovation Centre 🎟 Register: https://hubs.ly/Q046_ZC-0 #yycTech #StartupProgram #RaisingCapital #FounderJourney #Fundraising

Taken together, Platform Calgary's programs form a connected pathway: Idea → Launch → Grow → Scale Our 2025 Impact Report showcases The Programs that help founders get the support, mentorship, and connections needed to build companies that create jobs, attract investment, and shape the city’s economy.  Through Platform Calgary programming: • 819 prospective entrepreneurs explored startup pathways in 2025 • 375 founders have advanced through growth-stage programming since 2022 • 350+ investors and 400 founders have engaged through the National Bank Investor Hub • Platform Calgary member companies have now secured $1B+ in cumulative investment, with $323 million raised in 2025 alone. To learn more about the early-stage venture programs and tech talent and investor development initiatives offered by Platform Calgary, get a copy of the 2025 Platform Calgary Impact Report.📖 Read the full blog: https://hubs.ly/Q047DK-h0 #yycTech #TechinYYC #InnovationEcosystem #ImpactReport 

Yesterday at March Community Connect, we explored how AI was helping homegrown Aimsio | Field Service Management Software scale marketing and sales, and achieve their largest revenue milestone to date. Joined by Abbas Sarraf, PhD and Dennis Hale from Aimsio, moderated by Stephen Wensley from Acuspire, we dug into how founders and sales teams can actually leverage AI to test and scale effective processes, uncover insights, and build stronger revenue systems. A few takeaways that stuck: 🔹 Manual first. Optimize later. | Don’t automate what you don’t understand. 🔹 Outcome first. Tools second. | The real question isn’t “what can AI do?”—it’s “what do you want to achieve?” 🔹 Collect everything—now. | Your calls, conversations, and data are your edge. 🔹 Most teams aren’t losing deals on price—they’re losing to the status quo, and AI can help you see that clearly. 🔹 Generic AI = generic output | Context is what makes it powerful. One of the strongest reminders: AI isn’t replacing sales teams, it’s helping them get creative and focus on what actually matters. It was great to see such strong engagement from Calgary’s founder and operator community. Read the full retrospect if you missed the session in this blog: https://hubs.ly/Q047NbdQ0 Join us at the next Community Connect to hear more from Calgary tech founders and be part of the conversations shaping Calgary’s innovation ecosystem. Details for April coming soon.

This week at Tech Talent Tuesdays, we explored The AI Era: Tech Role Reset with Meaghan Whitney (Blackline Safety) and Júlio Falbo (Neo Financial). One theme came through clearly: AI is changing how work gets done — but human judgment still drives the outcome. As execution becomes faster, value is shifting toward people who can define the right problems, think critically, and make decisions in context. A few key takeaways: 🔹 AI accelerates execution, but doesn’t replace judgment 🔹 Adaptability and problem-solving are becoming core skills 🔹 Strong teams combine deep expertise with cross-functional thinking 🔹 As code gets cheaper, systems thinking and clarity matter more A big thank you to our speakers for grounding this shift in real-world experience — from team design and hiring to technical decision-making. Next up: March 31 🌱 Sowing the Seeds of Innovation: Creating the Conditions for Successful Growth What does it actually take to build environments where innovation can thrive? Join us for a conversation with Margo Purcell (InceptionU Ltd) and Lisa Moon & Bao Ho (NPower Canada) as they share insights on talent pathways, innovation readiness, and how individuals, organizations, and ecosystems can grow stronger together. 📅 Tuesday, March 31 | 4:30–7:00 PM 📍 Platform Innovation Centre 🎟 Register → https://hubs.ly/Q047Kr470 #TechTalentTuesdays #YYCTech #TechinYYC