FROM POTENTIAL TO PROSPERITYINNOVATE EDMONTON BUSINESS PLAN

2 / / I N N OVAT E E D M O N TO N B U S I N E SS P L A N

Divisional Purpose Statement 3

Message from our VP 6

Drivers of change 7 Innovation, competitiveness and prosperity: why does it matter? Regional Prosperity Innovation and Resilience The Best Place for Youth to Work Past the Tipping Point

Connect(Ed)monton: Vision 2050 9

Our Work at a Glance (Strategic Alignment and Scope) 10

What is Innovate Edmonton 11 Ten-Year Vision Our Purpose Long-term Strategic Priorities 2019 Priorities Accountabilities Partnerships and Alignments Near-Term Initiatives For Ecosystem Growth Delivering on Our Potential: Startup Genome Measurement and Benchmarking

Our Work At Innovate Edmonton 15 Startup Edmonton Advanced Technology Centre Edmonton Made Innovate YEG – Marketing Innovation

Appendix 30 Feedback

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INNOVATE EDMONTON

Innovate Edmonton is a division of the Edmonton Economic Development Corporation, which delivers increased value under a unique model in Canada. The EEDC is a multi-divisional, multi-location conglomerate agency of the City of Edmonton, aligned through unified purpose, vision, and values.

The EEDC’s unique operating and governance model is scalable, creating a platform for economic development initiatives that can be started, matured, and exited as required.

This unified approach, founded on principles of scalability, adaptability, and leveraging public assets, all for a single purpose of growing our economy, means that Edmonton can move faster on new initiatives, take on bigger risks, and achieve more than anyone could have expected.

At Innovate Edmonton, we know economic development is a team sport, and as one of five divisions at EEDC, we work in unison on initiatives that generate economic impact and build the brand and reputation of our city.

For more information, visit eedc.ca

4 / / I N N OVAT E E D M O N TO N B U S I N E SS P L A N

Every company is a technology company — Forbes

AT INNOVATE EDMONTON WE COLLABORATE TO CREATE THE BEST POSSIBLE ENVIRONMENT FOR TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION AND TECH-ENABLED STARTUP AND SCALEUP COMPANY GROWTH.

6 / / I N N OVAT E E D M O N TO N B U S I N E SS P L A N

Edmonton is at a tipping point – one where our world-class talent and creativity could open new frontiers and define our city’s future. We are one of Canada’s youngest cities with the highest discretionary income in the country. One of the most affordable major cities to live in, we have some of the country’s best educational institutions, and we provide a growing ecosystem to support entrepreneurs to take a risk. This city has been quietly leading the way in two key areas — artificial intelligence and machine learning, and health and life sciences — but we are competing with the world and the risk of falling behind is real.

The conversion from potential to prosperity is not an automatic process and entails a bold commitment to an economy that nurtures and supports businesses that leverage the city’s strong knowledge and research resources effectively. Correctly utilized, these strengths are the raw material that can be worked into the next-generation of wealth producing companies for the city. Innovate Edmonton brings together and supports our city’s most driven tech sector entrepreneurs and visionaries. We believe an innovative city is a prosperous city. Technology enabled companies grow quickly and create wealth at higher rates than traditional sectors. They accelerate our economy’s diversification and when these

companies excel, so do all Edmontonians. I believe that Edmonton has the potential to be recognized as one of the top cities for technology, innovation and entrepreneurship. With 25% of current Canadian jobs set to be heavily impacted by technology, we need to unite for solutions that benefit us all and Innovate Edmonton is committed to doing just that.

We present this business plan with a sense of urgency: technology is rapidly changing the way we live, work, play and do business. We’re no longer tasked with showcasing what we have created as an innovative city, but what we can and will create using the talent and assets we have at our disposal. This is a vision for what we aim to achieve through collaboration and shared aspirations. Now is our time. Yours in partnership,

Cheryll Watson, Vice President,Innovate EdmontonA division of Edmonton Economic Development

A MESSAGE FROM OUR VICE PRESIDENT

INNOVATION, COMPETITIVENESS AND PROSPERITY: WHY DOES IT MATTER? Why focus on the innovation ecosystem to generate prosperity?

In a 2017 report on competitiveness presented to Edmonton city council, it was noted that “with competitive advantage becoming more dependant on human capital and innovation, regions are benchmarked by the size and composition of workforce and ability to innovate. Edmonton has the relative salaries that will attract skilled labour; however, its labour force is weighted away from traditionally innovative backgrounds.”

That same report noted that Edmonton has key advantages in the cost of doing business, both in having a low corporate tax rate and relative low cost of living, but that those advantages were not enough if we did not develop our innovation industries.

The startup community is now the number one source of global economic growth.* And modern startups are much more likely to give employees a stake in the company, generating more wealth and prosperity among those who built it.

In turn, these newly prosperous workers become the next wave of angel investors, venture capitalists, mentors and founders themselves … which is why it’s imperative to make sure that the innovation ecosystem in Edmonton is supported and cared for in the long term.

*Startup Genome Report 2019

REGIONAL PROSPERITYWhile the innovation economy is key to the prosperity of the city, going alone is not necessarily the path to success. The city gains strong advantages on a global scale when it works alongside other municipalities in the Edmonton Region, and forms an innovation corridor between Edmonton and Calgary to strengthen the advantages of each city.

This is why it’s key to work alongside our partners at Edmonton Global as well as our counterpart organizations in Calgary to create a shared ecosystem that’s larger than the sum of its parts.

DRIVERS OF CHANGE

8 / / I N N OVAT E E D M O N TO N B U S I N E SS P L A N

INNOVATION AND RESILIENCEEdmonton, like much of Alberta, has long fixed its economy on the boom and bust flow of the oil industry.

In bids to escape this boom and bust wave, a robust and varied set of new businesses must come in to offer diversity and stability to the economy. However, for these companies to stabilize and truly grow Edmonton’s economy, they must not just grow quickly, but offer resilience in tougher times as well.

Despite the myth that tech startups grow quickly and fail even faster, the truth is that even the most famous “overnight successes” came after years of hard work to keep the companies alive through many trials and tribulations. Facebook took five years to really succeed. Google took eight. Apple took almost 20.

In Edmonton, “overnight” successes such as Jobber and Drivewyze have been growing for half a decade. And it’s these types of long-term growers from the innovation ecosystem that will form the backbone of the next phase of Edmonton’s economy.

THE BEST PLACE FOR YOUTH TO WORKYouthfulCities, an organization that promotes youthful cities globally, set out to determine the best city for youth (defined as ages 15 –29) to work in Canada. The answer in 2019 was Edmonton.

The reason for this is simple: Edmonton is a fast growing city with the country’s youngest population and the highest discretionary income for young people in a location that offers affordable living and a very high quality of life.

This combination means there is a whole generation of young engaged and educated adults ready to infuse the innovation economy in Edmonton with their talent.

The raw potential of youth, means that startups in Edmonton have an energized and fresh talent base to work with: something we are eager to capitalize on at Innovate Edmonton. That’s why our Startup Edmonton student talent programs have been working hard this year, signing up thousands of new students for student memberships and encouraging them to think about how they can contribute to the tech economy in Edmonton.

PAST THE TIPPING POINT Together, all of these drivers of change offer a dazzling opportunity for the city, but only if they are focused together to get us past the tipping point where the city’s innovation industries convert their full potential into robust and reliable prosperity.

Edmonton’s strategic plan for 2019-2028, entitled Connect(Ed)monton, has a vision for the city, for it to be a place where “we work together to create liveability for all, where everyone has what they need to succeed” while planting ideas, growing business, and “getting stuff done.”

Central to this vision for what Edmonton might look like in 2050 is the guiding principle that we create a community to connect people to what matters to them the most, and to serve not only those who are here now, but those who will be here later.

Flowing from this vision is the goal of growing prosperity through innovation: “Edmonton grows prosperity for our Metro Region by driving innovation, competitiveness and relevance for our businesses at the local and global level.”

This guiding principle is also at the heart of the work we do at Innovate Edmonton, supporting an emerging and growing set of companies who are out to change the world by better connecting people to what the need the most, better, faster and more efficiently, all while making tomorrow’s economy more diverse and robust.

CONNECT(ED)MONTON — VISION 2050

STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT AND SCOPE

EcosystemDevelopment

Pursuits

Startup Edmonton

AdvancedTechnology

Centre

EdmontonMade

InnovateYEGMarketing

Campaigns

Business Innovation Competitiveness Prosperity Relevance

REGIONAL PROSPERITY

INNOVATE EDMONTON

CONNECT(ED)MONTON VISION 2050

ROBUST INNOVATION ECOSYSTEM ASSETS: Funding Market Reach KnowledgeTalent Experience

1 0 / / I N N OVAT E E D M O N TO N B U S I N E SS P L A N

LONG TERM STRATEGIC PRIORITIES1. Lead the continued evolution of the

Edmonton tech innovation and entrepreneur ecosystem.

2. Scale and expand the capacity of startup programs, space and events.

3. Determine new scaleup programming and initiatives with a focus on talent, mentorship and investment.

4. Engage Edmontonians as active participants in driving the growth and success of locally created, internationally competitive companies.

5. Position Edmonton as a top city for technology, talent, innovation and investment.

2019 PRIORITIES 1. Double Startup Edmonton Preflight

program participation. 2. Expand on-campus entrepreneur and

talent retention programs at six post-secondary institutions.

3. Clearly communicate division mandate, business unit value proposition, marketing objectives and ecosystem family relationships.

4. Leverage strategic major events, awards and rankings to influence an increase in investment and investors.

5. Partner with Calgary to create and execute an AB Innovation corridor strategy.

WHAT IS INNOVATE EDMONTON?

OUR PURPOSECollaborate to create the best possible environment for tech-enabled startup and scaleup company growth in Edmonton.

Innovate Edmonton helps founders and their teams bring ground-breaking ideas to market – whether as a startup or a high-potential scaleup – by bringing together the right people, resources and funding.

TEN-YEAR VISIONContribute to the creation of a thousand high-growth, tech-enabled startups.

1 2 / / I N N OVAT E E D M O N TO N B U S I N E SS P L A N

ACCOUNTABILITIESIn order to meet the objectives of our business strategies we must engage the communities that we serve.

The City of Edmonton, City Council and the Edmonton taxpayers

• Innovate Edmonton is a division of Edmonton Economic Development. Edmonton Economic Development reports to a Board of Directors assigned by the City of Edmonton, which is also the sole shareholder in Edmonton Economic Development.

The entrepreneurs and founders starting tech-enabled businesses

• Our purpose is to help founders and their teams bring ground-breaking ideas to market – whether as a startup or a high-potential scaleup – by bringing together the right people, resources and funding.

PARTNERSHIPS AND ALIGNMENTSMuch as community-driven collaboration and group strategic-action are at the core of the Connect(Ed)monton plan, so to must it be at the heart of the work we do at Innovate Edmonton.

Organizational PartnershipsInnovate Edmonton works collaboratively with municipally funded organizations working in the innovation space including Health City, TEC Edmonton — a joint venture between the City of Edmonton and the University of Alberta — and Edmonton Screen Industries Office.

Innovate Edmonton also works alongside Edmonton Global to bring prosperity to Edmonton and the 12 other municipalities in the Edmonton Region. The region’s growth is Edmonton’s growth.

We also work directly with provincial organizations funded by the Government of Alberta, such as Alberta Innovates, mandated to deliver 21st-century solutions to the most compelling challenges facing Albertans, and Alberta Enterprise Corporation, tasked with connecting investors, innovators and entrepreneurs to money, markets and mentors.

OUR PURPOSE IS TO HELP FOUNDERS AND THEIR TEAMS BRING GROUND-BREAKING IDEAS TO MARKET.

ECOSYSTEM DEVELOPMENT AND ALIGNMENTInnovate Edmonton convenes discussion and action around innovation ecosystem development through several partners and projects.

The Edmonton Innovation Ecosystem Community (EIEC) is committed to actively working together to create the best possible environment for technology, innovation and entrepreneurship.

The Edmonton Advisory Council on Startups (EACOS) offers entrepreneurs’ viewpoint into where the ecosystem should go and advocates for entrepreneurs within the ecosystem. And Rainforest Alberta — Edmonton works to build the invisible cultural infrastructure that supports innovation in Edmonton.

Near-Term Initiatives For Ecosystem Growth

Alberta Innovation Corridor Partnership• 90% of Alberta’s tech companies are

located in either Edmonton or Calgary: the Innovation Corridor Partnership aims to pool resources and compete together in the global market in ways neither city could do alone.

• The Alberta Innovation Corridor strategy: a coordinated effort to create maximum opportunities for Alberta-based entrepreneurs and tech companies.

YEG Innovation Compass Action Plan• Extensive consultations with the

Edmonton innovation community, facilitated by Innovate Edmonton through an independent third-party, has led to 14 direct recommendations ready to be applied in the ecosystem.

• Innovate Edmonton is working and collaborating with EACOS to create the action plan for the implementation of the YEG Innovation Compass work in 2020.

Framework to Support High-Potential Companies and Founders

• High growth companies have the potential to have the most impact on our economy. As a community it’s important that we are deliberate and transparent in the support that we collectively provide to ensure their success.

• Working collaboratively with Edmonton Global, this framework will provide the structure and community necessary to propel these companies and founders forward.

1 4 / / I N N OVAT E E D M O N TO N B U S I N E SS P L A N

STARTUP GENOME REPORT The 2019 Global Startup Ecosystem Report (GSER) is the world’s most comprehensive and widely-read research on startups and is based on data from thousands of startup founders and research on millions of companies.

Edmonton’s participation, led by Innovate Edmonton, benchmarks the city against more than 50 ecosystems globally. GSER is one of many opportunities pursued by Innovate Edmonton to showcase the local innovation ecosystem on a global stage to create momentum for tech companies to grow rapidly.

The report highlighted two key subsector strengths for Edmonton — competitive advantages in artificial intelligence research and Edmonton’s long history of leading in health and life science research and innovation. These two strengths offer the raw material for companies to build off of, if nurtured, into robust supports for the innovation ecosystem.

“This report highlights Edmonton’s strengths as an innovation hub and presents the data-backed opportunities we have for investment. [In my yearly State of the City address], I stressed the huge resource of skilled talent our major post-secondary institutions deliver. These young minds are going to help propel our economy forward and make our industries more competitive in the global marketplace. The GSER showcases Edmonton’s innovative success and the urgent need for collaboration, across all sectors, to build on this momentum.”

– Mayor Don Iveson

ECOSYSTEM EVOLUTION (BIENNIAL STARTUP GENOME BENCHMARKING) 2018 Assessment 2020 Target

Ecosystem Value

$77 M $140 M

Startup Output

100 – 250 400

Early Stage Funding/Startup

$60 K $100K

Foreign Customers

36% 40%

DELIVERING ON OUR POTENTIAL

1 Ecosystem Value is measured by the economic impact of the ecosystem, calculated as the total exit valuation and startup valuations over a two and a half year time period.2 Startup Output is measured by the number and growth of software startups in the ecosystem, excluding Life Sciences and Hardware companies.3 Early Stage Funding/Startup is average early-stage funding per startup in the ecosystem4 Foreign Customers are measured as a percentage of the total number of customers outside of Canada for the services of an Edmonton startup

OUR WORK AT INNOVATE EDMONTON

1 6 / / I N N OVAT E E D M O N TO N B U S I N E SS P L A N

Supporting entrepreneurs as they build and grow tech-enabled products and companies is at the heart of Startup Edmonton.

We know that technology touches every aspect of our lives; and Edmonton is brimming with bright, ambitious, hard-working people that are tackling challenges every day with the incredible opportunities that technology brings.

Startup Edmonton is a passionate supporter of the entrepreneur community, and we focus on helping founders start and grow their tech-enabled companies. Building a company requires the support of many different people and organizations along the way, and our role is an essential piece of the puzzle at the start of their journey.

TO DO THIS WORK WE WILL• Help entrepreneurs navigate the innovation

ecosystem in Edmonton and Alberta.• Provide programming for founders and

entrepreneurs at every startup stage.• Recruit new student members

from Edmonton’s post-secondary institutions and introduce them into the innovation ecosystem.

• Provide opportunities through networking, workshops, mentorship and events to explore entrepreneurship and the skills required.

• Connect entrepreneurs and founders to talent and investment.

SUCCESS WILL BE MEASURED BY• An increase in the number of people

connected in discovery opportunities.• Increased attendance in our Business Model

101 and Preflight programming. • An increase in student membership

and interactions.

STARTUP EDMONTON

MENTORSHIP AND CONNECTIONS Having access to people that are farther along that journey, expertise in their field or on a similar path helps eliminate common mistakes and accelerates company/founder growth.

We partner with many community members and organizations to help facilitate opportunities for members to access a variety of support options:

• Office Hours.• Peer-to-Peer Network. • One-on-One Opportunities.• Services provided by partner service

organizations.

In addition to community, as your company grows, you’ll need access to a more diverse network of investors, peers from other cities, potential customers and business networks. Connection opportunities include:

• Founders and Funders events. • Partnership Events. • Conference Opportunities enabling

connections with customers.

FOUNDATIONAL PROGRAMSJoin peers for a weekly sessions to tackle real challenges in your business and access resources from trusted partners.

PreflightStartup Edmonton’s flagship program that has launched some of the hottest companies in Edmonton, Preflight is a three workshop series, where founders:• Preflight 1: Find customers and prove out

a market for their product over a five-week course.

• Preflight 2: Build out their product, team, and company over a six-week course.

• Preflight 3: Learn how to sell their product to both consumers and investors in a five-week course.

WorkshopsLearn about entrepreneurship and meet likeminded people.

• Business Model 101: Attendees leave with a one-page plan that helps iterate on their ideas as they learn about their customers and map next steps.

• Startup 101: Experts provide a 90-minute session on the basics plus lots of time for questions. A program that’s ideal for tackling specific problems or preparing for the next challenge around the corner.

PROGRAMS AND INITIATIVES

1 8 / / I N N OVAT E E D M O N TO N B U S I N E SS P L A N

TALENT AND STUDENTS Edmonton has incredible post-secondary institutions with highly skilled students. We want help encourage graduates to remain in Edmonton and work at the amazing local tech companies starting and growing in Edmonton.

As founders find success, they need great people to join their team at a rapid pace. The Talent Program at Startup Edmonton is open to companies that are growing rapidly and need tactics to support talent recruitment and retention. The Student programming at Startup Edmonton focuses on:

• Student Membership • On-Campus Activations and Events • Student Startup Summer Program

Student Developer ConferenceStudent DevCon is a chance for technical students to start planning for life beyond the classroom, find a supportive community of peers and mentors in the innovation ecosystem and learn about all the possibilities waiting for them in Edmonton. Offering one-on-one time with

CTOs, and Dev Teams from some of the city’s fastest growing tech companies, the growing weekend conference in March is an essential program to retain top technical talent trained in Edmonton, lay the foundation for them to start and grow their careers in the city, and improve their knowledge-base in areas such as artificial intelligence, augmented reality, product management, and UX/UI.

Talent Membership This membership lays the foundation for local tech startups to create meaningful relationships with students throughout their academic careers, help share the skills they need to be successful new hires for your team and inspire them to stay and develop in Edmonton.

In addition to interactions with students, it creates a great way to grow a team, encourage professional development and peer-to-peer connections through our massive network of community events. Companies receive support through unlimited job board access, company mixers, student dinners, on-campus activations and office hours.

SUPPORTING ENTREPRENEURS TO GROW TECH-ENABLED BUSINESSES IS AT THE HEART OF STARTUP EDMONTON.

COMMUNITY Community is the foundation for the work Startup Edmonton does. Programs are not successful without out a place for people to collaborate and build networks. Our goal is to create and support a variety of opportunities for people to engage with the community, while matching their style and stage of entrepreneurial journey.

Our thinking is based on the Boulder Thesis which is an international standard on how to foster community.

• DemoCamp DemoCamp features seven-minute technical show-and-tell and is a chance to celebrate the efforts of technical teams and get a behind-the-scenes look at product development. A startup community tradition, more than 45 events have been produced since 2008.

• Meetups 240 events a year that bring people together over a shared passion. Run by community volunteers, meetups are open to every level of skill.

• Hack Day Hack Days are a great way to get into the habit of building, while you dedicate time to work on projects among peers. Great companies and community initiatives are born out of this casual and collaborative space.

STARTUP WEEK AND LAUNCH PARTYEdmonton Startup Week brings entrepreneurs, local leaders, and friends together over five days in October of events, workshops and startup tours to build momentum and opportunity around our city’s unique entrepreneurial spirit and culture of innovation.

Launch Party is the city’s flagship startup event that celebrates and showcases ten of the highest potential startups in town.

Launch Party gives the opportunity meet our city’s brightest entrepreneurs, try their products and celebrate everything that our startup community has to offer. Launch is a flagship event that showcases some of the highest-potential startups in town.

Since 2009, more than 95 technology companies have launched products at the event including rapidly growing teams like Jobber, ZEPT, Drivewyze, Poppy Barley and Showbie.

2 0 / / I N N OVAT E E D M O N TO N B U S I N E SS P L A N

STARTUP EDMONTON IN ACTION Jobber Founded by Sam Pillar and Forrest Zeisler, Jobber is the second-fastest growing software company in Canada and helps field service businesses, such as lawn care and window cleaning providers, quote, schedule, invoice and get paid faster. With Jobber’s rapid but measured growth — from just two employees in 2011 to close to 200 now occupying a brand-new office in downtown Edmonton — it’s poised as one of the city’s breakout new companies.

Current Startup Edmonton Talent Members. Launch Party and DemoCamp alumni.

Jobber team members are active as Meetup Organizers, mentors and speakers as part of Startup Edmonton’s student programming, and valued partners of Edmonton Startup Week.

Drivewyze A software as a service (SaaS) business, Drivewyze uses location-based technology to communicate with participating weigh stations and inspection sites, asking if a truck can bypass. Once the owner of an oil and gas service company, CEO and co-founder Brian Heath fell in love with the

trucking industry after he and co-founder Fred Ko acquired a technology used to inspect brakes on the fly. Surging through a period of rapid growth, Drivewyze serves 45 states and provinces with more being added every year.

Current Startup Edmonton Talent Members. Launch Party and DemoCamp alumni.

Frettable Created by University of Alberta alumni Greg Burlett and housed at Startup Edmonton, Frettable is like speech recognition for music. The AI-powered app recognizes notes as they are played and automatically transcribes them into sheet music or tabulations. It was born when Burlett was struggling to write music with a bandmate that moved to B.C. and needed an easy way to collaborate online. The app currently supports vocals, electric guitar, brass and woodwind instruments.

Currently working out of Startup Edmonton in the historic Mercer Warehouse and accessing the Talent Membership as part of their residency. Proud Launch Party alumni.

Greg’s first version of Frettable was hatched at a Hack Day.

DrugBank Born out of a 2005 research project at the University of Alberta, company co-founders Craig Knox and Mike Wilson helped commercialize DrugBank as the go-to resource for free drug information. The online database is used by millions around the world — from researchers to pharmacists to the general public. To update the database rapidly, the company uses a team of nine “biocurators” — representing pharmacy, medicine, biochemistry, and other fields.

Current Talent Members. Prelfight, Launch Party, and DemoCamp alumni.

Mike and Craig were members of the first Students at Startup summer program and have since returned to the Preflight to offer their insight and advice to the next wave of tech founders.

dealcloser dealcloser helps corporate lawyers become more efficient by modernizing the largely paper-based process of completing a transaction. Prior to co-founding dealcloser, Amir Reshef practiced corporate law at a large international firm. As a junior lawyer he was responsible for manually reviewing, sorting and pushing all this paperwork. He decided there must be a better way. The cloud-based platform eliminates many non-value-added administrative tasks, such as collecting signatures, filing, and manually tracking document versions, that not only drive up the legal bill, but can lead to costly mistakes.

Preflight, Launch Party, and DemoCamp alumni.

dealcloser, collision 2019

The Advanced Technology Centre (ATC) is a supportive business incubator for growth-stage technology companies in Edmonton. We’ve developed a stimulating, collaborative environment that gives companies and hardworking entrepreneurs the flexibility and support they need beyond the startup phase, such as peer-to-peer networking, accelerating partner programs and community support services.

TO DO THIS WORK WE WILL• Offer co-working and office space

within a supportive community for startups and scaleups.

• Provide networking opportunities, workshops and funding connections for founders and entrepreneurs to help them scale their businesses.

SUCCESS WILL BE MEASURED BY• Successful company graduations from

the ATC to their own larger spaces• Increased attendance for provided

programming.

ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY CENTRE

2 2 / / I N N OVAT E E D M O N TO N B U S I N E SS P L A N

ATC IN ACTION Stream Technologies Using a combination of machine learning and spectroscopy, Stream Technologies users can upload spectroscopic images, determine what they’re looking for, and then the software’s artificial intelligence creates a program to identify what the user selects. Co-founders, Don and John Murphy have a long history at the ATC – they also co-founded Shana Corporation, which joined the ATC in 1988, shortly after the centre opened. From its small beginnings, that company grew to more than 100 employees before the Murphy brothers and their co-founders sold the business in 2003.

Currently working out of the ATC with founders who are also proud ATC alumni.

BioNeutraBioNeutra’s main product doesn’t just make energy bars and beverages lower in calories, the sweetener is also a source of dietary fibre and prebiotics, created using starches from Alberta and other provinces. BioNeutra is an ATC alumni company: founder, president and CEO Dr. Jianhua Zhu credits other high-tech businesses in the centre with assisting him in locating potential investors, something key to the company’s success.

Proud ATC alumni, currently at a new 45,000-square-foot Edmonton production plant.

YardlyOffering the Uber for lawn-care services, ATC company Yardly works not only to benefit end-costumers, but also service providers, by allowing them to find more jobs with less travel. Yardly and its co-founders Terry Song and Sheldon Zhang are now preparing for its next big step — the

company announced last month it had secured $1 million in seed funding that will allow it to take root in cities across Canada.

Currently working out of the ATC, recently secured $1 million in seed funding.

Nanoprecise Sci CorpUnplanned downtime can cost manufacturing, petrochemical and utilities companies between $500,000 to $2 million per day. Over half of these unscheduled events are due to equipment failure. Nanoprecise looks to eliminate a large portion of these disruptions with its series of AI-powered sensors. Growing at a fast pace, Nanoprecise currently counts two offices, one in the ATC the other in India with customers across the globe.

Currently working out of the ATC the company has seen incredible growth since 2017 and now has more than 20 employees.

ez enRouteez enRoute offers a touch-free student monitoring system. From an app on their smartphone, a parent can track their child’s bus, the route they take, receive notifications when their child both gets on and off the bus, and get an ETA of their child’s arrival, helping them save time and avoid unnecessary waiting. Founder Amit Anand got the idea after a family friend lost track of their son when he got off the school bus early to visit his aunt and they didn’t know where he went.

Currently working out of the ATC the company was featured as an Edmonton company at the 2019 Collision Conference in Toronto.

24 / / I N N OVAT E E D M O N TO N B U S I N E SS P L A N

Launched in 2016, Edmonton Made helps local entrepreneurs tell their stories, grow their audiences, and connects them with the resources they need to be successful. As a program and platform, it enhances the exposure of locally based businesses striving to be an accelerant of support and growth for small businesses in Edmonton.

This is achieved by providing marketing support through the business directory, stories told on edmontonmade.com and in Gifted, Edmonton Made’s annual gift catalogue. The resource directory provides a short list of support services in a variety of areas including business planning, funding options and mentoring.

Edmonton Made also works to share Edmonton Economic Development’s Trade Accelerator Program so entrepreneurs can build a sound export plan, and Startup Edmonton to offer training such as Business Model 101.

TO DO THIS WORK WE WILL• Foster a community of small businesses with

common goals for growth to encourage growing resilient businesses together.

• Showcase uniquely Edmonton products championed by the community to encourage patronage of local businesses.

• Build a strong brand to engage shoppers to support local and to separately foster an audience of entrepreneurs to offer business support resources.

SUCCESS WILL BE MEASURED BY• Increased use of our directory of

local businesses.• Increased sales of products from

participating businesses.• Increased numbers of participating

businesses joining programs such as TAP or Preflight.

• Increased public use and interaction with the Edmonton Made brand.

EDMONTON MADE

INITIATIVESGiftedGifted is an annual curated collection of uniquely Edmonton products that makes it easy to give the perfect gift.

The 2019 catalogue includes 107 products from 86 different companies chosen from hundreds of applicants by a selection.

EDMONTON MADE IN ACTION Sold out!After the 2018 edition of Gifted, several companies involved reported a surge of sales, including, but not limited to, Justine Ma, Mojo Jojo Pickles and Hansen Distillery.

Additionally, several businesses found that the items highlighted in the guide sold out completely, including offerings from Token Bitters, Oliver Apt., Stranger Design and YEG Box.

2 6 / / I N N OVAT E E D M O N TO N B U S I N E SS P L A N

To support Innovate Edmonton’s business units and the wider innovation community, we employ a robust marketing unit that supports both internal programs, as well as external strategic partners, initiatives, and companies.

Coordinated marketing and communication efforts are vital to increasing awareness, engagement, and excitement around the impact of innovation on our collective economic prosperity.

In addition to directly working on marketing materials for our business units to help them fulfil their goals, Innovate Edmonton marketing also produces online properties, including websites, publications and social channels, that support the goals of the entire division such as the Edmonton Innovation Ecosystem Community.

Marketing and communications campaigns managed by the division serve three major purposes: • Inform and recruit individuals and companies

to access programs, services, partners, and events that can support their efforts to start and scale their businesses.

• Celebrate and amplify the success of individuals and companies to encourage market adoption of new products, improve brand awareness for companies as they

hire talent, and showcase opportunities for potential future investment.

• Position Edmonton’s innovation ecosystem as a driver of a prosperous economy.

TO DO THIS WORK WE WILL• Support business units and partners with

marketing and communications support.• Tell the story of the companies that make up

the innovation community.• Lead and support opportunities to represent

the innovation community to the world.• Engage our audiences through a variety of

channels and campaigns.

SUCCESS WILL BE MEASURED BY• Promoting our companies and helping find

customers and investors.• Supporting our partner organizations to

find success.• Filling our programs with both potential

founders and talent ready to fuel the next generation of the innovation ecosystem.

• Contributing to increased awareness, engagement and excitement around the impact of innovation on our economic prosperity.

INNOVATE EDMONTON MARKETING

INITIATIVESEdmonton.comEdmonton.com targets audiences of both business savvy Edmontonians and the general public to let them know about resources for talent, investment, and services that can make Edmonton companies thrive on the world market. Additionally, the site plays host to information that celebrates the companies involved in the ecosystem, helping others know about the success that’s possible in Edmonton. Together, these factors show the innovation sector as a key driver or prosperity in the city.

During June’s Inventure$ conference in Calgary, our campaign on Edmonton.com championed the some of the YEG companies features at the event, causing a surge of traffic to the to their stories.

Company ProfilesInnovate Edmonton’s Content Marketing Team profiles dozens of companies each year, using both high-quality video production and award-winning written text to created top-tier storytelling about the teams that are shaping the city’s innovation future. These stories can then be used as marketing assets for the companies profiled and are also packaged together as a resource for a broad network of champions to share widely and often.

The result of this work, is the celebration of the innovation ecosystem and the talent that fuels it measured in strengthened brand awareness for companies as they hire talent and find avenues for future investment.

Awards and RankingsThe Innovate Edmonton Marketing team nominates Edmonton companies, founders, organizations, and initiatives for awards and rankings to support their efforts to gain profile, legitimacy, and access new customers and investors.

In addition, the Marketing team supports the efforts of partners like Startup Genome and Startup Blink as they gather information to accurately rank Edmonton’s surging ecosystem.

• StartupBlink 2019 Ecosystem Rankings Report in which Edmonton moved up 30 spots from 2017 for a Top 100 Ecosystem ranking.

• Startup Genome Top 5 Activation Ecosystem for Market Research.

• Startup Genome Top 5 Activation Ecosystem for Talent.

• Startup Canada Awards 2019: DrugBank won High Growth Company.

• IABC Capital Awards 2019: Meet the Companies profile series.

• IABC Capital Awards 2019: InnovateYEG campaign.

2 8 / / I N N OVAT E E D M O N TO N B U S I N E SS P L A N

INNOVATE YEG IN ACTION

CollisionIn May 2019, Innovate Edmonton represented the city at the Collision conference in Toronto, Ontario. Using a creative mix of booth design, and doughnut-related icebreakers, the booth became a hub of activity at the conference leading to 2,300 interactions over three days and becoming the home base not just for members of the EEDC in Toronto, but partner organizations such as Edmonton Global.

The conference was also an opportunity to showcase eight startup companies as part of the Beta Program, which included booth space, opportunities for mentorship and investor meetings. Testfire Labs was also selected from the Beta program to participate in the Collision Pitch Event.

Finally, Innovate Edmonton coordinated a partners mission and brought members of the innovation ecosystem, City of Edmonton administration, and City Council on the journey to create stronger connections with our counterpoints in Toronto.

Singularity UThe 2019 SingularityU Canada Summit in Edmonton was devoted to reinforcing Canada’s global role as a key technological innovator. As the first Canadian city to host the SingularityU conference after Toronto, Innovate Edmonton’s sponsorship of the event was one of many elements that pulled the globally important summit to the city.

During the summit, Innovate Edmonton hosted viewing parties at Startup Edmonton and the Advanced Technology Centre so members of the innovation community would have access to the learnings of the conference.

After the summit, Innovate Edmonton produced several content pieces for the city’s business community summarizing the substance of many of the speakers, so that the conference’s messages could energize and inspire the community.

Avenue Edmonton – Innovation Edition The Innovation Edition of Avenue Edmonton, sponsored by Innovate Edmonton, highlighted the innovation community in Edmonton. This spotlighted the innovation ecosystem to the

WE EMPLOY A ROBUST MARKETING UNIT THAT SUPPORTS BOTH INTERNAL PROGRAMS, AS WELL AS EXTERNAL STRATEGIC PARTNERS, INITIATIVES, AND COMPANIES.

general public, positioning it as not just a driver of a prosperous economy, but a point of civic pride for the community.

The issue showcased where the city excels in innovation to citizens who might not have been aware of Edmonton’s world-class status. Ultimately, this public show of confidence and brand improvement folds back to the companies highlighted in the search for local talent and investment.

Inventure$Innovate Edmonton represented the city at the Inventure$ conference in Calgary, where, alongside Mayor Don Iveson and Platform Calgary, the Alberta Innovation Corridor project was announced. A bid to position Edmonton’s and Calgary’s innovation ecosystems in a way where they work together to ensure that both ecosystems are best positioned to drive prosperous growth instead of competing for resources.

Additionally, Innovate Edmonton provided Edmonton companies with marketing support after the conference’s pitch competition, where Growing Greener won a $10,000 award.

Accelerate ABInnovate Edmonton sponsored the AccelerateAB, produced by the A100, conference that celebrated the best of Alberta and Edmonton’s technology scene. The event helped connect Edmonton tech businesses with influencers, supporters, and investors creating strong connections between early-stage and late-stage startups, angel investors, venture capitalists, service providers and government agencies. The A100 continues to be a valuable network of mentors for startup founders as they seek guidance and advice from leaders in the industry who have experienced the ups-and-downs of entrepreneurship for themselves.

3 0 / / I N N OVAT E E D M O N TO N B U S I N E SS P L A N

INNOVATE DEFINITIONS

Innovation: Better or improved solutions through more-effective products, processes, services, technologies or business models.

Technology Innovation: An extended concept of innovation where technology is a required source or the direct enabler of the innovation.

Tech-Enabled: Leveraging the internet, mobile devices or social media platforms to enhance and/or deliver the core business.

Startup: A company in the early stages of determining product-market fit, experimenting with customer segmentation and working toward a positive contribution margin.

Scaleup: A company that has already validated its product within the marketplace and has proven Incubatir and accelorator economics are sustainable.

Accelerator: Provide support to entrepreneurs through a short-term, cohort-based program that includes mentorship, instruction, and workspace. Accelerators typically provide funding, take equity stakes in the participating companies, and have a more competitive selection process than incubators.

Incubator: Assists entrepreneurs in the startup and development stage of their company by providing workspace, shared facilities, and a range of programs and services. Incubators typically do not provide funding and do not take equity stakes in companies.

INNOVATE EDMONTON BUSINESS UNITS

Startup Edmonton delivers foundational programs that help creators and founders start and grow new tech enabled businesses. They are the navigators of the ecosystem, and bring together developers, mentors, talent and investors to help shape and support ideas into successful companies.

Advanced Technology Centre provides a collaborative work environment, with short term leases, for growth-stage technology companies. They offer peer-to-peer networking, accelerating partner programs and community support services.

Edmonton Made is a marketing platform that connects local businesses with consumers beyond Edmonton. They offer members access to community and resources to help them grow and scale.

InnovateYEG is focused on increasing global awareness of Edmonton as a top city for technology, talent, innovation and investment. Our InnovateYEG social accounts and Innovateyeg.com tell the stories of what is innovation, who is innovating and where innovation is happening in Edmonton.

STARTUP DEVELOPMENT PHASESFROM IDEA TO BUSINESS AND TALENT TO ORGANIZATION

FOR

MATIO

NM

ission > Vision > Strategy

• Idea and co-founder team form

ation• W

hat, to whom

, why and how

?

Idea

Business

GR

OW

THScale U

p

>>

• Establish and Strengthen

• Processes and KPIs

VALID

ATION

Lean Startup

Minim

um Viable

ProductValidate / Iterate

(or pivot)

Levels of validationProblem

/ Solution FitV

ision / Founders FitProduct / M

arket FitB

usiness Model / M

arket Fit

IdeatingEntrepreneurial am

bition and/or potential scal-able product or service idea for a big enough target m

arket. Initial idea on how

it would

create value. O

ne person or a vague team

; no confirm

ed com-

mitm

ent or no right balance of skills in the team

structure yet.

ConceptingD

efining mission

and vision with

initial strategy and key m

ilestones for next few

years on how

to get there. Tw

o or three en-trepreneurial core cofounders w

ith com

plementary

skills and own-

ership plan are possibly supported by additional team

m

embers for spe-

cific roles also with

ownership.

Comitting

Comm

itted, skills bal-anced co-founding team

with shared vision,

values and attitude. Able

to develop the initial product or service ver-sion, w

ith comm

itted re-sources, or already have initial product or service in place. Co-founders shareholder agreem

ent (SH

A) signed, including

milestones, w

ith share-holders tim

e & money

comm

itments, for next

three years with proper

vesting terms..

ValidatingIterating and test-ing assum

ptions for validated solution to dem

onstrate initial user grow

th and/or revenue. Initial Key Perfor-m

ance Indicators (KPI’s) identified. C

an start to attract additional resourc-es (m

oney or work

equity) via invest-m

ents or loans for equity, interest or revenue share from

future revenues.

ScalingFocus on KPI based m

easurable growth

in users, customers

and revenues and/or m

arket traction & m

arket share in a big or fast grow

ing target m

arket. Can

and want to grow

fast. Consider or have attracted sig-nificant funding or w

ould be able to do so if w

anted. Hiring,

improving quality

and implem

enting processes.

EstablishingAchieved great grow

th, that can be expected to continue. Easily attract financial and people resources. D

epending on vision, m

ission and com

mitm

ents, will

continue to grow

and often tries to culturally contin-ue “like a startup.” Founders and/or in-vestors m

ake exit(s) or continue w

ith the com

pany.

INNOVATE EDMONTON FOCUS AREAINNOVATE EDMONTON FOCUS AREA

Adapted from www.startupcommons.org

3 2 / / I N N OVAT E E D M O N TO N B U S I N E SS P L A N

FEEDBACKThe Innovate Edmonton team is always interested in expanding our base of knowledge from the stakeholders in the community and the city. If we can help you make an impact in Edmonton, please connect with us at innovate@edmonton.com.

Drivers of Change 7Vision 2050 9Our Work at a Glance 10Innovate Edmonton 11Partnerships & Alignment 12Delivering on Potential 14Our Work 15Startup Edmonton 16Advanced Technology Centre 22Edmonton Made 24Innovate YEG - Marketing Innovation 26Appendix 30