Annual celebration of Edmonton\u2019s startup ecosystem features nearly 80 events across the city. <\/p>\n
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Downtown Edmonton was abuzz with founders, investors, innovators, and entrepreneurs this evening as the city gathered to officially kick off Edmonton Startup Week<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Spearheaded by Edmonton Unlimited<\/a>, the annual celebration runs from Oct. 5 to 9. This year\u2019s run of shows includes 30 events at Edmonton Unlimited\u2019s headquarters, and an additional 49 events happening throughout the city.\u00a0<\/p>\n Events<\/a> include workshops on the fundamentals of building a startup, panels exploring everything from AI to defence to fundraising, an entire day platforming Edmonton\u2019s burgeoning deep tech ecosystem, and a whole lot of networking.\u00a0<\/p>\n Opening remarks honed in on the importance of Edmonton\u2019s startups to the growing profile of the city\u2019s entrepreneurial community.\u00a0<\/p>\n Mayor Andrew Knack, who during his remarks issued an official proclamation from the City denoting this week as Edmonton Startup Week going forward, called the event an opportunity to work on some of the biggest problems facing the world.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe know the days ahead will feature critical conversations about some of the most complex challenges we\u2019re facing in our world,\u201d he said before adding that the health and vitality of Edmonton\u2019s entrepreneurial class is an indicator of the city\u2019s vitality overall.<\/p>\n RELATED: Edmonton Unlimited unveils 10 companies to watch ahead of Startup Week<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cNinety to 95 percent of businesses in Edmonton are small- and medium-sized businesses. If you\u2019re not thriving, this city is not thriving,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Knack also teased the City\u2019s upcoming four-year budget, telling a packed auditorium that it was poised to include support for entrepreneurs in the city.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cYou will see for the first time in a long time that the city will be heavily invested in not through words, but actions,\u201d Knack said to applause.\u00a0<\/p>\n 13th annual event<\/p>\n This year marks the 13th iteration of Edmonton Startup Week, with the event doubling down on last year\u2019s theme of \u201cstep in, step up, step forward.\u201d Over its tenure, Startup Week has grown into a cornerstone gathering for entrepreneurs and investors, with the event routinely drawing attendees from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, and abroad.\u00a0<\/p>\n This year\u2019s kickoff featured a swath of local leaders, as well as a series of pitches from 10 companies chosen earlier this year as Edmonton Unlimited\u2019s 10 companies to watch in 2026.<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n Edmonton Unlimited CEO Tom Viinikka touted a \u201cbig announcement\u201d on Wednesday, Startup Week\u2019s day showcasing deep tech. Viinikka also spoke to the growth the ecosystem has seen over the last year, telling the crowd that during the innovation corporation\u2019s previous deep tech day last June, nearly 80 investors, including 66 from out of town, to local founders, connected with local founders, ultimately leading to investments into deep tech startups like Zero Point Cryogenics<\/a> and Aqtiva<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cInvestors are coming here, seeing what is being built, and investing,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Viinikka also cited critical milestones taken by companies moving through Edmonton Unlimited\u2019s programming as indicative of the broader ecosystem\u2019s accelerating momentum. A critical step is, according to Viinikka, a \u201cmilestone that must happen for a business to keep moving forward and to achieve specific goals.\u201d Examples include benchmarks like creating a minimum viable product, developing a prototype, completing a first domestic sale, or receiving first patents and investment. Edmonton Unlimited has recorded 461 of those milestones this year.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cCollectively, they\u2019re a measure of the entrepreneurial momentum of our ecosystem,\u201d he said. \u201cImagine what we could do if we had 10 times those numbers \u2026 Startup Week is an opportunity to add to those numbers.\u201d<\/p>\n