Platform Calgary and The League of Innovators have joined forces to celebrate the achievements of the startup founders who have graduated from the fall cohorts of the League of Innovators (LOI) Labs in Edmonton, and Junction in Calgary. Founder Showcase takes place November 28, 2019 at the Hilton Garden Inn Calgary Downtown.
Founder Showcase will be an evening of networking with the Calgary startup community, joined by guests from Edmonton. The event features short pitches from the founders of the 16 participating startups, with audience favourites awarded at the end of the night.
“We’re thrilled to host LOI Labs in Calgary, coming together to celebrate Alberta’s next generation of innovators”, said Dr. Terry Rock, President & CEO of Platform Calgary. “Calgary and Edmonton have made a commitment to work together more closely to maximize the impact of our big city innovation ecosystems under the Alberta Innovation Corridor banner. New businesses create new jobs, and we’re united in delivering economic growth to Albertans. Founder Showcase puts the spotlight where it needs to be: on the people turning their ideas into businesses, on the way building prosperity we can all share. We can’t think of a better way to celebrate their achievements than showing off their hard work, and connecting them to our burgeoning startup community”.
League of Innovators (LOI) is a national Canadian charity with a goal of building entrepreneurial acumen for youth, at scale. LOI Labs is a 12-week virtual incubator designed to help early stage entrepreneurs under the age of 25.
“We believe youth are the source of innovation, economic vitality, startup activity and a fresh perspective we all have to pay attention to. This is more important than ever as our economies and markets experience systemic shifts, it is vital that we give youth the tools and support they need to build innovation-focused businesses”, said Joanna Buczkowska-McCumber, Executive Director of the League of Innovators. “Cultivating the next generation of innovative leaders takes a village and we are so grateful to passionate partners like Platform Calgary whose support is invaluable to stirring the innovative potential of youth in Alberta”.
The presenting companies from the Edmonton cohort of LOI Labs are:
Junction is Platform Calgary’s full-time residency program that helps founders build a strong foundation to scale their startup. Over 9 weeks, participants learn and grow alongside other startups, benefiting from the curated expertise and hard-won wisdom from the Platform advisor network and the Calgary tech sector.
The presenting companies from Junction are:
Guests at the event will also be able to vote for their favourite pitches and one startup from each program will receive a People’s Choice Award. LOI Labs is now accepting applications for its Winter 2020 cohort, and Junction is accepting applications for its Spring 2020 cohort.
For more information on the League of Innovators, please visit www.theleagueofinnovators.com. For more information on Platform Calgary, please visit www.platformcalgary.com.
About League of Innovators:
League of Innovators (LOI) is a national Canadian charity that builds entrepreneurial acumen from the inside out, bringing youth the tools and skills so they can build ventures of tomorrow today! LOI was founded and launched by Ryan Holmes, a serial entrepreneur and CEO of Hootsuite, who believes that providing youth with the resources, tools, and support system to embark on the entrepreneurial and innovation path is essential to building the Canadian economy.
About Platform Calgary:
Platform Calgary’s mandate is to work collaboratively to transform Calgary’s economy and identity by fostering a movement to create hundreds of innovation-driven, highly scalable companies. Platform provides access to education, coaching and connections that help people gain the entrepreneurial and technical skills needed to thrive in the new economy, helping startups grow and scale.
Calgary’s new Platform Innovation Centre is currently under construction and scheduled to open in 2021. Located in the East Village on 9th Ave SE, the physical space will serve as a visible and active hub for Calgary’s startup and innovation ecosystem, bringing an additional 50,000 feet of public access space to serve the community.
Also published on Medium.