The government is investing in Innovate Edmonton’s flagship Capital City Pilots project, which helps entrepreneurs, innovators and startups pilot their products on a local level to benefit the community, create jobs and achieve sustainability.
Working with the City of Edmonton, local entrepreneurs can pilot their products on city-owned assets, providing companies with best-in-class case studies and models of excellence that will support future commercialization. This exposure and opportunity to test new products is invaluable to bringing solutions to global markets, attracting investment and enhancing Alberta’s position as an innovation leader.
“Innovation is the key ingredient to finding creative solutions for local and global challenges. By harnessing the ingenuity of local innovators, we are growing our tech sector and keeping Alberta in the driver’s seat when finding and creating solutions. We’re looking ahead, planning for the future and ensuring we are well-positioned to keep good-paying jobs and diversified industries right here in our province.”
As part of Capital City Pilots, a new Innovation Lab at Innovate Edmonton will be created. The lab will be a centralized space where innovators and City of Edmonton administration can collaborate to find innovative, technology-driven solutions to the challenges facing cities, such as sustainability, neighbourhood renewal and mobility.
"At Innovate Edmonton, we are positioning our city as an inclusive global innovation capital and advancing homegrown solutions to the world's thorniest problems. Through this generous funding and in collaboration with the City of Edmonton, Capital City Pilots will open the doors for startups and scaleups to tackle municipal challenges and transform our neighbourhoods while catapulting innovation into the public realm and onto the global stage. Edmonton has the bench strength to deliver vital solutions, providing precisely what global markets demand, and returns for enlightened investors ready to deploy capital."
Alberta’s government is providing Innovate Edmonton with $1.8 million over three years for the initiative. This funding will build on investments made by other key project partners, including the City of Edmonton and PrairiesCan.
“Alberta’s entrepreneurs have the best ideas and innovations and when there’s an opportunity for our government to help them reach new markets while creating high-quality jobs for Albertans, we will be there with support. We’re partnering with all orders of government on Innovate Edmonton’s Capital City Pilots project to provide innovators across the region with the chance to showcase the effectiveness of their products and technologies.”
“I’m thankful the Government of Alberta has stepped up to help innovation take flight in Edmonton by investing in our unique Capital City Pilots program. This funding will help diversify Edmonton’s economy, fuel job creation and build local solutions to improve infrastructure and sustainability in cities across the globe. I’m excited to see Edmonton strengthened as a regional hub for successful startup industries and what our city's diverse and talented entrepreneurs will be able to accomplish with this support.”
“The launch of Capital City Pilots is a triumph for Edmonton’s innovators. As an entrepreneur in green energy, I know how critical it is to have a flagship client and to test products in real-world conditions. Having a municipal deployment helps grow companies – it speaks volumes to future international customers and investors who seek evidence of blue-chip due diligence as part of good decision-making. Capital City Pilots will also give participating companies an opportunity to showcase their innovations in the public realm and build local support across Edmonton.”
The Capital City Pilots program aligns with the key objectives of the Alberta Technology and Innovation Strategy (ATIS) and the Alberta Recovery Plan, which are committed to creating conditions in Alberta where businesses can innovate, thrive and commercialize new solutions and products that benefit every Albertan.
Quick facts
- Governed by an independent board of directors of industry experts, Innovate Edmonton was formed in May 2020 by Edmonton’s city Council.
- Innovate Edmonton leverages, unites and promotes homegrown innovation as a gateway to solving the world’s most pressing problems.
- A recent 2022 report by CBRE, a global leader in commercial real estate services and investment, identifies Edmonton as one of the fastest-growing tech sectors in North America, climbing three more places in the top 50 and growing its tech talent by 40 per cent in the study’s five-year period.
- According to the2022 Global Startup Ecosystem Report by Startup Genome, Edmonton’s innovation ecosystem value increased by 236 per cent since 2020 to $641 million.
- ATIS seeks to create 20,000 new jobs and see Alberta’s technology companies generate $5 billion more in annual revenue by 2030.
- The technology and innovation sector in Alberta has seen unprecedented growth in 2022, with rapid expansion of new companies and jobs month-over-month.
- Continued support of this sector is key to diversifying the province’s economy and is paying dividends, attracting a record $466 million in venture capital in the first quarter of 2022.
