Inventures

Welcome to Inventures Unbound, your portal to live stream and on demand content. Here you can learn about upcoming virtual and hybrid Unbound events, as well as view recordings of past events covering a variety of topics. Yours to discover, explore and share, 24/7/365.

Water Innovation Connect Series — A New Wave in Water Innovation

Alberta Innovates presents an exciting series of webinars from the researchers and entrepreneurs who are driving water innovation in the province.The Water Innovation Connect Series provides a unique opportunity for researchers, entrepreneurs and stakeholders to learn about projects that are transforming how we manage and treat water in Alberta, connect with one another and share their expertise.

Upcoming Event

Leveraging the Experience of Nature to Address Water Challenges

Nature is gifted with a large toolbox and has a long history of effective water management worldwide, yet we continue to not take full advantage of these tools and breadth of expertise. Speakers will share insights on the value of nature-based solutions and, through case studies, comment on the learnings, success and impact of leveraging nature to address water challenges.

REGISTER HERE

Speakers

Vic Adamowicz, Professor and Vice Dean; University of Alberta, Faculty of Agricultural, Life & Environmental Sciences

Vic Adamowicz is the Vice Dean in the Faculty of Agricultural, Life and Environmental Sciences, and a Distinguished University Professor in the Department of Resource Economics and Environmental Sociology, Faculty of Agricultural, Life & Environmental Sciences, University of Alberta.

His research has focused on the economic valuation of environmental amenities and ecosystem services and the incorporation of environmental values into economic analysis – with applications to outdoor recreation, health, water quality, air quality, endangered species, forests, and agriculture. His research also involves the analysis of economic choice behavior with applications to food demand, recreation, and environmental quality.

Danah Duke, Executive Director; Miistakis Institute

Danah has been the Executive Director of the Miistakis Institute since 2001. Miistakis is a not-for-profit charitable environmental research institute affiliated with Mount Royal University. The Miistakis Institute brings people and ideas together to promote healthy communities and landscapes. Danah’s role as the ED of Miistakis puts her at the interface between academia, policy and decision-making and community conservation. Through her tenure at Miistakis, Danah has developed skills in various conservation related disciplines that include ecological connectivity, biodiversity conservation, ecosystem based climate adaptation, human wildlife coexistence and citizen science. Her experience also includes non-profit management and governance, facilitation and collaboration and community engagement. Danah holds M.Sc. in Environmental Biology and Ecology at the University of Alberta and a B.Sc. in Biology from McMaster University.

Alvin First Rider, Environmental Technician; Blood Tribe Land Management

Alvin First Rider Is a member of the Blood Tribe and a descendant of the Blackfeet nation In Montana. Alvin grew up between both reservations. Alvin Is a father of five children two boys and three girls.

Alvin has a degree In environmental science from Salish Kootenai College in Western Montana. Alvin enjoys reconnecting with Blackfoot Territory and creating relationships with the elements throughout Blackfoot Territory.

Alvin enjoys photography and videography. He also enjoys wildlife and migratory bird observation. Alvin enjoys learning Blackfoot ways of knowing and learning the Blackfoot language. He also practices Blackfoot ethnobotany.

Roy Brooke, ED; Municipal Natural Assets Initiative

Roy is the Executive Director of the Municipal Natural Assets Initiative, a national not-for profit.

His professional focus is the role of nature based solutions and natural assets in risk management, meeting net zero and biodiversity targets and delivering sustainable infrastructure services.

During the 1990s, Roy served as a political advisor to Canada’s environment minister. He then worked for the United Nations for almost a decade. This included the World Health Organization, United Nations Environment Programme and UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. During his time with the UN, he was based in Geneva, Switzerland, and later in Kigali, Rwanda, where he was UNEP’s Environment Programme Coordinator. Roy also served as Director of Sustainability for the City of Victoria between 2011-2013.

REGISTER HERE

Past Events

Our day-to-day activities impact water resources in ways we are still learning about. As we develop and use new products to meet our needs, we also release new compounds back into the environment. Pharmaceuticals, microplastics, tire fragments and much more, are entering our rivers and lakes after being washed into stormwater sewers or flushed down the drain. It is critical that we understand the occurrence and impact of these contaminants to determine what management steps may be required.

Originally aired November 8, 2022

What is in our water? Microplastics, tire fragments, and more!

YouTube Video UExCeWlYTkpEczlKZ0UyZHNlUVlBaDRsM1oxS1Zrd1A3SS5DQUNERDQ2NkIzRUQxNTY1

The world is becoming increasingly technical. Apps for everything, self-driving cars and “smart” homes. Embracing this technology revolution could increase our water use efficiency and help improve the quality of water moving through the system.

Presentations:

Jason Kopan, ISL Adapt, “Optimizing the Treatment of Drinking Water Using Reinforcement Learning.”

Amirreza Sohrabi, Roshan Water Solutions, “On-site rapid testing of water samples for E. coli and total coliform.”

Cam Cote, Intelirain, “A Systems Engineering Approach for Precision Irrigation.”

Originally aired December 2020

Water Innovation Connect Series: Digital Innovation Meets Water Management

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Water treatment plants have a critical role in keeping our communities healthy and safe by providing clean drinking water and removing our sanitary wastes. As the world changes, whether that means climate change, evolving pathogens or something else, these treatment plants need to adapt or risk impacting the quality of life of our population.

Presentations:

Monica Emleko, University of Waterloo, “Wildfire and pathogen threats to water in Alberta.”

Norm Neumann, University of Alberta, “Evidence for the Evolution of Water Treatment Resistant Pathogenic E. coli – are we on cusp of a public health crisis?

Originally aired November 2020

Water Innovation Connect Series: Municipal Water Management in a Changing World

YouTube Video UExCeWlYTkpEczlKZ0UyZHNlUVlBaDRsM1oxS1Zrd1A3SS4xMkVGQjNCMUM1N0RFNEUx

What we do in our watersheds and how they react to a changing climate can have big impacts on the water volumes and quantities we see downstream. A significant body of research has been underway over the last 10 years trying to improve our understanding of cause and effect in our watersheds. Now is a good time to evaluate what that research has told us and to consider where do we need to go from here.

Presentations:
Rich Petrone, University of Waterloo, "Ecological Controls on the Hydrologic Response to Climate Change and Extreme Events in the Canadian Rockies"

Uldis Silins, University of Alberta, "The future of water supply and watershed management in Alberta - Best source-to-tap practices for source water protection in the eastern slopes"

Chris Hopkinson, University of Lethbridge, "The Castle Watershed: A New Water Resource Assessment Framework for a Sentinel System at the Crown of the Continent (pre-recorded video)".

Originally aired October 2020

Water Innovation Connect Series: Watershed Management: What have we learned? Where are we going?

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People and communities connect on a personal level with the water systems around them. Recreational waters are a great example of how people and water interact, however, there are often barriers to people accessing those waters. A combination of real-time information and education programs can help break down some of those barriers.

Originally aired September 2020

Water Innovation Connect Series: Community Monitoring & Public Outreach

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Technology development is a journey from ideation to proof-of-concept to pilots to commercialization. The final leap to commercialization is often the hardest and can be enabled by having the right partners/end-users in place to help pull the technology to market.

Presentations:
Howie Honeyman, Forward Water, Forward Water Technologies Field Pilot Unit – Design, Build, Trial

Zac Young, H2nanO Incorporated, Sustainable Sunlight Treatment for Accelerated Oil Sands Process-Affected Water Remediation

Greg Piorkowski, Alberta Agriculture and Forestry, Advancing Denitrifying Bioreactors as a Beneficial Management Practice for Agricultural Drainage Waters in Alberta

Originally aired August 13, 2020

Water Innovation Connect Series: Technology Development - From Concept to Commercialization

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As our climate changes, Alberta faces a new water future. Modelling can help us visualize what that future may look like, including frequency and impact of extremes like flood and drought. These model outputs can be used to inform risk assessments and help Albertans prepare for future conditions.

Presentations:
Monireh Faramarzi, University of Alberta, Adapting to Changing Water in Alberta
Jeff Fetter, Associated Engineering, Drinking Water Infrastructure Risk and Vulnerability Study

Originally aired July 29, 2020

Water Innovation Connect Series: Planning for Alberta’s Water Future

YouTube Video UExCeWlYTkpEczlKZ0UyZHNlUVlBaDRsM1oxS1Zrd1A3SS4yODlGNEE0NkRGMEEzMEQy

Water is an integral part of our communities. It is important that urban planners have access to the right data and tools to make effective water management decisions. While municipalities are trying new management methods we need to improve our understanding of how water interacts in our urban environments, especially the impacts of management methods put in place.
In this free webinar series, we'll be sharing ideas and outcomes from projects recieving Alberta Innovates' support. We hope to provide valuable information to stakeholders and spark discussion within the water community.

Originally aired June 10, 2020

Water Innovation Connect Series: Managing Urban Water Systems

YouTube Video UExCeWlYTkpEczlKZ0UyZHNlUVlBaDRsM1oxS1Zrd1A3SS41NkI0NEY2RDEwNTU3Q0M2

Leading in Learning Forum

Leading in Learning

THE SCALE-UP AND GROWTH GAP
Alberta, along with every entrepreneurial jurisdiction in the world, faces the dreaded “valley of death” challenge of supporting scale-up and growth in their ecosystem. Alberta Innovates has utilized a systems roadmap strategy to address this gap that focuses on the ‘mindset’, ‘teamset’, “toolset’ and ‘impactset’ to accelerate growth at an entrepreneur ecosystem level.

IN THE TRENCHES LEARNING
Join Alberta Innovates in a Leading in Learning Forum where we and our Accelerator partners will share our real world roadmap for growth journey (which is still in progress). The Forum will cover the four pillars of our roadmap and will feature presentations, panels and masterclasses from the trenches, delivered by content experts from around the world.

WHO’S ATTENDING?
The Forum is open to everyone, especially those interested in ecosystem building, including tech investors and government funders and policy makers, innovation ecosystem supporters and service providers, impact assessment professionals, post-secondary institutions and organizations that support scale-up entrepreneurs.

OUR PARTNERS

Government of Alberta
Prairies Economic Development Canada
Platform Calgary
500 Global
Alberta Catalyzer
Edmonton Unlimited
Platform Calgary
Plug and Play Alberta
SVG Ventures/THRIVE
Telus CSW Accelerator powered by Alchemist X

ON DEMAND
Day 1 – IMPACTSET
Day 2 – TOOLSET
Day 3 – TEAMSET
Day 4 – MINDSET

A foundational playset is IMPACTSET which designs for impact upfront and links benefits to those in the ecosystem whether entrepreneurs, researchers, policy makers, practitioners etc., creating a ripple effect to local, national and global communities

Our focus is to drive impact through innovation – recognizing the complexity of the ecosystem and interconnected players - it happens by design with targeted efforts

Impact is about generating benefits for the community, balancing economic, environmental, health and societal impacts for a prosperous and thriving society.

Measuring impact can be challenging given time lags, attribution, contribution etc. however we can measure progress to impact through micro changes that happen along the pathway to impact.

Impactset Stories from “In the Trenches”
Hear from Alberta ecosystem players about their lived Impactset experience

Dr. Kathryn Graham – Executive Director of the Impact Action Lab, Alberta Innovates
Peter Riddles – Founder & CEO, SYNERGIE Global
Shaheel Hooda – Managing Partner @ Sprout VC + Lead Mentor 500 Global Accelerator
Hadi Taherian – CEO, Alto IP

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Keynote Speaker — Dr. Christian Busch
How to make a difference, at scale: Cultivating serendipity for innovation, impact, and “smart luck”
bestselling author of The Serendipity Mindset: The Art & Science of Creating Good Luck

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Are We Making A Difference? The Ripple Effects of Impact
This panel will explore whether innovation is making a 'real world' difference and if so for whom, how and in what ways. Drawing from experiences from across the globe, the panelists will reflect on their practices and in doing so draw out lessons that could be applied to different contexts. The panel will be open to questions from the audience thereby enabling an inclusive conversation about impact and innovation.

Jonathan Grant – Director, Different Angles
Dr. Geoff Gregson – Senior Consultant in Research and Innovation with Alberta Health Services, Adjunct Professor at University of Alberta
Barbara Gibbon – Director General for Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED)
Gert Balling – Senior Impact Partner, Novo Nordisk Foundation

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Impact by Design: Glocal
A GLobal perspective to meet LOCal needs. Don't allow impact to be an afterthought. Understanding how to design in impact to scale-up and growth programs is essential if we are to progress to desired outcomes and impact, increase program delivery efficiency and effectiveness. Join our panel as we explore global best practice and local examples of impact and program evaluation.

Dr. Simon Raby – Associate Professor, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Associate Director, Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship Founder & Director, Growth Compass Founder & Academic Director, Growth Catalyst
Dr. Kathryn Graham – Executive Director, Impact Action Lab, Alberta Innovates
Mark Hart - Deputy Director of the ERC and Professor of Small Business Entrepreneurship at Aston Business School
Anika Duut van Goor - Director, Network for Advancing & Evaluating the Societal Impact of Science (AESIS), The Netherlands

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Impact Entrepreneurs – Passing the Baton
Interest in strengthening entrepreneurial ecosystems for driving innovation to impact has increased dramatically over the past decade. To date, support providers have operated much like a shopping mall - attentively serving those entrepreneurs who step through the front door. As we race towards the fourth industrial revolution, what data do we need to inform better decisions? (think moneyball), what changes do we need to make to accelerate the journeys of entrepreneurs traveling along the entrepreneurial highway for achieving greater economic and societal impact?

Dr. Simon Raby – Associate Professor, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Associate Director, Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship Founder & Director, Growth Compass Founder & Academic Director, Growth Catalyst
John Galbraith – People & Process Lead at Factory Bucket /Cohesiv

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Master Class – Agri-Food Tech – An Investor Lens
Canada’s agri-food tech innovation ecosystem is building momentum, with the data highlighting that Canadian innovators are rising to the challenge to help our agri-food industry do more with less. Going forward, the sector will have the opportunity to play a pivotal role in building economic resilience and positioning the country as a competitive global player. Innovation has and will continue to be fundamental for sector advancement as we see a rising need to bring the worlds of technology and agriculture together. Join us for this unique master class focused on the investment landscape across Canada’s agri-food value chain, highlighting trends in the industry and where Canada can have a larger impact on a global scale.

Haley Macdonald - Corporate Innovation Manager, SVG Ventures|THRIVE

Originally aired November 29, 2022

DAY 1: IMPACTSET - Leading in Learning Forum

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There are many tools in our toolbox: Depending on our role in the ecosystem we have access to many tools for effecting change. For example, if your role is a policy maker or a funder you can use policy or funding instruments to effect change, at the ecosystem level we can coordinate and collaborate on innovation roadmaps, investors use investment frameworks, other tools include - navigation maps, service delivery programs like Accelerators, technology platforms, models, and frameworks.

Fit for purpose and place: Context and place matters – understanding our current state and regional differences, assets, capacities etc., is critical to ensure we select, test and customize tools to our unique ecosystem.

The right connected tools for the job: Scale up and growth tools on their own are just devices that are only as relevant and effective as their design . The strength of toolset is in intentionally and strategically connecting them to support a seamless journey for companies along the innovation roadmap. Evidence supports that new collaborative structures and processes networks, accelerators clusters, and/or alliances) are needed in the ecosystem to diffuse knowledge and innovation.

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Toolset Stories from “In the Trenches”
Hear from Alberta ecosystem players about their lived Toolset experience

Carla Otto, Executive Director, Entrepreneurial Investments, Alberta Innovates
Darrell Petras, VP, Programs and Business Development, Edmonton Unlimited
Madeline Kendrew, Co-Director, Alberta Catalyzer
Ryan Cuillerier Program Director, TELUS Community Safety and Wellness Accelerator powered by Alchemist.

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Diversity for Impact: NIHR Race Equality Framework
This presentation will showcase how the NIHR race equality framework is being utilized to drive cultural change within organizations.

Fay Scott, Senior Public Involvement Manager, NIHR Centre for Engagement and
Damie Oladebo, DEI Policy & Research Professional, Public Contributor, NIHR
Adam Kamenetzky, NIHR Senior Research Fellow, Impact, NIHR Central Commissioning Facility

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Evaluating your Accelerator’s Impact: Defining Metrics for Success
Accelerators are an increasingly common early-stage vehicle to nurture and develop start-ups. Despite the rise of Accelerators across different geographies and verticals, the model remains difficult to execute repeatedly at scale. This session outlines metrics we believe can help equip Accelerators for long term success. We will cover metrics related to Sourcing (ability to identify and close early-stage start-ups), Fundraising (how successful the Accelerator is at generating capital formation for its start-ups), Ecosystem (a key component to scaling or supercharging an Accelerator), and Impact (Financial and Non-Financial). While these are metrics we rely on, we also realize it is ultimately up to each Accelerator to define their own key metrics.

Jordan Sawadogo, Investment Associate at 500 Global

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Social Change Needs Impact Investing
Hear from leading impact investors and investees on why investing with purpose is needed if we want to maximize social impact. Doing good and making money is very much possible and the panel will share learnings and address the questions from the audience.

Ashif Mawji, Managing Director ScaleGood Fund LP, Chair Edmonton Police Foundation and TELUS CSW Accelerator
Blair Miller, Managing Partner, TELUS Pollinator Fund for Good & Vice President, Social Impact Ventures
Dr. Piers Nash, Founder of Sympatic
Lana Cuthbertson, CEO and Founder of Areto Labs
Aatif Baskanderi, CEO, Northpine Foundation

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Learning from International Ecosystem Development Approaches
Leading ecosystem developers from around the world talk about the challenges, tools and strategies to achieving holistic growth. The panel will share applicable practices as we collectively strive for something bigger and better while keeping culture, community and collaboration top of mind to build an inclusive and equitable entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Cecilia Wessinger, Director for Global Community, Global Entrepreneurship Network
Andrea Mazariegos – AGEE Project Lead, Guatemala
Vanessa Roanhorse, CEO Roanhorse Consulting

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The Why and Purpose of Social Impact Investing
Learn about why VC's and sophisticated investors are moving to Investing with Impact or Social Impact investing. What's driving them? Why is this more prevalent now? What do they expect for outcomes? How can you best position your venture to maximize your financial and social impact outcomes?

DAY 2: TOOLSET - Leading in Learning Forum

YouTube Video UExCeWlYTkpEczlKZ1Y4R0xEbUdNaGpxVUpweXFIdUNvaC4yODlGNEE0NkRGMEEzMEQy

Create your own Impact A-team: Innovative, impactful teams that are interdisciplinary, cross-functional and diverse are shown to be higher performing. Bring the ecosystem together to wrap around companies to support their growth – the many legged stool: government, industry, post secondary institutions, not for profits and investors.

Train for game-day. Developing, attracting and retaining the workforce of tomorrow. Having the resource mix and skill sets that is needed to execute innovation road maps and effect change across the research and innovation lifecycle that meet the needs of clients. Building the capacity and skills for teams to scale and grow their companies and innovations and for system players to “level up the ecosystem”.

Innovation and entrepreneurship is a team sport: The idea of teams of master implementers who work at the ecosystem level and across the client journey to support implementation. Eco-system stewards connecting supports to innovation markets and connecting markets to innovation.

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Teamset Stories from “ In the Trenches”
Hear from Alberta ecosystem players about their lived Teamset experience

Reesa John, Director, Fund and Fellowship, Alberta Innovates
Catherine Warren, CEO, Edmonton Unlimited
Tanis Liebreich Executive Director, Industry Policy, Government of Alberta
Todd Ormann, Associate VP, Industry Solutions and Partnerships, Olds College
Janay Meisser, Director, Innovation, UFA Co-operative Limited

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From Naval Gazing to Strategic Orientation
Due to our chaotic and rapidly changing competitive ecosystem, organizations can ill afford to pursue “Navel Gazing”, which can be defined as useless or excessive self-reflection. Instead, success favors those entities that take a strategic orientation to quickly capitalize on emerging opportunities, while managing their risks. Learn how research has distilled this strategic orientation down to a simple formula that can be quickly understood and operationalized, to help a business successfully scale up, even in recessionary times.

Dr. Ron Markowski, Author, Advisor & Entrepreneur

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Industry Connection for Growth: The evolution of Plug and Play’s Open Innovation Model
Since establishing themselves as a Global Leader in the Acceleration space back in 2006, Plug and Play's model has evolved to become what the industry refers to as "The Ultimate Innovation Platform". They have earned this title due to the way in which they bring together established industry enterprises with curated start-ups that are solving their most important challenges. In this session, Sherif will share how Plug and Play has evolved their accelerator model over the last 15 years to meet the ever-changing needs of start-ups and large enterprises, all while expanding to over 50 offices around the world

Sherif Saadawi, Director, Corporate Partnerships, Plug and Play

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Fueling Corporate Innovation & Entrepreneurial Ecosystems - Lessons from the Alchemist Model
Alchemist embeds corporate-startup interactions at every level of our business, with the fundamental belief that strong corporate engagement fuels healthy entrepreneurial ecosystems and increased organizational competitiveness. Join us for a panel discussion with Alchemist investors and corporate partners on lessons learned and outcomes achieved from this interaction.

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Ian Bergman, Partner, Alchemist Accelerator
Neal Okarter, Investment Manager, BASF Venture Capital
Robert Locke, President and Chief Strategy Officer, Phaidra
Haya Al Ghanim, RDI Program Director, Qatar Research, Development and Innovation (QRDI)

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Building an Innovation Pipeline
THRIVE is building an innovation ecosystem from the ground up through our Venture Studio Program. This unique program strives to fill an innovation gap in the agri-food value chain by leveraging ideation and industry knowledge.

Sean Paquet, Director of Corporate Innovation, SVG Ventures|THRIVE

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Accelerator Manager Mini Bootcamp – Honing into your Superpower
Running an accelerator is hard. Trust us, we know. After running more than 85+ accelerator programs around the world, we have developed a best practices playbook to help accelerators thrive and have more impact. Some of the key priorities that you need to address in order to hone your superpower include: how to define your strategy, how to build a world-class network, how do you differentiate your program from other accelerators in your ecosystem so that you can attract the best start-ups, and how to kickstart and improve your deal flow. This session will help you understand and leverage your accelerator's superpowers.

Carrie Liauw, Regional Director, Market Launch, 500 Global

Originally aired December 1, 2022

DAY 3: TEAMSET - Leading in Learning Forum

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Play is the highest form of research – Albert Einstein
Mindset fuels the other sets
Fostering an Entrepreneurial state of mind with leaders and teams across the ecosystem: Fostering entrepreneurial traits (e.g. drawn to opportunities, innovation, calculated risk, action oriented, fearless, resourceful, focus on what matters) in all ecosystem players to promote a driving focus on growth.
Thinking Big, Bold and Beyond Your Borders: Embracing and seeking out possibilities locally and globally. Aligning incentives and rewards across system players while balancing risk and rewards.
Be Inspired: Dream about epic growth.

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Mindset Stories from “In the Trenches”

Hear from Alberta ecosystem players about their lived Mindset experience

Crys Vanier, Executive Director, PSIET, Alberta
Lan Tan, Director, Accelerators, Alberta Innovates
Terry Rock, President and CEO, Platform Calgary
Al-Karim Khimji, Co-founder & CEO, Propra
Kristina Milke, General Partner, Sprout.VC

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Play@Work: Unleashing Growth through Creativity and Innovation
Kevin Carroll; Best Selling Author, Expert on Creativity and Innovation, Agent for Social Change
As children our days were filled with productive play. What was entertaining was also instructive. Games of tag were exercises in planning, teamwork, strategy, design, decision-making, creativity, interpersonal communication and risk-taking. Play was serious business in our youth—and it should be even more serious business in our professional lives if we hope to unleash the creative genius that spurs organizational growth.

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From Fellowship to Epic Results: Alberta Innovates Scale-up GAP model
What does the playset look like in practice? Hear about Alberta Innovates journey to design and implement their Scale-up and Growth Accelerator Program model using “Fellowship” as a guiding principle to achieve epic growth results for entrepreneurs and the ecosystem. Reesa will candidly share “the good, the bad and the ugly” and how a learning mindset (and lots of caffeine) will get you to the next growth horizon.

Reesa John, Director Fund & Fellowship

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Surviving and Thriving from Failure
In this talk the items in the Museum of Failure tell their unique stories, giving us insight into the risky business of innovation. Why are some organizations paralyzed by failure while others seem to thrive despite stumbling from failure to failure? To explore this, we need to understand the difference between good vs bad failure and how improving Failure Recovery can be better than Failure Avoidance. Also: How do we learn from failure (we don't), why experimentation is so powerful and why Psychological Safety is such a promising concept.

Andrew Goldner, CEO & Founding Partner, GrowthX
Dr. Samuel West, Founder of the Museum of Failure

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Darrell Brertton Jr., Innovator
Darrell Brertton Jr is a member of the Saddle Lake Cree Nation. Darrell has been featured on APTN News, CBC News, CTV News, Global News, Alberta Native News, and Edify Magazine. Darrell is one of the first and currently only powwow dancer to dance at ice level for the Edmonton Oiler NHL team. He's been dancing & traveling the powwow trail ever since he could walk. Darrell shares Indigenous Awareness at school bookings and community events throughout the year within Edmonton & throughout Turtle Island. Darrell's passion is traveling the powwow trail across Canada & USA, as well as enriching, empowering, and educating everyday people to grow and multiply their money with an incredible skillset.

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Investing for Growth
It starts with investing with the “end in mind”. In this panel, major North American innovation funders and support agencies share their investment philosophies, frameworks, and criteria for ecosystem growth and how they have challenged traditional investment “mindsets” to respond to today’s global entrepreneur ecosystem.

Jasper Buys, Director, Impact Action Lab, Alberta Innovates
Doug Holt, Associate VP, Investments, Alberta Innovates
Shelagh Hayes, Director General, Business Innovation & Community Development, Prairies Economic Development Canada
Karla Petersen, Senior Innovation Advisor, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED
Jennifer C. Shieh, Director of Ecosystem Development, U.S. Small Business Administration

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CLOSING
Laura Kilcrease, CEO, Alberta Innovates

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Honing your Investment Thesis
An investment thesis is important in getting the right kind of investors and founders to match up with. It is a key roadmap for your investing efforts and guarantees that you direct your efforts and actions towards clear objectives. In this session participants will explore key components to draft a clear and powerful thesis and exercise drafting and pitching their investment thesis.

Robert Neivert, Venture Partner, 500 Global

DAY 4: MINDSET - Leading in Learning Forum

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Alberta Innovates Entrepreneurial Speaker Series

All entrepreneurs are united by a uniquely powerful drive—and harnessing it is just half the story. Join us for these engaging sessions.

How to use an entrepreneurial mindset to win at marketing

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All entrepreneurs are united by a uniquely powerful drive—and harnessing it is just half the story. David will discuss the freedom and risks of owning a small business and how to manage, reinvent and move forward. For entrepreneurs in every sector, the challenges of the pandemic have been unprecedented. There is no such thing as “business as usual” these days: visitation is dramatically down, regulations have changed the delivery of the visitor experience, and solutions need to be improvised on the fly. The only certainty, it seems, is uncertainty.

Originally aired March 25, 2021

Small Tech Businesses: Growth and adjusting during and post COVID-19

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In this dynamic presentation, Amber Mac will take audiences on a visual journey to demonstrate how our world is changing during today’s pandemic and why that’s fueling an acceleration of technology that will change the future forever.

No matter what industry you’re in, that means that rapid digitization is a must. Amber will also show how AI is affecting our daily lives and why the future of work depends on its adoption.

While this presentation is eye-opening, it also includes practical lessons and invaluable tools that are critical for success.

About Amber Mac
Innovation Speaker | Co-host of Marketing Disrupted and The AI Effect
Considered by many to be the go-to expert on anything to do with technology, Amber Mac helps companies and audiences to stay ahead of the curve. She is an industry veteran, renowned as a journalist, moderator, entrepreneur, consultant, and bestselling author. Whatever the setting, Mac offers clarity of understanding and a passion for digital innovation in all forms.

Mac started her career in San Francisco and Boston during the dot-com boom, with several roles including as a strategist for Razorfish. Since then, she has keynoted at more than 400 events around the world and has moderated sessions with everyone from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to former FBI Director James Comey to famed astronaut Chris Hadfield. She’s currently the co-host of two podcast series: Marketing Disrupted and the award-winning The AI Effect.

In 2010, Mac wrote the national bestselling business book Power Friending, followed by the Amazon bestseller, Outsmarting Your Kids Online, which she co-wrote in 2016. She also a regular business host and expert for Fast Company, Newsweek, CNN, Bloomberg, CBS, BNN, CTV, The Marilyn Denis Show, and SiriusXM. In 2018, she was named one of DMZ’s 30 inspirational women making a difference in tech, and she is recognized internationally as an innovation and technology leader.

Originally aired March 4, 2021

Relentless Adaptation in the Age of COVID-19

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Growth & Resiliency Speaker Series

The Growth & Resiliency Speaker Series is brought to you by Mount Royal University’s Growth Catalyst program in collaboration with Alberta Innovates, the province’s innovation engine. The Speaker Series is supported in part by the Government of Canada, as part of the Regional Relief and Recovery Fund.

Exploring 'Creativity’ - challenging businesses to think innovatively to uncover ‘big’ growth opportunities.

Today, we are undergoing a paradigm shift. The world is not only changing because of technological innovation, but this has been accelerated due to COVID-19.

To navigate this disruption, individuals, companies, and leaders need to take control of their own destiny. It requires us to make bold decisions in a world of uncertainty. How do we compete with the giants? How do we spur growth amidst increased global competition? Today, we need to be bold, brave, and experimental.

Disruptive times require disruptive ideas. In this high-energy presentation, shot completely in a 750-person empty theatre, Shawn Kanungo provides a bold roadmap for the future. He explores:
- How can we establish Alberta as a beacon for innovation and entrepreneurship
- How can we take unexpected approaches to innovation to remain competitive and relevant
- How do we apply strategies from the new disruptors outside of your industry

About the Speaker
Shawn Kanungo is a disruption strategist. He has been recognized nationally and globally for his work in the innovation space after 12 years working at Deloitte. Shawn’s mandate at the firm was to help corporate executives to better understand and plan for the opportunities and threats associated with disruptive innovation.
Kanungo’s work and interviews have been featured in Forbes, the Globe and Mail, The Guardian, CBC, and CTV. In 2016, he was recognized as Avenue magazine’s “Top 40 Under 40.” He spoke at TEDx in 2017 and was named to Inc’s “100 Most Innovative Leadership Speakers” in 2018.

Originally aired January 7, 2021

Innovate to Grow: Strategy in a World of Disruption

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In this virtual keynote, David Hoffeld will discuss insights from his best selling book “The Science of Selling”, which blends cutting-edge research in social psychology, neuroscience, and behavioural economics to dramatically increase your ability to win bigger sales, more often.

Hoffeld’s evidence-based approach connects the dots between the sales situations we experience every day and how our brains naturally form buying decisions, to help create repeatable and scalable results. In this session, Hoffeld will explore:
How the current world of sales training is broken
Why it is essential to understand how customers buy
His scientifically-proven six whys® buyer decision-making process
Actionable insights on how you can pitch, influence decisions, and close bigger deals more often!

About the Speaker
David Hoffeld is the CEO and chief sales trainer of Hoffeld Group and is the author of the groundbreaking book, “The Science of Selling”. David has created a revolutionary sales approach based on neuroscience and behavioural science that radically increases sales.

David’s model has been recognized globally for its quality and impact. He has lectured at Harvard Business School, and has been featured in Fast Company, Fortune, U.S. News and World Report, The Wall Street Journal, INC, Forbes, Harvard Business Review, CBS Radio, Fox News Radio and more.

David’s expertise in both selling and behavioural science equips him with the tools to understand what it takes to successfully sell in today’s hyper-competitive marketplace. Because of David’s sought after perspective, he has attracted clients ranging from small businesses to Fortune 500 companies.

Originally aired February 25, 2021

Catalyzing Growth through Sales: Proven Strategies to Build and Win Bigger

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Nothing has rocked the foundations of the world, including the business world, more than the COVID-19 pandemic. As businesses struggle and often flounder to cope, many business leaders are wondering how to deal with the unpredictable. How do you plan for something you can’t predict?

Strategist Lance Mortlock believes you can, and you should. In this practical and accessible presentation, Lance will discuss how scenario planning can be used to identify risks and uncertainties and predict a variety of different realities that will affect the future of any organization’s operating model.

In this session, Lance will explore:
What scenario planning is and the tools and frameworks you can deploy in your business.
How to gain an earlier view of long-term trends and forces that will affect an organization's performance.
Ways that leaders in industry are adapting their operating models to excel in unpredictable environments.
How to help be better prepared for future disasters on the scale of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Stress testing strategies so they are ready for any eventuality.
Stretching mental models around wider future focused options.

About the Speaker
Lance Mortlock is a senior strategy partner with Ernst & Young, and the author of “Disaster Proof, Scenario Planning for a Post-Pandemic Future”. Bringing a broad set of strategic skills and experiences, Lance helps clients solve some of their most complex strategic problems.

Lance has delivered management consulting services over 20 years to more than 60 organizations in 11 countries overseeing hundreds of strategic growth and innovation projects. Areas of support and experience include corporate and business unit strategy and planning, strategy execution, market opportunity assessment, merger and transaction integration and carve-outs ($60 Billion in deals completed), cost management, transformation, innovation, business management systems, process improvement, enterprise risk management, organization performance, design & effectiveness and change management.

As a strategist, Lance is an expert in business, industry trends, and market dynamics in Canada, with several publications to his name regularly featuring on BNN and other news outlets. Lance has an MBA with distinction from Cardiff Business School, has completed various executive courses at MIT, Stanford Graduate School of Business, Harvard Business School, and INSEAD. He is a visiting professor at the University of Calgary Haskayne School of Business and a board member for the Canadian Energy & Climate Nexus.

Originally aired March 18, 2021

Flexing Your Operating Model: Scenario Planning for a Post-Pandemic Future

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$Developing a strong brand identity is a critical component of growing your business to the next level. What kind of personality does your company have? How do you make your customers feel? How are you different from your competitors? The answer to these questions can be the key to generating new customers while earning trust and recognition from the market as a whole. In this Keynote, Max Valiquette draws on his over two decades of experience working with the biggest global companies to deliver an engaging and insightful presentation on brands and branding. He dives into why brands matter, how to build a successful brand promise, how to deliver a great brand at all the right touchpoints, and how to rally and unite an entire organization around its brand. Drawing on real customer insights, Valiquette shows what branding, rebranding, growth, and meaningful engagement really looks like in an increasingly fractured world. About the Speaker For over twenty years, Max Valiquette has been at the forefront of what’s now, what’s new, and what’s next. Anointed by Marketing Magazine as one of Canada’s “most influential Marketers,” Max has worked with some of the biggest companies in the world to help them transform their organizations, their businesses, and their brands. He is an award-winning marketer and market researcher; an author; a broadcaster; and a journalist who relishes engaging with audiences. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called him a “don’t miss” speaker. Max’s entrepreneurial drive led him to found Youthography, the ground-breaking Millennial Marketing company. He is currently the Chief Strategy Officer at Diamond Integrated Marketing. Over the course of his career, Max has worked on brands including Nike, Budweiser, Coca-Cola, and everything in between. He won multiple awards for the ground-breaking anti-smoking campaign Stupid.ca and acts as an advisor for various charitable organizations and tech space start-ups. Max also sat on the Board of the Canada Media Fund, Canada’s largest single cultural endowment, for three years helping to transition it towards a more digital future. When he’s not on stage, Max is on Entertainment Tonight or MTV talking about popular culture; speaking to the Wall Street Journal or NPR about organizational transformation or innovation, or writing about marketing and branding for Strategy and hosting their Agency of the Year awards. Originally aired March 30, 2021$

Growth through Brand & Purpose: Building an Identity You Can Rally Around

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Join the Alberta Innovation Network for a one hour talk with April Dunford, author of the best selling book “Obviously Awesome: How to Nail Product Positioning so Customers Get it, Buy it, Love it”. She is not only a globally recognized expert in product positioning and market strategy but also an amazingly entertaining women. She will share her insights on how to position your product on the market and better yet, how to communicate that positioning to your customers. These practical positioning tips will help accelerate marketing and sales!

Originally aired November 26, 2020

Positioning that Clicks with April Dunford

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In our many conversations with leaders, we hear that they frequently get pulled into the operational vacuum. This tactical preoccupation precipitates a reactive mindset. Those leaders who foster a high degree of trust among their reports ultimately create the time and space for strategic thinking, and it is this that leads them to outperform their peers.

During this lunchtime session, Michael Bungay Stanier will share how mastering five essential questions can help managers and leaders increase the focus, courage, and resilience they need to have more impact in the work they do.

In this practical, interactive, and engaging keynote, participants:
See the three vicious circles that keep them busy, overwhelmed, and exhausted.
Own up to the five reasons they might not be coaching, and then remove that resistance.
Get three fast-to-master techniques to ask a question well (it’s harder to do than it sounds!)
And of course, learn and practice the five core questions they need–including the best coaching question in the world—so they can focus on the work that matters.

About the Speaker
Michael Bungay Stanier is the author of six books which between them have sold more than a million copies. He’s best known for The Coaching Habit, the best-selling coaching book of the century and already recognized as a classic. Michael was a Rhodes Scholar and plays the ukulele badly. He’s Australian, and lives in Toronto, Canada.

Originally aired November 19, 2020

Leading to Scale: The 5 Question Leader

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Small Modular Nuclear Reactors Learning Series

An overview of SMRs, technology categories and applications/ What are Canada’s opportunities for building a thriving SMR supply chain? How do we have good conversations when we want to explore new energy options?

John Stewart, Canadian Nuclear Association – An overview of SMRs, technology categories and applications
Dianne Cameron, Natural Resources Canada – The SMR Action Plan
Marcel do Vos, Canadian Nuclear Safety Council – What safety and regulations apply to SMRs

Originally aired February 16, 2021

Small Modular Reactors: SMR 101

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Presentation One – New Brunswick Power
Presentation Two – an Innovation and Research Panel
Presentation Three – Eric McGoey, Ontario Power Generation on insights from their SMR feasibility study

Originally aired February 23, 2021

Small Modular Reactors: Bright Spots, Innovation and Provincial Collaboration

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Ron Oberth – What are Canada’s opportunities for building a thriving SMR supply chain?

Originally aired March 2, 2021

Small Modular Reactors: Let’s Talk Tech – A Deep Dive on SMR Technologies

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Presentation One: Energy Futures Lab – How do we have good conversations when we want to explore new energy options?
Presentation Two: What makes for great community engagement conversations?
Presentation Three: Panel discussion on the future of SMR technology in Canada

Originally aired March 9, 2021

Small Modular Reactors: Let’s Talk Community

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Global Opportunities in Digital Health: Network Medicine

Alberta needs to harness the power of emerging health opportunities to unlock the full potential of its health innovation capacity. The advent of emerging methods and technologies promises to create products that deliver more effective and patient-centered care. One approach is Network Medicine, a paradigm-changing discipline that uses systems biology and network science to understand disease mechanisms and therapeutic strategies from an integrated perspective. Join Alberta Innovates on February 17 and learn about the advances and opportunities in the field of Network Medicine featuring Dr. Joseph Loscalzo, a leading international authority on the subject. Dr. Loscalzo has made tremendous contributions to establishing the field of Network Medicine, which involves going from molecular level to systems level thinking connecting the biological, environmental, and social aspects of human health.

Global Opportunities in Digital Health: Network Medicine

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Digital Health Innovation — Reimagining Healthcare Event

Health innovation is occurring at an increasingly rapid pace – with digital health driving the future of healthcare. Healthcare providers, policy makers and consumers alike are seeking new, more effective and efficient ways to access and provide services.

Digital and data-enabled technologies are driving the development of patient-focused and personalized clinical solutions, new models of care, and an acceleration of research into innovation that forms the foundation of a more affordable, accessible, and high-quality healthcare system.