Article content Albertans are innovators. This a province that knows technology and has used it to become an economic and energy powerhouse in Canada. Alberta does well by many standards, but we have challenges.
Spectacular population growth is driving economic activity but puts stress on infrastructure and services. We have an educated workforce and excellent research institutions yet struggle to turn new ideas into adoptable technologies and keep the intellectual capital. This situation isn’t unique to Alberta.
It’s a Canadian innovation paradox. As CEO of Alberta Innovates, our work across sectors allows us to see the big picture, and Alberta’s ability to meet challenges with solutions. Fortunately, Alberta has a passionate and growing base of support for innovation.
That was clear last month at Inventures 2024 as we welcomed a record 4,000 people from 33 countries. We hosted creators, students, political leaders, startups and scale-ready ventures pitching ideas and industry leaders looking for them. Investors who attended represented several hundreds of billon dollars in capital and private investment.
Business deals initiated at Inventures last year totalled as much as $256 million. We want to build on that success to make Alberta a magnet for the best minds, ideas and investment. We have a way to go to accomplish that, but I’ve been here before.
In the 1990s I was a venture capitalist in Austin when a small group of us began to work closely together to diversify.