Calgary's tech sector celebrated at Innovation Week YYC

Wednesday marked the start of Innovation Week in Calgary, Platform Calgary's celebration of the people, startups, scaleups and technologies that are defining the city's future

"I think Calgarians don't know enough about all these great new technology companies that are being built in their backyard," said Terry Rock, Platform Calgary's president and CEO.

"Maybe they're starting to hear about the hype, and this is a week to celebrate those companies and the people behind them."

Organizers say Calgary is home to nearly 1,500 thriving tech companies that are driving growth and tackling global challenges. Innovation Week is a chance for them to come together, and to also invite people with an interest in joining the momentum.

"Tech is an emerging sector in Calgary," said Rock. "People want to work in it, they want to invest in it, and they want to start their own companies… but a lot of people don't know how to take that first step."

"This week really gives you an opportunity to take an easy step in, meet the people behind it, learn some things and get excited about what's happening in your backyard. It's a great entry point for people who want to get involved."

The University of Calgary is one of the partners of the event, and Corey Hogan, vice president of communications and community engagement, says entrepreneurship and innovation are part of the identity of the university.

"We're proud to say that we're the top startup creator of any Canadian university for the last five years combined," he said.

Hogan says science, technology, engineering, arts and math programs – or STEAM – are making a difference in the tech sector here.

"There's a really robust ecosystem from kindergartners all the way up to university graduate students," he said. "And Calgary's become a bit of a hub for that kind of thinking."

Greg Bennett, Devfest YYC producer, says the Calgary conference is one of the largest in North America.

The global event has been running since 2018 and takes place in 600 cities worldwide.

"It's the world's largest distributed tech conference for developers and technologists who are looking to build or code with Google technologies and platforms," he said.

"All innovation starts with someone doing something, afterwards you sell it, as a startup or otherwise, but you have to do something, you have to build something first and we're all about helping people build."

Bennett says there's a lot going on in Calgary's tech sector, which is moving toward being a "global player," and while there have been layoffs in the industry, it's leveling off.

"The people that have invested in their education, invested in trying something out, typically aren't having trouble, but it is hard out there right now," he said.

"It's definitely a growth market; it's not going away."

Rock says the industry can be intimidating, which is why this year there's a focus to work with Indigenous innovators through a program called Indigitech Destiny.

"We hear things like 'technology is affecting every sector,'" he said. "That's why this year we're putting a focus on clean technologies, on energy, on financial services, health, emerging technology, what's happening in quantum, how is that affecting space technology – so if you're interested in these things, there's something for you during the whole week."

To learn more about Innovation Week YYC you can visit the event's website.