Established in 1987, SXSW takes over Austin, Texas each March.
Part tech conference and part music festival, the iconic annual affair is known for celebrating with gusto the vibrant convergence of technology, art, and culture.
Alberta Innovates and its Scaleup Growth and Accelerator Program announced this month that dozens of high-potential regional startups will be attending SXSW this year.
Delegates will participate in curated meetings and attend invite-only networking events in an effort to make connections, attract investors, and take in learning opportunities at one of the world’s largest tech conferences, according to a statement issued by Alberta Innovates, whose Scaleup GAP program aims to help create jobs and foster innovation with roots in the province.
This delegation builds off a successful trip in 2023: Since the event, $6 million in finalized business deals have been completed to date while thousands of total reported connections were made by attending companies, according to Alberta Innovates.
The 50-strong delegation will offer the full spectrum of Alberta innovation, spanning sectors from healthcare to enterprise software and everything in between.
Among the delegates are a handful of financial technology firms determined to show that Canadian finance extends beyond Bay Street.
One such fintech is Trust Science. The Edmonton-based firm, which uses AI to help Canadians secure loans, recently ranked among the nation’s fastest-growing companies.
Another is Quickly. The Calgary company offers an early payment platform to small and medium businesses and last year raised a $10 million seed financing round led by Thin Air Labs with participation from Plug And Play, ATB Financial, and others.
Berkeley Street Capital is also attending SXSW. The Edmonton firm leverages mathematics and data science to apply algorithmic trading models that aim to maximize the value of big data provided by financial markets in order to provide superior returns to investors.
The Alberta Scaleup GAP is run by a consortium comprising the Government of Alberta, Prairies Economic Development Canada, The City of Edmonton through Edmonton Unlimited, and the City of Calgary’s Opportunity Calgary Investment Fund.
The program provides a network of end-to-end business support services for growth-oriented companies, from those just starting out up to organizations who need advice or investment to help them expand globally.
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