500 Global and Alberta Innovates Unveil Batch 3 of the Alberta Accelerator by 500

Thirteen startups will present their innovations to a live audience on April 18, 2023

EDMONTON, Alberta–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Alberta Innovates and 500 Global, one of the world’s most active venture capital firms, are unveiling today 13 startups that are part of Batch 3 of the Alberta Accelerator by 500. They attended a rigorous 12-week program on best practices for building successful startups, which included working with mentors on segments ranging from running rapid growth experiments and holding customer discovery interviews, to testing product-market-fit and fundraising.

The program culminates with Demo Day on April 18, 2023 in Edmonton. It will be held in-person and streamed via webcast to a curated audience of industry leaders, ecosystem players, and 500 Global network partners. They will hear presentations from a diverse group of startups hailing from Alberta, Ontario, India, and the United States, among other countries, that are building the next generation of companies in sectors such as fintech, healthcare and edtech.

In 2021, 500 Global teamed up with Alberta Innovates to develop a bespoke world-class startup program with the goal of powering the growth of the Alberta Innovation and Technology corridor, centering around Calgary and Edmonton.

Alberta Accelerator by 500 is part of the Alberta Scaleup and Growth Accelerator Program, led by Alberta Innovates. The consortium, which also includes the Ministry of Technology and Innovation, Edmonton Unlimited, and Prairies Economic Development Canada (PrairiesCan), allocated $35 million over three years to retain business accelerators. It is part of an overall government goal to help create 20,000 jobs and increase technology firm revenue to $5 billion by 2030.

“Alberta is gaining momentum as a hub for Albertan, Canadian, and international founders with exciting potential, and we’re thrilled to be able to support them at the onset of their entrepreneurial journey,” said Courtney Powell, Chief Operating Officer and Managing Partner at 500 Global. “Through the Alberta Accelerator by 500 program, we’re not only equipping founders with guidance and tools, but also bringing together an ecosystem of critical partners to help startups scale and create high-quality jobs that promote innovation and economic growth.”

In addition to startup presentations, demo day will feature a keynote by Hanif Joshaghani, Co-Founder and CEO of Calgary-based Symend, a leading customer engagement platform for financial services. Hanif will share his perspective as a serial entrepreneur and investor, as well as offer advice and insights into navigating the challenges of entrepreneurship.

“Innovation happens at the speed of business,” said Laura Kilcrease, CEO of Alberta Innovates. “The Alberta Accelerator by 500 is building and strengthening small and medium-sized businesses right here in Alberta. We are pleased with this latest cohort of companies and can’t wait for them to demonstrate all they’ve learned.”

Batch 3 startups include:

• 360 Explorer’s product, EurekaTrip, is a marketplace for helping people find the right adventure tour and life transformational trip, just for them.
• Africa Data School helps young professionals in Africa gain technology and data science skills using live online classes.
• AlphaBlock Technologies provides better Index Funds that increase returns while reducing risk, using the power of AI.
• Almexoft is a no-code workflow automation platform for enterprises that struggle with their digital transformation efforts.
• Aro Robotic Systems helps manufacturing SMEs reduce the costs of their repetitive manual tasks by over 50% by automating them through our multi-tasking robots.
• Glorri helps enterprises automate time-sucking tasks in recruitment so that they can focus on hiring great employees with the power of data analytics and automated workflows.
• Greymate Care helps Africans in the diaspora remit money securely and provides trusted home health care for their parents back home.
• Overseas Connection’s product Scoutz App is a mobile app that connects athletes and coaches to help them gain access to paid opportunities with sports teams worldwide.
• Prodigee is a platform providing an immersive learning experience for web development and data science learners to get certified and hired.
• SPI Utilities Solutions helps power companies eliminate outages, caused by dirty and contaminated equipment, through their use of our proprietary dry-ice cleaning technology.
• StorsApp’s Storspay is a marketplace that helps small businesses access working capital to grow using crypto to minimize transaction costs.
• TagMango is a SaaS platform that helps the world’s top influencer creators share their educational content and monetize their audience to make more money.
• XReadyLab educators increase students’ learning outcomes by creating engaging lessons using virtual STEM simulations.

To attend Demo Day, please visit: Alberta Accelerator by 500 Batch 3 Demo Day.

500 Global

500 Global is a multi-stage venture capital firm with $2.7B in assets under management that invests in founders building fast-growing technology companies. We focus on markets where technology, innovation, and capital can unlock long-term value and drive economic growth. We work closely with key stakeholders and advise governments on how best to support entrepreneurial ecosystems so startups can thrive. 500 Global has backed over 5,000 founders representing more than 2,800 companies operating in 80+ countries. We have invested in more than 50 companies valued at over $1 billion and 150+ companies valued at over $100 million (including private, public, and exited companies). Our 190+ team members are located in 28 countries and bring experience as entrepreneurs, investors, and operators from some of the world’s leading technology companies.

Alberta Innovates

Alberta innovates is the province’s most comprehensive research and innovation agency. From funding to commercialization, we are Alberta’s innovation engine. We foster and accelerate research and innovation to benefit citizens and drive economic growth.

We are currently managing a project portfolio worth $1.2 billion.

Alberta Innovates works across sectors to fund, partner and enable entrepreneurship throughout the province. The corporation operates in 11 locations with more than one million sq ft of industrial testing and lab facilities and 600 acres of farmland. Alberta Innovates employs 589 highly skilled scientists, business and technical professionals and has an annual operating budget of $250 million.

Learn how Alberta Innovates.

Edmonton Unlimited

Headquartered in Alberta’s capital city, Edmonton Unlimited leverages, unites, and promotes home-grown innovation as a gateway to solving the world’s most pressing problems. We harness the power of the public and private sectors, ground-breaking academic research, and purpose-driven investment to build a shared prosperity and open international markets. From sustainable climate solutions to public health and digital education, Edmonton is a leading global centre for inspiration, ingenuity, and inclusion.

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Contacts

JT Eger

Senior Manager of Communications at 500 Global

[email protected]
(628) 243-0169