Calgary Tech Wednesdays: First Night

How to register for this event: Before you can register, Luma asks you to join the Calgary Innovation Week calendar once. It's free, and after that every every register button works. Open the Calgary Innovation Week calendar on Luma. Find "Calgary Innovation Week Attendee · Free" and click Join. Enter your email, then type in the code Luma sends you. Go back to any event and click Register. Done. _________________________ Everything you should know before raising your next round, straight from an investor's perspective. How much should you raise? What should your valuation be? How do you find the right investors, get meetings, and actually close your round? Join Spring and Alberta Ecotrust during Calgary Innovation Week for a candid conversation about fundraising, led by Keith Ippel and Shantanu Mehta from Spring's investment team. We'll cover: Structuring your round: How much to raise, how to think about valuation, and what investors expect at different stages Finding investors: Building your target list, getting warm introductions, and approaching investors who are actually a fit Pitching investors: What makes a compelling pitch, what investors look for, and how to prepare for the questions that follow Behind the scenes: How VCs evaluate opportunities, what happens after your first meeting, and the common mistakes that can derail a raise About Spring Spring is an early-stage VC fund (see here) and accelerator backing ambitious founders in climate, health, and technology. We invest $250K–$400K in early-stage companies and help founders navigate the journey from investment readiness to closing their rounds. Our track record speaks for itself: companies supported through our Scale Ready platform have raised over $225M, including $25M+ in the last 12 months. Through our angel investor network, we've facilitated nearly 30 investments, including the first external pre-seed investment in Moment Energy, which went on to raise a US $40M Series B. Who should attend? Early

Bring one real workflow from your job or business. In three hours, design an AI-enabled system around it: people, process, data, decisions, human oversight, and a 30-day plan you can start the next day. This lab is built for the AI implementation gap: systems that run your work. Hosted by OnStack AI Labs, Startup Court, and Futurpreneur during Calgary Innovation Week 2026. What you will do A guided build process: BREAK IT: Find a broken, slow, expensive, or inconsistent workflow MAP IT: Map the people, process, data, systems, and decisions BUILD IT: Redesign the workflow with AI, automation, and human judgment CHALLENGE IT: Pressure-test usefulness, feasibility, risk, and value IMPLEMENT IT: Turn the design into a 30-day roadmap What you leave with One defined workflow challenge A current-state workflow map An AI Systems Canvas and opportunity map A responsible AI and human-oversight checklist A 30-day implementation plan Who this is for Founders, entrepreneurs, professionals, small-business owners, nonprofit and community leaders, educators, and tech-curious Calgarians. The work is systems, workflows, and implementation. Coding experience is optional. Session details Tuesday, November 3, 2026 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM Classroom 2, Platform Innovation Centre Capacity: 50 In person only Arrive with a real workflow: something repetitive, slow, frustrating, expensive, or hard to manage. That is the problem you will design against. Presented by OnStack AI Labs · Startup Court · Futurpreneur Built Here. Backed Here. Calgary Innovation Week is the city-wide moment that brings Calgary’s innovation ecosystem into full view. Across the week, founders, industry, investors, talent and community organizations come together to share what they’re building, make connections, and show the strength of what’s being built here – and backed – here. By registering for this event, you acknowledge that Platform Calgary (the organization), as well as third-party organizations hosting activities i

Founders Assemble: The Room Where Skills Meet and Teams Begin Every great startup needs both builders and drivers: the engineer who can turn an idea into a product, and the operator, marketer, or strategist who can turn that product into a business. Too often, they never find each other. Founders Assemble is where they do. This event brings together people from technical and non-technical backgrounds who are ready to build something. Whether you’re a developer with a side project looking for someone to take it to market, or a business-minded thinker with an idea and no one to build it, this is your chance to meet the people who complete your skill set. Agenda 6:00–6:20 PM | Welcome & Introductions Arrive, grab a spot, and settle in. We’ll kick things off with a quick introduction from the organizing team and a word from our sponsors. 6:20–6:50 PM | Fireside Chat Hear from two founders, one technical and one non-technical, as they share honest stories from their startup journeys. They’ll talk about what worked, what didn’t, how they found their co-founders, and their unfiltered take on building a company from the ground up. 6:50 PM onwards | Networking The main event. Connect with aspiring founders, developers, designers, marketers, and operators. Pitch your idea, hear what others are working on, and find the people you’d want in your corner. Come with an idea, or come ready to join one. Who should attend Engineers, developers, and technical builders looking for a business partner Business, marketing, sales, and operations folks looking for a technical co-founder Anyone curious about startups and ready to take the first step You might walk in alone, but you could walk out with a team.

A chill night for Calgary's young founders. Come hang out, see what other young builders are working on, and meet cool people. A few founders will do quick, casual demos of what they're building, then we just hang and network. No pitching, no pressure. Come build, share, or just vibe. Run of show 6:30 PM Doors 7:00 PM Quick demos 7:45 PM Hang and network 8:30 PM Wrap Building something and want to show it?

Background SUM OF FIVE Professional Networking Events stand as the pinnacle of stylish gatherings for professionals in Entrepreneurship. We hope to empower our attendees by facilitating meaningful connections. We have an unwavering commitment that lies in fostering genuine relationships among peers, cultivating an environment where professionals can seamlessly connect and engage in a purposeful manner. We aspire to aid participants in their journey of expanding their businesses and advancing their careers by providing a platform to engage with individuals who share similar aspirations. Demographic SUM OF FIVE events are exclusively for individuals at the legal drinking age as they are held at venues that include a bar. The average age range at our events are typically 24-36 . Here is a list of some of the people you may meet at this event. Startup Founders : Entrepreneurs who have already launched their businesses and are looking for opportunities to grow, scale, or pivot. Seasoned Entrepreneurs : Experienced business owners attending to share knowledge, find new ventures, or stay updated on industry trends. Investors and Venture Capitalists : Individuals or firms looking to discover promising startups and networking with potential investment opportunities. Business Mentors and Coaches : Professionals offering guidance, advice, and support to emerging entrepreneurs. Industry Experts and Thought Leaders : Specialists who share insights on trends, technologies, and strategies relevant to entrepreneurship. Service Providers : Lawyers, accountants, marketers, and consultants offering services tailored to startups and growing businesses. Corporate Professionals : Individuals from established companies exploring entrepreneurial ventures or seeking partnerships with startups. Tech Enthusiasts and Innovators : Those interested in the latest technological developments and their applications in business. Students and Academics : Individuals studying entrepreneurship or relat

Join us for the Fall Alberta Expo at Platform Calgary, where startups, corporates, investors, and ecosystem leaders come together for a day of innovation, collaboration, and commercialization. The event will feature: Featured Speaker: Dr. Mohammad Keyhani Startup pitches showcasing innovative technologies across Plug and Play's program verticals. Interactive demo tables, giving attendees the chance to experience technologies firsthand, ask questions, and connect directly with founders. Ample networking opportunities throughout the day to build relationships with startups, corporate partners, investors, and members of Alberta's innovation ecosystem. Meet Dr. Mohammad Keyhani Vibe Coding the Future: Software Entrepreneurship After Generative AI Join us at the Plug and Play Alberta Expo on November 17 for a keynote from Dr. Mohammad Keyhani, Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the University of Calgary’s Haskayne School of Business. An expert in generative AI, AI-assisted coding, no-code automation and digital entrepreneurship, Dr. Keyhani will explore how AI is changing the way software is built and what these advancements mean for the next generation of entrepreneurs. Dr. Keyhani is also the author of The Generativity Advantage and co-founder and CEO of Honeybee Logic. Don't miss this opportunity to hear his perspective on the future of software entrepreneurship and innovation. Whether you're looking to discover new technologies, explore partnership opportunities, or grow your network, Alberta Expo is where meaningful conversations turn into future collaborations.