An Alberta Company’s Experience – Diversity is a Competitive Advantage

by Konstantin Kharitonov

Increasingly, individuals from different cultural, racial and sociological backgrounds are entering the technology sector and becoming large contributors. The ability of companies to reach out to these new voices in the community is the key to achieving a large audience, and a greater perspective. Since products and services are affecting ever-increasing numbers of unique customers and clients and export markets, new and differentiating voices are needed to operate in an expandingly diverse world. Those who embrace practices to include many of these diverse views are not only able to reach out to greater markets, but are able to incorporate new perspectives and innovative approaches in day-to-day operations.

An Alberta-based company that embraces these practices is BitWide, a company that works with small to mid-size organizations that are scaling up and that require affordable HR and technology-based sales outsourcing solutions to support growth efforts. Shawn Baldwin, CEO of BitWide and an established Calgary entrepreneur, explains how his company actively reaches out to find those unique voices and how those voices elevate their daily business.

“When we are hiring, we don’t base diversity purely on appearance. The way that I
approach diversity is having diversity of thought. It truly comes from having
unique experiences, thoughts and upbringings.”

The main goal of the company is to hire by exploring the different ways each candidate can contribute with their different point of view and experience. In this way, making a hire is completely based on the person’s potential to contribute, and unique perspective they bring to the team - giving an applicant an equal chance in achieving success with the company.

“When we are hiring, we look for people who have unique experiences in
their lives, and can bring these learnings to the table.”

Different experiences and learnings bring different opportunities with future clients, and in ways that may have previously not been possible. Baldwin mentions this when referring to how this methodology effects day to day operations.

“Now when we approach a task, we know that we get different perspectives. It gives us more options in how different people will approach different conversations. From a sales perspective, it allows us to have different types of conversations with different types of people.”

As such, with an increasingly diverse customer base, having individuals in the company that can interact in ways that others are not able to, allow for better customer-company relations and can lead to future business with those clients. However, being able to communicate is key on every level within a company, and if a company is not able to accommodate their diverse workers, it leads to losing those unique voices.

“Many smaller technology companies work, do their training, and have all of their objectives sent out to workers verbally,” states Baldwin. “Verbal barriers, such as ESL (English as a Second Language), accents, and disabilities, are problematic and it becomes a lot harder to get hired and succeed. If you truly want to have more diversity in a business, [and better work and quality control processes] a hybrid system of verbal and written communications can be extremely helpful to all employees.”

This highlights the importance of finding ways to communicate, because without the proper accommodation, there are going to be fewer people from diverse backgrounds being hired, losing that unique voice. In summary, it is not just about making sure that diverse candidates with unique thinking get a fair chance at a position, but that some thought on putting good processes in place is made - so that all can succeed. Diversity can lead to a competitive advantage, thus diverse hiring is more than a good operational practice. Diverse perspectives can lead to future business with clients that just were not previously reachable. This is truly a win-win scenario for all involved.

Shawn Baldwin is the CEO of Bitwide.

Alberta Government Introduces the Innovation Employment Grant

Effective Jan. 1, 2021, Alberta’s government is introducing the Innovation Employment Grant (IEG). This program will promote economic growth and job creation by supporting small and medium-sized businesses that invest in research and development (R&D).

The Innovation Employment Grant will be worth up to 20 per cent of qualifying R&D expenditures. Details include:

• An eight per cent payment on a corporation’s base level of R&D spending, providing stable support for all small and medium-sized firms undertaking R&D.
• A 20 per cent incremental payment on increasing R&D spending – an approach that is unique within Canada.

“This means there is support for these job creators at every stage of their development, including their start-up phase when they aren’t actually reporting profits but they’re in that critical phase that so many start-ups don’t make it through,” Premier Jason Kenney commented.

“That’s why they need this kind of support, and that’s the kind of advice we’ve taken from the Innovation Capital Working Group.”

The Alberta Enterprise Corporation, which has been tasked with supporting new firms get settled, will receive $175 million over the next three years. The amount is equal to the total it has received from the Alberta government since 2008.

Finance Minister Travis Toews said the grant program would continue to set Alberta apart from other Canadian provinces as a place to invest.

"For example, a company investing $250,000 in research and development in Alberta would receive $50,000 of support through the IEG. The same company would receive $28,000 of support in Ontario. While in B.C., it would only receive $25,000, half of the amount of direct support."

Companies will begin to be phased out of the program once their taxable capital reaches $10 million, and fully phased out at $50 million.

Opportunity Calgary Investment Fund supports AltaML initiative to create AI/ML talent pipeline

The Opportunity Calgary Investment Fund (OCIF) will provide AltaML Inc. with up to $3.25 million over three years to create applied data science internships to accelerate artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML) skill development in Calgary through hands-on, mentored work experience.

Alberta has a long history at the forefront of AI/ML as a result of decades-long investment in academic research. The applied data science internship program will be an industry-led initiative, building on and extending the province’s strength in the field, and specifically shoring up capacity in Calgary.

AltaML has partnered with ATB Financial and Spartan Controls to deliver the internship program in which paid interns with appropriate STEM qualifications can learn to solve real-world industry problems using data and applied AI/ML – thereby gaining essential experience for job readiness. Discussions are underway with Suncor Energy to explore how they can participate in this initiative.

The program will operate on a cohort basis with the first three-month cohort launching October 1, 2020, and over the program term, up to 240 individuals will have the opportunity to participate. Individuals interested in applying for internships are encouraged to follow AltaML’s social media accounts to receive updates.

“Calgary is an innovation hub across a number of sectors and creating the capacity for training and advancement through AltaML’s centre of excellence will further that reputation,” said Mayor Naheed Nenshi, a member of the OCIF Board of Directors. “This investment will help grow the talent pipeline necessary to address the increased demand for professionals in the artificial intelligence and machine learning space.”

The applied data science internship program is targeted at addressing a local shortage of experienced AI/ML talent faced by Calgary companies specializing in delivering AI/ML products and services, as well as local companies that endeavor to develop their own in-house AI/ML teams and capabilities.

“It’s a no-brainer for AltaML to be in Calgary with all the decision makers, capital and data concentrated here, but a constraint on our plans for growth is the availability of local AI/ML talent,” said AltaML Co-founder and CEO Cory Janssen.

“We quickly realized that we’d be competing with our industry partners for data science talent with experience on applied business problems, so we took a collaborative approach in developing the concept for the internship program. Now with industry and post-secondary partnerships and support from OCIF, we can begin implementing it. We are proud to lead this initiative and to partner with these premiere Calgary companies.”

“At ATB Financial, we strive to provide our customers with expert advice to support them in building their financial future, and this is enabled in part through the creation of world-class, trusted artificial intelligence," said Curtis Stange, President and CEO of ATB Financial. "We are proud to sponsor the applied data science internship program, knowing it is an important step to building talent to support Alberta's future prosperity.”

“We are very excited to be working with AltaML on this important initiative to develop talent in Calgary,” said Grant Wilde, President & CEO of Spartan Controls. “AI/Machine learning is one of the fastest growing fields in the world today and our team at Spartan is focused on accelerating industry innovation by combining our automation expertise and applied data science.”

“AltaML's internship program will provide significant opportunities for students in the recently approved Master of Data Science and Analytics program.Furthermore, this initiative will help to solidify Calgary as a home that fosters Data Science learning and as a pipeline of Data Science talent for many years to come,” said Usman Alimand Jim Stallard, Co-directors of the Data Science and Analytics program at the University of Calgary.

AltaML is the 11th submission to be approved for OCIF funding.

The Opportunity Calgary Investment Fund was launched by The City of Calgary in April 2018 to support investments that spur growth and create jobs in strategic sectors identified in the economic strategy Calgary in the New Economy.

Opportunity Calgary Investment Fund supports Harvest Builders, accelerating growth of local tech companies

The Opportunity Calgary Investment Fund (OCIF) will provide Harvest Builders up to $4 million over three years to develop a service infrastructure to build, grow and scale new technology ventures in Calgary and across Western Canada.

Harvest is a Calgary-based Venture Builder that removes the barriers in starting tech businesses in the Prairies, by providing a de-risked co-building approach. Harvest also leverages its proven playbook and growth programming for startups across Canada, further accelerating companies forward.

“Our mission is to help fill the gaps within the Prairie tech ecosystem, which make it difficult for new ventures to not only get off the ground, but successfully scale into globally competitive companies.” said Harvest CEO Chris Simair, former CEO and cofounder of SkipTheDishes. “This investment will enable Harvest to expand our initial pilot, and work with founders to co-build new companies that will continue to fuel the funnel of new innovation and technology here in Calgary."

Harvest’s Builder portfolio will initially focus on the Fintech and Proptech sectors, with plans to expand to other portfolios in the future. “There are still a number of barriers that make it difficult for start-ups to grow and scale across the prairies,” said Andrew Chau, CEO, Neo Financial (a Harvest portfolio company). “Partnering and co-building with Harvest has provided us the ability to bridge those gaps within the local tech ecosystem and ensure we have access to the right resources and talent throughout the different growth stages of our business.

Learn more here.

As part of the Government of Alberta’s Ministry of Environment and Parks TIER Program, Amii has been awarded $5 million over 2.5 years to enhance emissions reduction efforts in Alberta.
The primary goal of the Amii Reducing Emissions Through Machine Intelligence (REMI) project is to enable Alberta companies to leverage novel applications of artificial intelligence (AI) projects that will have a measurable impact on emissions reduction in Alberta. This will be accomplished through scaling Amii’s offerings to a series of industry-aligned cohorts, with an expanded focus on emissions reduction through applying AI in multiple sectors, including agriculture and energy.

Startup Edmonton - New Program: Foundations for Black Founders

The African Canadian Civic Engagement Council and the Edmonton Council for Somali Advocacy and Research recently held a community town hall asking the provincial government for stronger supports for Black startups through their community consultation. After attending this meeting the Startup team reflected how we could provide better support. 

On June 22 and 24, 2020, as part of ongoing efforts to listen, learn, and act to build a diverse and welcoming tech community, Startup Edmonton hosted roundtables with Black entrepreneurs in the community to engage on issues of inequality in the entrepreneurship journey. One of the takeaways from those roundtables was that Startup Edmonton could action the proposed recommendations through launching our first program cohort exclusively for Black founders.

Read more here. 

IIS/Drivewyze Receive $60M Investment From Sageview Capital to Accelerate Growth

 Intelligent Imaging Systems Inc. (IIS) and its wholly owned subsidiary Drivewyze Inc., the leading providers of safety and efficiency solutions for the transportation industry in North America, announced today the close of a $60 million (USD) minority financing by Sageview Capital, a growth capital firm investing in leading tech-enabled businesses. This new investment will help IIS/Drivewyze continue to scale its connected truck platform in the commercial vehicle services market and achieve continued strong growth in SaaS revenue. With this investment, two members of the Sageview team will join the IIS Board of Directors – Scott Stuart, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, and Andrew Korn, Partner.

QuoteToMe has raised $1 million to reimagine construction procurement

QuoteToMe has successfully closed a $1 million seed financing round led by Seer Developments, SkipTheDishes co-founder Chris Simair, and Startup TNT. The company’s digital construction purchasing service launched in November to help contractors save money on materials and digitize paper-based processes.

"Since November we’ve achieved month-over-month growth of 90%, so that’s pretty exciting," said founder and CEO John Chabluk. "We’re now working with some of Canada’s largest contractors."

The company, founded in 2017, has 14 employees, who are mostly in Edmonton. It will use the funds to keep up with growing demand. Chabluk noted the COVID-19 pandemic has helped accelerate the use of its services as construction companies increasingly adopt digital innovation.

TEC Edmonton is Hiring to Support ERIN's Post-secondary Institution (PSI) Subcommittee

TEC Edmonton is hiring two positions to support the work of the ERIN 's post-secondary institution (PSI) subcommittee. Both of these roles will be instrumental in supporting entrepreneurs within Edmonton's PSIs.

Part-Time Entrepreneurship Post-Secondary Institution (PSI) Community Manager: the PSI Entrepreneurship Community Manager will lead cohesion and collaboration around entrepreneurship among Edmonton post-secondary institutions. http://bit.ly/PSIcommunity

Post-Secondary Institution (PSI) Mentors: TEC Edmonton is contracting a group of qualified PSI mentors to work with students, post-doctoral fellows, research associates, and faculty members to transform research and business ideas into viable products and services. https://bit.ly/PSImentor

Both postings close August 14, 2020.

Call for Experienced UA-WiSE/WISER Mentors - Apply Now!

WISER (Women in Science Engineering and Research) and UA-WiSE (University of Alberta - Women in Science and Engineering) are launching a new virtual mentorship program that will support individuals in various stages of their STEM careers. The program is structured in trios consisting of one undergraduate student, one graduate student or early-career professional, and one experienced professional. This structure allows the graduate student or early-career professional to gain experience mentoring an undergraduate student under the supervision of an experienced mentor. We are currently looking for mentors of all genders from academia, industry and government from across Western Canada. Mentors will gain valuable communication and leadership skills as well as grow their networks at three online events over the duration of the program (October 2020 through March 2021). For more information about the WISER\UA-WiSE Mentorship Program, please visit our website. Mentors are asked to complete our website questionnaire before August 21, 2020 to join WISER/UA-WiSE mentorship program. Complete the questionnaire here.

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XiteBio Technologies Inc. (http://xitebio.ca/)
Marketspace: Agricultural Biotechnology
XiteBio Technologies Inc. is a leading agriculture biotechnology company engaged in innovative agri-inputs, inoculants & microbial technology for the US, Canada, Europe and South American markets. Our motto is to deliver bottom line value to our customers through innovative crop production solutions. We are currently seeking a motivated full-time Sales Agronomist to join our sales & marketing team in Saskatchewan/Alberta.

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Our weekly connection for the tech and innovation ecosystem. Furthering entrepreneurs one conversation at a time.

August 12 will feature Harvest Builders

Harvest connects founders and tech talent across Canada with world-class services to co-build startups into globally-competitive companies. They were recently awarded OCIF funding from Calgary Economic Development.

Curious what's happening in the innovation ecosystem in Alberta?

Rainforest Alberta is movement, building community in the tech and innovation ecosystem in the province through opening conversations around culture, leadership, and other focus areas.

We believe Alberta is primed to be a global destination for growing your tech venture right in this province. Come to a meeting to find out why, or for more information, visit www.rainforestab.ca

Date And Time: Wednesday, August 12 2020, 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Location: Online