World-class tech database launches in Alberta, first of its kind in North America

The new Start Alberta Deal Flow Platform joins more than 40 other tech startup ecosystem solutions, including the UK, France, Berlin and Amsterdam.

CALGARY, June 15, 2021 – Three leading organizations in Alberta’s technology industry today announced that the province will be the first location in North America to join a vast network of startup ecosystems with the new Start Alberta database, powered by Dealroom.

Initiated by the A100, Alberta Enterprise Corporation (AEC) and the Venture Capital Association of Alberta (VCAA) and in collaboration with a wide group of community partners, the new open-access database provides real-time data for founders, investors, corporates and government stakeholders cataloguing the collective regional tech ecosystem from funding, workspaces and job listings, to accelerators, spinouts and exits. 

“The importance of tech startups to the Alberta economy has never been more acute,” says Tamara Woolgar, Executive Director, the A100. “Start Alberta data will provide an understanding of the sector at a macro level, empowering stakeholders with the knowledge needed to make fact-based decisions towards achieving sustainable growth and job creation.”

As the most comprehensive database on startups and funding in the province, Start Alberta provides insights on the health of the regional innovation economy while showcasing the Alberta startup ecosystem to the world. 

 “AEC has driven forward this initiative because we see it as foundational in helping Alberta companies connect with both investors and ecosystem support while gaining critical visibility to a global investor network,” says Christiana Manzocco, Director of Industry Development, AEC, and Interim Lead, Start Alberta. 

Start Alberta has partnered with Amsterdam-based Dealroom.co, the foremost digital SaaS data provider on startup, early-stage and growth company ecosystems around the globe. Dealroom serves some of the world’s most prominent venture capital funds and corporations including Sequoia Capital, Accel, Google and Microsoft, and currently manages more than 40 white label solutions for global ecosystems, providing research, data curation and AI analytics support. 

 "As our first dedicated startup database in North America, we're excited to be partnering with Start Alberta to bring real-time data and insights, and the highest level of transparency yet to the Alberta startup and venture capital ecosystem,” says Yoram Wijngaarde, CEO & Founder of Dealroom.co. “With more than 2,100 startups on the Start Alberta platform employing more than 18,000 people, startups are an important economic and job growth engine in the region, and continue to attract record levels of investment."

Start Alberta data partnerships with Dealroom, Crunchbase, and Pitchbook amplify awareness of Alberta’s tech scene to collectively reach more than 60 million people, including some of the most influential global corporations and investors in the world.

 “The launch of this platform in Alberta is a first in North America and shows how our thriving tech sector is positioned to be a leading player globally,” says Doug Schweitzer, Minister of Jobs, Economy and Innovation. “Alberta’s tech sector is setting new records and this platform will help showcase our companies to even more global corporations and investors. I look forward to seeing how this platform will benefit our growing tech sector.”

Major players in Alberta’s tech industry are putting their support behind the Start Alberta database, including the SAIT School for Advanced Digital Technology (SADT) and ATB Financial. A core group of ecosystem organizations across the province are also backing the Start Alberta initiative, including Calgary Economic Development (CED), Platform Calgary, Innovate Edmonton, Edmonton Global, Health City, and the Edmonton Screen Industries Office (ESIO).

“This database is a critical tool to help our VCAA members and prospective investors discover investment opportunities in the province,” says Andrea Drager, VCAA Chair and Partner, Azure Capital Partners. “We are thrilled that this world-class platform is launching in Alberta.”

StartAlberta Partners with Crunchbase

Calgary, AB – A new strategic partnership between StartAlberta and San Francisco-based Crunchbase expands Alberta’s richest database for the startup community – giving Alberta entrepreneurs even greater exposure to national and international investors.

StartAlberta fills a void within the Alberta ecosystem, as a free and open-source central dealflow directory that external stakeholders, investors and entrepreneurs can use to connect with each other and identify investment opportunities. Crunchbase is North America’s leading platform for helping investment professionals discover innovative companies and connect with the people behind them. It does this by aggregating investor and founder data for both public and private companies in real time.

Under this partnership, StartAlberta’s database will be directly linked to Crunchbase – which reaches over 50 million professionals worldwide.

“By partnering with other data platforms, StartAlberta is making Alberta’s technology sector more visible beyond Alberta’s borders” says Rebecca Giffen, Executive Director of the Venture Capital Association of Alberta (VCAA).

“This new partnership allows StartAlberta to leverage the outstanding reputation and reach of Crunchbase, giving investors and founders who create profiles on StartAlberta unprecedented international exposure,” Giffen adds.

Kristina Williams, President and CEO of Alberta Enterprise Corporation, says StartAlberta fills an important need, and complements their own efforts to attract venture capital funds to the province.

“In any business, but particularly in the technology sector – which is reliant on capital to bring big ideas to fruition – a company’s success depends on its ability to make the right connections,” Williams explains.

StartAlberta’s platform also provides a critical forum for telling the story of Alberta’s entrepreneurial successes. This helps build the case for investing in the Alberta technology sector.

StartAlberta was developed in partnership with Alberta Enterprise Corporation, the A100 and other organizations that form the backbone of Alberta’s technology ecosystem. StartAlberta is a self-sustaining entity, operating under the stewardship of the VCAA.

In their Alberta Technology Competitiveness Report, Invest Alberta recently highlighted the value of StartAlberta as a single directory for investors – and mentioned it among their midterm recommendations.

According to Giffen, StartAlberta plans to continue pursuing data partnerships to further increase exposure of Alberta dealflow to investors, both nationally and internationally.

“Our goal is to make Alberta startups impossible to ignore,” Giffen says.

Editorial Contact:
+1 403 681-9893
rebecca@vcaa.ca

About Alberta Enterprise Corporation:
Alberta Enterprise Corporation promotes the development of Alberta’s venture capital industry by investing in venture capital funds that finance early-stage technology companies. We focus on funds that have a strong commitment to Alberta, including a full-time presence in the province. In addition to capital, we support Alberta’s venture capital ecosystem by connecting investors, entrepreneurs, and experienced technology executives who share our passion for building a bright, innovative Alberta.

Since our inception we have committed $184 million for investment to 17 VC funds, covering a diverse range of forward-looking industries including information technology, industrial technology, and life sciences. Our funds and their partners have invested more than $495 million into Alberta technology companies. 
alberta-enterprise.ca

About Crunchbase:
San Francisco-based Crunchbase is the leading platform for professionals to discover innovative companies, connect with the people behind them, and pursue new opportunities. Over 50 million professionals—including entrepreneurs, investors, market researchers, and salespeople—trust Crunchbase to inform their business decisions. And companies all over the world rely on Crunchbase to power their applications, making over a billion calls to our API each year.
crunchbase.com