Bet on Calgary

More than 70,000 delegates from around the world recently gathered in Dubai for COP 28. Business leaders, climate scientists, Indigenous peoples, and a multitude of other stakeholders are coming together to build consensus on ways to address climate change.

The politics of climate policy are hard to ignore, especially for those of us in Alberta. Building consensus seems harder than ever as we strive to find net-zero pathways that protect the environment while growing the economy. And yes, those two things can happen at the same time.

Despite the politics, there is one area of universal agreement; innovative technology is the key to meeting our emission reduction targets. Some of these technologies are in their infancy, others have not been contemplated yet. How governments, investors, and industry nurture advancements in cleantech will be critical to accomplishing our lofty goals. 

This is where Calgary’s highly collaborative innovation ecosystem plays an important role. A groundbreaking cleantech innovation won’t make an impact if it can’t be commercialized and developed into an enterprise.

By building up entrepreneur’s capacity, we can scale the ideas to solve generational challenges. In 2022 alone the Platform Calgary team worked with more than 1,300 founders who are building companies across a variety of sectors, including cleantech. There is a buzz in this city.

Beyond the obvious societal benefits, advancements in cleantech will be a boon for a Calgary economy that is seeing a generational transformation. The 2022 Alberta Energy Transition Study suggests that Alberta could see 170,000 new jobs and $61 billion in GDP added to the economy through the cleantech sector. Calgary stands to be a significant benefactor with more than half of the province’s cleantech companies headquartered here. 

Startup Genome is a world leading policy and research organization that reports on the development of global tech ecosystems. In conjunction with COP 28 they released The 2023 Global Startup Ecosystem Report: Climatetech Edition. The report looks at the current state of startup activity and related investment in cleantech to provide information to founders, investors, and policymakers that are interested in the global tech landscape. Startup Genome ranks Calgary alongside international tech hubs like Seattle, Madrid, San Diego, and Austin. That is some impressive company for a city that is only just emerging on the global tech scene.

Throughout my career, I have had the opportunity to see the very best of what this city has to offer. Calgary has long been celebrated as a city of entrepreneurs and problem solvers who rise to face generational challenges head-on. The world is looking for places that are ready and able to take the lead on tackling massive challenges such as building a net-zero economy. Our message? Bet on Calgary.