Platform Calgary Welcomes First Wave of Innovation Centre Community

In 2021, Calgarians will celebrate the opening of the Platform Innovation Centre located in Calgary’s vibrant East Village neighbourhood. Platform will be Calgary’s home for innovation, designed and programmed to gather the most impactful programs and partnerships under one roof. Platform’s highly connected community will radically reduce barriers and increase the capacity and quality of programs to accelerate the diversification of our economy.

If you’re an innovator, or want to rub social distancing elbows with the people shaping our future, you will want to be part of this community.

We are thrilled to announce the first group of Program Partners and Members that have signed MOUs to be part of the community that will deliver the aspirational vision of Platform:

• 321 Growth Academy: A firm of experienced entrepreneurs that helps startups and scale-ups acquire the skills they need to accelerate their growth. With a hands-on approach and expert guidance, 321 has helped hundreds of founders and team members learn how to sell, market and build/manage teams.
• ComIT: A charity aimed at helping people learn IT skills and linking individuals struggling to overcome employment barriers with companies looking for talented IT professionals.
• Data For Good - Calgary: A collective of volunteers that help nonprofit and social organizations harness the power of their data through analytics and visualizations in order to leverage their impact in the community.
• InceptionU: A design school that offers learning experiences that equip participants with the competence to create and build best fit solutions. Creative, critical, systems and computational thinking are integrated with digital skills to equip participants with the confidence to design and build for the future.
• The League of Innovators (LOI): A national charity that offers education on the entrepreneurial mindset and programs from discovery to acceleration for youth entrepreneurs aged 15 to 25.
• Long View Systems: A North American information technology service and solution provider headquartered in Calgary.
• Mount Royal University Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship: A post-secondary institute that supports the development of high-impact talent by delivering transformative community-engaged learning experiences.
• Venture Mentoring Service of Alberta (VMSA): A volunteer organization that helps individual entrepreneurs achieve success by engaging them with a team of Mentors who provide coaching, guidance, and support.

“Our partnership with Platform has been important from day one. As we look to the future, we’re excited by the opportunity to work with Platform on making Calgary a leading hub for innovation. There’s no reason that great startup and scale-ups can’t succeed right here. And we’re excited to work with Platform on making that happen.”  Carey Houston, Founder & Partner, 321 Growth Academy

“As a national charity working with Youth across Canada, our partnership with Platform Calgary not only gives us a home to run our programs regionally but also a deep connection to the heart of Calgary’s tech sector. We work together to fuel the fire of the next generation of entrepreneurs and innovators, by providing necessary resources and education. As a resident of the Innovation Centre, we are excited about the opportunity to collaborate with Calgary's incredible ecosystem, facilitating programs for not only aspiring youth entrepreneurs but also educators in Calgary and Alberta." Joanna Buczkowska-McCumber, Executive Director, League of Innovators

“The Platform Innovation Centre is being built around four promises to Calgary’s innovators. We’re helping them build their community, get the skills they need, transform industries and get the breakthrough support and investment they need to scale. Fulfilling these promises will only be possible with amazing program partners and members like the ones we’ve announced today. We can’t wait to get to work alongside and in collaboration with this growing community.” Dr. Terry Rock, President & CEO, Platform Calgary