Why We’re Evolving Founder Venture Programs at Platform Calgary

Introducing the Platform Pre-Accelerator

Over the past few years, Calgary’s startup ecosystem has crossed an important threshold.

According to the 2025 Startup Genome assessment, Calgary is now one of the Top 50 Emerging Startup Ecosystems globally — and one of the fastest growing in North America. Tech employment has grown 78% between 2018 and 2023, even as other regions have slowed. More companies are starting here. More talent is choosing Calgary.

But growth brings a new responsibility.

While the number of early-stage startups has increased significantly, Calgary remains in what Startup Genome defines as the activation phase — meaning the long-term success of the ecosystem depends on continuing to start more companies, supporting first-time founders, and reducing ecosystem leakage, so companies that launch in Calgary can continue to find the resources and support to scale in Calgary.

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What This Means For First-Time Founders And Startups

For founders and startup teams, this moment is significant. Calgary is producing more early-stage companies than ever before — but long-term ecosystem success depends on helping first-time founders build strong, resilient businesses that can gain traction and grow here. 

That means clearer pathways from idea to validation, stronger early-stage support, and deeper integration with the mentors, networks, capital, and accelerators that fuel scale. This evolution is about reducing the risk of building in isolation — and increasing the likelihood that if you start your company in Calgary, you can build it, fund it, and scale it here.

What We’ve Learned from Supporting Founders at Scale

Since 2021, Platform Calgary has engaged hundreds of founders and aspiring entrepreneurs at the earliest stages of their journey:

• Nearly 1,200 individuals through 1:1 community intakes
• 950 participants through Startup Essentials workshops
• 390 founders through Techstars Startup Weekend hackathons (NPS 77)
• Rapid growth in Discover and Startup 101 participation year over year
  
  

We’ve also seen who is coming into the ecosystem: newcomers to Calgary, highly technical talent, and first-time founders looking for a way in. One signal of this demand is our volunteer program — which grew from 80 to 400 people in under a year, largely driven by individuals seeking a deeper connection to the startup community.

Across all of this activity, one insight has become clear:

Founders don’t just need access. They need progression

The Power of Cohort-Based Pre-Acceleration

For founders who take the step from curiosity to company-building, cohort-based pre-acceleration has consistently delivered the strongest outcomes.

The roots of today’s Platform Pre-Accelerator trace back to the Junction program, launched in 2018 as a made-in-Calgary initiative designed specifically for first-time tech founders — a group with historically low success rates and limited access to early investment.

That model worked.

Through Junction and its evolution into Alberta Catalyzer, pre-acceleration programming has supported over 600 companies across Alberta since 2022, with:

• World-class NPS of 82
• 51 companies advancing to global accelerators
• $5M raised
• 265+ jobs created
• Strong representation of women, visible minority founders, and newcomers to Canada
  
  

Alumni companies have gone on to raise significant capital, scale globally, and anchor their growth in Calgary — including companies like PayShepherd, Bolster, Summit Nanotech, RESVR, and many others.

Founders consistently point to the same factors as most impactful:

• Structured learning paired with execution
• Peer accountability
• Early exposure to mentors, partners, and investors
• A program designed for first-time founders, not adapted from later-stage accelerators
  
  

As one founder put it:

‍“There’s no playbook for being an entrepreneur. The program and Calgary’s ecosystem gave me the mentors, peers, and support network I didn’t know I needed.” Mary Llaneta, Co-Founder and CEO of Hoodo

Why We’re Introducing the Platform Pre-Accelerator

The Platform Pre-Accelerator is built for Calgary-based tech founders who have moved beyond ideation and are generating early traction - but want more clarity, structure, and accountability to turn progress into consistent execution.

It’s a 9-week, in-person, execution-first cohort designed to help founders:

• Clarify their ICP and positioning
• Build a targeted and consistent sales motion
• Strengthen financial visibility and runway awareness
• Align capital strategy with their stage
• Convert early traction into structured momentum

Throughout the 9 weeks, delivery is intentionally hands-on and outcome-driven:

Execution-Based Sessions:
Interactive workshops paired with structured working time - real progress every week.

Clear Deliverables & Milestones:
Tangible weekly outputs with built-in accountability to maintain pace.

1:1 Coaching & Office Hours:
Focused support to apply frameworks directly to the business.

The structure is fast-paced and deliberate - designed to move founders from scattered effort to confident, focused execution.

The program goal isn’t more theory. It’s competitive advantage. 

A Broader Shift in Strengthening Calgary’s Founder Pathway

The Pre-Accelerator marks more than the launch of a program – it reflects a broader evolution in how Platform Calgary supports founders across stages. 

Alongside cohort-based programs like the Pre-Accelerator and Scale AB, Platform Calgary is expanding workshop-based learning – not as a separate track, but as a complementary layer of support. Offering flexible, targeted entry points for founders and startup teams.

Together, these offerings create a clearer pathway:

• Workshops for applied, topic-specific learning
• Cohorts for depth, progression, and accountability

Together, they form a more integrated pathway — lowering barriers to entry while reinforcing the depth and momentum that cohort programs create.

Looking Ahead

Calgary’s startup ecosystem has reached a moment where scale and intention must move together.

The Platform Pre-Accelerator is designed to help ensure that as more companies are started here, more of them are equipped to grow, stay, and succeed in Calgary.

Applications for the first cohort are now open. 

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