A new partnership between Edmonton Unlimited and Platform Calgary could combine each city's strengths for mutual success, said Edmonton Unlimited CEO Tom Viinikka.
"This is about two organizations being very deliberate in how they act together, and being really transparent and open with the community about the expectations that we have for ourselves, so that they can also benefit from that, see what the benefit of that collaboration is, and then hold our feet to the fire," Viinikka told Taproot.
Viiniika and Platform Calgary CEO, Terry Rock, announced the memorandum of collaboration on May 21 during Inventures in Calgary. The ongoing partnership is a way to connect Edmonton to Calgary's strengths, and vice-versa, through greater communication between the two agencies.
Viinikka said the partnership makes sense because the cities both offer physical spaces to the community to develop their respective tech ecosystems, but have different strengths that they can lend one another. Calgary is thriving in fintech, while Edmonton is known for its life sciences and artificial intelligence expertise, Viinikka said.
It's not the first time an innovation agency in Edmonton has forged a partnership with Platform Calgary. In June 2019, the now-defunct Innovate Edmonton and Platform Calgary launched the Alberta Innovation Corridor, to create programs and services for existing companies and also promote both cities to outside companies, investors, and talent. Work on the corridor began winding down within a year due to both the COVID-19 pandemic and the dissolution of Innovate Edmonton.
The Alberta Innovation Corridor had its own brand, website, and founding funder in Calgary Economic Development. Viinikka said Rock, who also worked on the corridor, called him soon after he left Edmonton Screen to take the CEO role at Edmonton Unlimited to discuss the new idea. The two had a different approach in mind than the way the innovation corridor functioned.
"This is not about another entity that has a board or a board of advisors, or another executive director," Viinikka said. "The idea behind this is to actually integrate, as opposed to create another thing that is this translator between the two places."
The two organizations already work together on the Alberta Catalyzer pre-accelerator with Alberta Innovates. Viinikka said they already have steps in mind for the future, too, such as inter-city navigation between startups, investors, and mentors, as well as coordinated travel between cities for tech events like Startup Week in Edmonton and Innovation Week in Calgary. He added that he and Rock are exploring more regular, formal communications, and have already tried out board-to-board meetings.
The pair gave the tech industry a look at the collaboration during a panel at Inventures.
"The day that we did this panel, it almost felt like someone was stacking the deck for me," Viinikka said. "That morning, I just randomly got into two or three conversations at Inventures — people coming up and saying, 'Hey, I don't know how to connect with (a type of thing or person) in Edmonton' … I thought, 'Man, this is exactly what we're going to be talking about this afternoon, the need to solve this problem.'"
Tom Viinikka (left), CEO of Edmonton Unlimited, spoke during Inventures on May 21 alongside Terry Rock of Platform Calgary to discuss a new collaboration between the organizations. The two leaders want Edmonton and Calgary's tech ecosystems to work more closely together. (Supplied)
MIT program amplifies community concerns
One month since announcing the Calgary partnership, Viinikka said listening to community needs is helping steer the collaboration.
He has been listening to what Edmonton's tech ecosystem needs, too, as part of another partnership — this with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Regional Entrepreneurship Accelerator Program, or MIT REAP. The program is a two-year, networking-based way to tackle challenges. The MIT REAP Edmonton cohort is focused on leveraging existing strengths to grow collaboration and commercialization.
Cohort participants provided feedback during an April 10 town hall that convened entrepreneurs, investors, corporate leaders, post-secondary educators, and government representatives. The cohort then published an insights report that identified eight challenges, five strengths, and nine suggested improvements for Edmonton's ecosystem.
Viinikka said the report does not constitute the official views of Edmonton Unlimited, but acknowledges it identifies difficulties that are not easy to solve.
"We're going to work on trying to assess those claims, or those feelings, and try to figure out what things to address," he said.
Challenges identified in the report include lack of access to capital, talent, and mentorship. The challenges don't exist in a silo, Viinikka said, and will only ease through concerted, ongoing efforts over time.
"If we want capital to come here and to invest here, we need (investors) to have confidence that their investment here is not just good business, but that it is surrounded by a great community that will help facilitate its growth," he said. "That takes time. It's about having more activity and a stronger ecosystem, stronger mentorship, and stronger financial literacy among the entrepreneurs themselves … There isn't one silver bullet that solves (these challenges)."
Viinikka recently shared his thoughts on building a critical mass for Edmonton's tech industry with the co-hosts of Speaking Municipally, Taproot's civic affairs podcast.
The MIT REAP report said Edmonton's tech community's perception is that the city has enough mentors and support for entrepreneurs, but that these elements lack quality. Town hall participants said they want more mentors who have succeeded and have industry- or sector-specific expertise in things like product management.
As for Viinikka, he said people sometimes confuse the terms business and entrepreneurship when looking for a mentor. He said true entrepreneurs actually need mentors for their expertise in business and on specific subject matter, and different mentors to teach them how to show the world that they're the real deal.
"I'll use the example of Taylor Swift," he said. "Taylor Swift is obviously a very good musician. I'm sure she has a vocal coach, and I'm sure she has an instrument coach that helps her play. But then she has a performance coach who helps all of those things come alive. You can be the best guitarist and the best vocalist on Earth, but if you don't know how to perform it, you're not selling tickets."