The Pulse: Nov. 16, 2021

Abby Aiyeleye, co-founder of Clavis Studio, has received the Most Promising Startup Entrepreneur of the Year Award as part of the Start Alberta Tech Awards.

Aiyeleye was recognized for her coachability, community involvement, and ability to build a technology-focused company, Start Alberta said in announcing the award.

Clavis Studio, which launched in 2019, is an interactive 3D platform for personal and professional home design using shoppable furniture and decor.

"The goal of our studio is for everyone to have a beautiful, well-decorated, functional space," Aiyeleye told Start Alberta. "The studio grew from personal experience, where we struggled and spent a lot of money and time trying to make things look great for us. We started to talk to people and realized this is a common thing in the industry. We wanted to change the narrative from interior design being something that's so far out of reach to something that's easy to get and put together."

When Aiyeleye decided to merge her passion for home design with technology, she was motivated by the potential to simplify processes and help people rethink how they do things, she explained to Taproot.

"We're redefining the way people approach design ... building innovative solutions and integrating technology platforms and applications in a way that has not been done before. We will be creating jobs for designers and home design enthusiasts whilst expanding their market reach and making interior design more accessible," she said.

In a few weeks, Aiyeleye is planning to open up the Clavis platform to other professionals and aspiring designers so they can create and collaborate with their clients through the web app. It will be in test mode until it is fully deployed in 2022.

• The city's fall budget adjustments, released on Nov. 15, recommend a 1.8% property tax increase, less than the 2.6% originally slated for 2022 but still the highest increase since 2019, if approved. The proposed adjustments will go to council on Nov. 22.
• Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier Jason Kenney announced a long-awaited child-care deal in Edmonton on Monday. The $3.8-billion, five-year funding agreement will start subsidizing child-care fees for children six and under in January, going down to an average of $10 a day by 2026, at which point there should be 42,500 new regulated non-profit and day home spaces in the province.
• More than 50,000 tickets have been sold for Tuesday's World Cup qualifier between Canada and Mexico at Commonwealth Stadium, despite a forecast for heavy snow and -11C temperatures at kickoff. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited with the team on Monday during a practice session. The game will be shown on Sportsnet and SN Now starting at 6:30 pm MT.
• Alberta is introducing legislation to make it possible to transfer the cost of recycling from municipalities to package-producing companies. "Right now and for far too long, municipalities and taxpayers have been shouldering the burden of collecting, sorting and processing and recycling waste," Environment Minister Jason Nixon said. Alberta is the only province without the necessary framework to make this shift, CBC reported.
• Traci Bednard has been named CEO of Explore Edmonton, joining the agency after serving in several executive roles at Edmonton International Airport. She replaces interim CEO Maggie Davison.
• Swoop announced it will offer nine new routes to Edmonton: eight to Canadian cities and one to Palm Springs. It also named its newest aircraft #Edmonton.

The Vignettes Design Series is back with a new event, this time showcasing six local businesses that will test their products and services in pop-up retail spaces at the Capital Apartments on 108th Street.

The Brick and Mortar Festival, presented in partnership with the Downtown Business Association, will include Token Bitters, which makes handcrafted aromatic bitters; Buon Giorno, a breakfast concept by the owners and operators of Black Pearl; Café Amore and Amore Pasta; and RGE RD Larder, a wine bar and charcuterie concept from the RGE RD restaurant and The Butchery.

Caitlin Fulton, co-owner of RGE RD, told Taproot that the pop-up is an opportunity to reconnect with the restaurant's roots.

"RGE RD was founded by doing dinners in unexpected and unfamiliar contexts," she said. "Before we opened our brick and mortar restaurant in the city, we existed for two years doing farm dinners and site-specific events. This is something that really reminded us of our roots and how we started, so I think it's kind of neat after this crazy turbulent year to return to that idea.

"It's also a way for us to connect with people in new ways. And I think Vignettes, their whole thing is allowing people to see spaces with new eyes through these cool design concepts."

RGE RD Larder will offer a curated selection of wine, as well as The Butchery charcuterie, Canadian cheese, beef tartare, sausage rolls, wood-oven-baked breads, Mary Manette tinned Canadian seafood, homemade pickles, and more.

And each Friday night, those attending the festival will have access to the restaurant's secret speakeasy.