The Pulse: March 23, 2023

Tech entrepreneurs who attended SXSW with Alberta Innovates say they made important new connections to customers, investors, and partners.

SXSW is an annual, multi-stream festival and conference in Austin, TX, that sees hundreds of thousands attendees flock to its tech, film, and music programs each year.

"Universally, what I was seeing was companies picking up at least one or two connections that were of high value," Anthea Sargeaunt, founder of water-testing company 2S Water, told Taproot. "For (2S Water), one good, high-value connection makes this all worthwhile because we do enterprise sales. We managed to connect to Samsung … and that was curated for us by Alberta Innovates."

2S Water offers single- and multi-sensor water-measuring tools that detect contaminants such as metals almost instantly. The award-winning company has been through Plug and Play Alberta's accelerator, earning it an invitation to SXSW as a graduate of the Alberta Scaleup and Growth Accelerator Program.

The trip was invaluable, said John Chabluk, founder of software company QuoteToMe.

"I was able to meet with our new lead investor for a fund-raise that we're working to close right now," he said. "Putting a face to the name and being able to experience the in-person relationship … I was exposed to a massive network of theirs that was already in Austin."

QuoteToMe helps contractors order materials and equipment digitally, charging a small percentage on each transaction. It raised $2.5 million in 2021 and $1 million in 2020.

The delegation had specific goals in mind, said Doug Holt, associate vice-president of investments for Alberta Innovates.

"This was an opportunity wherein we could take 50 high-potential companies down to SXSW and help them with gaining new customers, gaining new partners, and getting new investment," he said.

• The Edmonton Public School Board (EPSB) is anticipating a shortage of spaces if new schools are not built. From 2010 to 2020, enrolment in public schools grew by more than 25,000 students, and the division anticipates 34,000 more students than spaces in 10 years without increased capital funding. Enrolment growth is especially pronounced in suburban neighbourhoods in southwest, southeast, and west Edmonton, where affordable and family-friendly neighbourhoods have grown. Since 2020, EPSB has been limiting enrolment using a lottery system, which is now in effect at seven schools, most recently Shauna May Seneca School and Jan Reimer School. The 2023 provincial budget includes funding for five public schools in Edmonton, but only one is receiving full construction funding, while the others are slated for design, planning, or "pre-planning" funding.
• The University of Alberta's nursing program was ranked the best in Canada for the second consecutive year in the QS World University Rankings and rose in the global ranking from ninth in 2022 to fifth in 2023. Diane Kunyk, acting dean for the Faculty of Nursing, said the ranking "demonstrates the excellence of the performance of the faculty" and that recent research has focused on "meaningful and topical" subjects like vaccine hesitancy, quality of care in long-term settings, and quality of life with chronic illnesses. Overall, the University of Alberta rose from 126th to 110th place after having been in 90th place in 2018.
• The Alberta government has given approval to the University of Alberta to set up the Innovation Fund, a for-profit subsidiary of the university expected to launch later this year. The fund will invest in startups founded by U of A students, alumni, faculty, and staff, as well as other entrepreneurs in the province. "This is a key step toward launching the Innovation Fund, which will foster strategic partnerships with investors across the globe," said university president Bill Flanagan.
• TransEd says that vehicles illegally turning right on red have so far caused five crashes with trains during testing on the Valley Line Southeast LRT line, with the most recent happening on March 20. In three cases, trains ran into the vehicles turning right and in two other cases the vehicles sideswiped a train. No one was injured in the crashes and trains sustained only cosmetic damage. TransEd is continuing a safety education campaign in partnership with the city, a spokesperson said.
• MacEwan University is now home to a pizza vending machine courtesy of PizzaForno, which held a grand opening on March 21. The machine is refrigerated and filled with dough and toppings prepared by cafeteria staff. Users can take home a cold pizza or have it flash heated in less than three minutes.