Page 16 - Demo

It is important to attract established fund managers with startup experience, industry connections and networks.
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Funds that bring outside expertise:
A key strategy behind AEC’s fund approach is to pull VCs from outside Alberta so that we can leverage their industry and network of experts. It is important to attract established fund managers with startup experience, investment experience, industry connections and networks – because beyond money, this is what Alberta startups lack.
Alberta-based funds that increase internal knowledge:
Equally important is the need to grow and develop Alberta- based funds. AEC has supported local funds, and we
are developing home-grown VC talent through the local representatives of the funds headquartered outside Alberta. We continually meet with new locally-based teams, knowing that it takes time to build a strong Alberta VC fund presence. With this goal in mind, we added a new investment category: micro funds. These funds are smaller than typical VC funds (generally under $30M). They tend to invest in startups in the earlier stages and must be headquartered in Alberta.
Fit-to-purpose funds that address critical gaps:
It is imperative that AEC invests in funds that complement the available deal flow in the province. In 2021, AEC conducted a Deal Flow Study that showed a large portion of the technology companies in Alberta are early-stage. It is therefore vital to continue focusing on this earliest stage of investments. As a result, we have created the angel co-investment Accelerate Funds and focused on seed stage funds.
The coming sections highlight our VC funds and provide more detail on our investment strategies, expected outcomes, and key performance indicators (with targets, and results).