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A knowledgeable/ engaged Alberta VC industry
Key Performance Indicator: Number of startup and investor profiles created on StartAlberta.com
Target: 2,700 startups and 340 investors
To measure this outcome AEC reviews a number of factors, including the number of startups and investor profiles created on StartAlberta.com. This measure has been discussed in previous sections.
During 2022/23 we lead and supported events that build a knowledgeable and engaged Alberta VC industry:
• The Venture Capital Association of Alberta (VCAA): The VCAA is instrumental in connecting VC investors, providing education, and advocating on behalf of the VC industry. AEC’s Director of Industry Development sits on the Board of Directors, the Events Committee and the Executive Director selection committee. A concerted effort went into interviewing, hiring and onboarding Omi Velasco, VCAA’s new Executive Director. Several new events are being planned for later this year which aim to increase the connectivity of investors within Alberta and beyond.
• Investor Education Landscape Survey: As a new strategy for 2022/23, we have dedicated considerable effort to understanding the current state of resources available to high-net-worth individuals or family offices who are interested in learning more about the opportunities to invest in the tech asset class. Sponsorship dollars have gone towards several investor education initiatives including Halo Health Alberta Launch, Startup TNT and Platform Calgary’s family office initiative. These events are bringing together dozens of private individuals, teaching them about the asset class, and bringing them potential deal flow. AEC continues to collect
and share data on the landscape to inform programming and partners.
• VCAA Conference and Ski Day: AEC’s director of Industry Development was deeply involved on the planning committee for this event. The event sold out in record time (128 attendees) and was able attract 45% of the attendees from outside Alberta, bringing incredible awareness to the burgeoning innovation and VC ecosystem in this province. AEC’s investment and industry development team attended the conference, and AEC’s CEO provided opening remarks. The event was extremely well reviewed by attendees and provided ample opportunity for learning and networking.
• UofA VCPE Club + VCAA VC101: An initiative started by two UofA students who wanted to give their post-secondary peers from across the province opportunities to learn about Venture Capital and private equity through free online sessions. The first event, hosted on November 24th, was a networking event featuring a panel
of VC’s including Tiffany Linke-Boyko (Flying Fish), Arden Tse (Yaletown/ Accelerate Fund), and Kristina Milke (Sprout). AEC sponsored and supported the following VC101 sessions held in early January 2023 in partnership with VCAA and post-secondaries across the province. It provided a learning opportunity for hundreds of existing investors, entrepreneurs, and students interested in becoming the next generation of VC talent in the province.
• Platform Calgary Family Office Initiative: We worked closely with Platform Calgary to plan an investor education event targeting Alberta based high net worth individuals and family offices. The event provided knowledge sharing and educational on the intricacies of direct investing and the importance of portfolio construction when investing in the technology asset class Over 40 individuals attended the event.
AEC continues to work with Platform Calgary on their investor initiatives.
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