Alberta startups go global at the world’s largest technology conference.
South by Southwest (SXSW) attracts more than 250,000 attendees each year, and their aspirations vary widely.
One of the world’s largest technology conferences, SXSW brings together startups, investors, and technology enthusiasts from around the world to connect, learn, and close deals through an eight-day, technology-focused program in Austin, Texas. provides important opportunities for
“By exposing our companies to these environments, we can change the way they think and support a global mindset.”
According to Tim Murphy, vice president of health at Alberta Innovates, the Crown corporation had a clear purpose for this year’s conference.
“SXSW is a great platform for Alberta to showcase its innovation and talent on a global stage,” Murphy told BetaKit in a recent interview.
Last month, Alberta Innovates sent a delegation of 50 local technology startups to a conference. This was not the delegation’s first visit. The first foray in 2023 facilitated multi-million dollar deals for the startups involved.
Murphy, who joined the Alberta delegation this year, sat down with BetaKit to discuss Alberta Innovates’ strategy for the 2024 SXSW delegation, what its experience has been like, and what it hopes to bring to the province’s technology sector. He talked about the impact of
Building critical mass
Murphy explained that Alberta Innovates wants to build on last year’s success and take a three-pronged approach to showcasing Alberta’s presence at this year’s conference.
“You have to have a strategy,” Murphy said. “You have to be organized, you have to be connected, you have to have a critical mass there.”
When it came to building critical mass, Murphy said startups went through a “rigorous” vetting process through Alberta Innovates’ Scaleup Growth and Accelerator Program (Scaleup GAP) to ensure they were a good fit for the conference. I did. Scale Up GAP was founded in 2021 by him to help startups and small businesses grow into mid-sized companies.
The 2024 delegation included startups from a wide range of sectors, from B2B SaaS to legal tech and fintech, with a particular focus on digital health, clean tech, and artificial intelligence.
The startups were diverse not only in the industries they focused on but also in their stages of development. Startups include smart sensor technology company Haztrack, cleantech startup Earthware, roadside assistance startup Road Aider, fintech startup Symend, healthtech company MedEssist, legal tech startup Goodlawyer, and more.
“The Alberta delegation had a strong presence at SXSW,” Murphy said, noting that the organization was recognized by non-Canadian attendees as well.
Conflict management
Last year, Alberta Innovates’ delegation to SXSW led to more than $6 million in business deals to date, generated more than 2,600 connections, and increased Alberta Innovates’ return on investment by nine times.
Prior to the conference, Alberta Innovates focused on preparing delegates’ startups by refining their startup pitches, offering workshops, and providing one-on-one coaching.
Alberta Innovates’ strategy for the conference itself was to organize one-on-one meetings, provide access to exclusive networking events, and offer participation in a variety of workshops and events. This structure allowed the founders to meet a wide range of global investors for their specific industry needs.
Murphy said Alberta Innovates is focused on “managing creative conflicts that drive investment.”
But not all companies were looking for investors. For NanoTess, a Calgary-based health tech startup specializing in wound care management, the goal was to secure customers. Murphy noted that NanoTess was able to connect with military representatives and extreme sports companies during the conference.
“They were very excited because they had a new potential customer who could pick up the product and buy the product from Alberta. [give them] It’s access to that global market,” Murphy added.
“The connections we made were with top-notch people who had the knowledge, networks, and experience to bring meaningful value to our team,” said Megan Leslie, CEO and co-founder of NanoTess. he told BetaKit.
A tale of two technology fields
There are notable similarities between Alberta and Texas, the host state of SXSW. Both regions initially thrived on natural resource economies, but have now pivoted to innovation and technology sectors. Austin, in particular, is rapidly becoming a major global technology hub, a change reflected in cities like Edmonton and Calgary.
Although Alberta’s technology ecosystem is younger than cities like Toronto and Vancouver, it is rapidly maturing. In recent years, the province has seen a decline in funding from Canadian venture capital due to changes in the macroeconomic climate, bucking the national trend and raising large funding rounds for some companies. .
“Capital will go to where you can derive value from that capital,” Murphy said. “By exposing our companies to these environments, we can change the way they think and support a global mindset.”
Although it will take many months to fully understand the partnerships signed, revenue generated and investments secured as a result of the delegations, Murphy said the impact of this year’s conference has already been significant. It has become. At least three of his companies in the delegation signed contracts directly as a result of their participation in the conference.
Jefferson Roc, president and chief vision officer of AI startup PeerX.AI, told BetaKit that the conference helped the startup quickly get accepted into the Florida-based accelerator program. “The important thing is to be there and ready to take the opportunities that come your way,” Locke said.
For Murphy, conferences like SXSW are where Alberta Innovates can create winning conditions for Alberta businesses to respond to global growth opportunities.
The offer is
To learn more about the exciting roster of participating companies, check out the SXSW 2024 Delegation Announcement.
To learn more about how Alberta Innovates is strengthening our entrepreneurial ecosystem, visit albertainnovates.ca.
