DiscoveryLab at Enterprise Square
Our next pitch event is being held in partnership with the University of Alberta and UA Innovation Fund on Tuesday March 11, 2025 at Enterprise Square, Edmonton. Join in by presenting your plan or by sharing advice & connections.
Both virtual and in person slots are available, with the latter prioritized for AI, Health, Agriculture or Energy focussed companies with a connection to UofA.
We welcome virtual presenters in any tech sector, location or stage, those selected based on their submitted plan are given videos, pre- and post-event feedback, and the opportunity to have their investment-readiness reviewed.
It's free to pitch or join virtually, in-person tickets including lunch, coffee breaks and reception are only $49.
Presenters registered to pitch scalable plans on March 11 encompass:
Commerce & education
Alana Baxter, CEO, Fitzba Technologies Inc., developing the most convenient way for consumers to find out what's for sale at local stores and enhancing the experience of shopping close to home.
Conor Phillips, Founder & CEO, Roamlii, building a complete software system for tourism businesses to manage the customer journey from discovery through inquiry and booking.
Hayro Hambardzumyan, Founder, Lrnkey, through one-on-one interactive lessons and tutoring.
agriculture
Ateeq Ur Rehman, Researcher, University of Alberta, focusing on growth optimization for diverse hydroponic systems with impacts on wellness, food security, and sustainability.
Benji Ahvazi, Research Associate, ZAFA Biorefinery Inc. focusing on green technologies for converting biomass from sustainable, renewable forestry and agriculture into creating value-added bioproducts.
Tayab Soomro, co-Founder and CEO, PathoScan, offering assay kits and Pathobox, a simple-to-use molecular diagnostic device for rapid detection of plant diseases.
health & biotech
Bruce Ritchie, Professor of Medicine, University of Alberta, focuses on blood disorders, tissue archiving, gene therapy, and the use of inkjet printers to print biomaterials and cells.
Claire Dixon, CEO & co-founder, Neuraura, bringing to market the first effective, widely accessible treatment for PCOS as an over-the-counter, affordable device.
Jérémie Bourqui , Co-founder & CEO, Waveview Imaging, developing a portable device for sensitive, specific and effective breast cancer screening for anyone, anywhere.
Mardin (Asghar) Fallah, CEO & Founder, RNARevive, developing a self-replicating RNA-based platform for therapeutic protein production in the body to treat diseases including osteoporosis
Mehdi Mohammadi Ashani, CEO & Founder, Fluidome, providing easy-to-use and high-quality metabolomic products for biomarker discovery and disease diagnosis.
Nasim Maslehat, Founder, Color Your Motherhood, also Account Manager at Georgia Healthcare Centre, previously set up and managed infertility clinics across Iran and the Gulf region.
energy & environment
Ali Salman, Co-Founder, WorkSpace Modular Structures, aiming to become the gold standard of modular construction through innovative design and business integrity.
Chaneel Park, CEO, MakeSens Inc., developing high-performance battery materials and be a leader in the transition to a greener, more sustainable economy.
Jari Swanson, Founder, Trace Magnetics and MSc Student - Signal Processing, Departments of Physics & Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Alberta
Paul Sandhu, CEO, Proton H2, producing ultra-low cost, clean hydrogen from hydrocarbon reserves in alignment with global carbon reduction goals.
Nafaa Haddou, CEO, Firesafe AI, developing AI driven surveillance systems and drone mapping for potential fires, enabling risk mitigation and rapid responses to safeguard communities and resources.
Robotics & design
Claude Garneau, Inventor, Claude Garneau Studio, experimenting in media, design and implementation; carving into thick glass, stone and tile.
Wessam Hamid, Founder, Polymorph Embodied Intelligence Inc., developing Iris, which offers speech-to-speech reasoning, switching between different language models, voices on command and more.
Register now
See the world differently. Tell your story.
DiscoveryLab offers events where teams pitch plans to a panel of investors and advisors, and keynote talks are offered on a theme. Scalable innovations in any sector, location or stage of development are presented as are transformative technologies for diagnostics, medical devices, therapeutics, biotech, agtech, AI, cleantech, edtech, food/drinks, materials, energy, environment and resources.
We welcome new members including investors, industry experts and business advisors to join in to advise the diversity of teams presenting.
Presenters receive constructive feedback on the business plan summary and slidedeck they submit beforehand, a video recording of their pitch, an evaluation and scores, new connections and leads for funding.
Note: Teams that are pitching are invited to submit their business plan summary at least two weeks before the event to qualify for a slot and gain feedback to strengthen their pitch.
Presenters can also check out our Presenter Guide.
Events & Opportunities
ERINnovation Meet-Up with Jam the Social App on Jan 29
Vision to Venture - Business Model Canvas Workshop in Calgary on Jan 29
Creative Research Methods for Product Discovery in Calgary on Jan 29
Trends & Perspectives from Silicon Valley VCs in Calgary on Jan 30
Sustain YEG: Monthly Meetup at Edmonton Unlimited on Jan 30
Industrial Heartland Career Forum at Dow Centennial Centre on Jan 30
Using Generative AI to build a Chatbot for Healthcare Triage at Edmonton Unlimited on Jan 30
2025 Solar Show virtual conference from Feb. 3-7
Manufacturing for Hydrogen Symposium in Leduc on Feb 5
Northern Lights Technology & Innovation Forum in Calgary on Feb 6
Investing Decoded: Busting Myths, Building Wealth in Calgary on Feb 6
Friendly Fridays with Technology Alberta at Edmonton Research Park on Feb 7
Prairie Bioeconomy Guild: Natural Products Canada in Edmonton on Feb 12
SPARK Cohort Info Session on Feb 12 for academics looking to commericalize digital health technologies. Application Deadline: Mar 2.
Kickstart a free hybrid course from Amii offered from Feb 14-21
Crafting a Compelling Problem Statement & Value Proposition @ UofC Feb 18
ERINnovation Meetup - Shaping Energy Future Competitiveness on Feb 18
Annual Growing the North Conference in Grande Prairie from Feb 18-20
ASTech Awards Regional Innovation Spotlight in Grande Prairie on Feb 19
Entrepreneur Talks: Networking Through Narrative with UofA grad and EPIC Market co-founder Jennifer Keith on Feb 21
NAIT Student Pitch It To Me Competition on Feb 25
The Silver Tech Revolutio: Empowering Older Adults in the Digital Age Networking Event in Edmonton on Feb 27
Social Innovators Breakfast Club in Calgary on Mar 3
Innovation in Aging Symposium in Calgary on Mar 3
Indigenous and Inclusive Job Fair and Learning Expo with employers including RUNWITHIT Synthetics Inc. in St. Albert on Mar 6
Applied Research in RINSA - Innovation: Getting STARTed @ Lethbridge Mar 13
Newcomer Entrepreneur Forum by Business Link at the Clareview Community Rec Centre on Mar 15
Membrane Protein WebConference on March 27
Southern Alberta Economic Summit 2025 in Lethbridge on Mar 27
Scaleup Canada Edmonton50 Applications due Mar 31
Scaleup Canada Calgary50 Applications due March 31
Transformational Connections: Create Partnerships for Impact @Calgary Apr 1
Greenhouse Business Innovation in Athabasca on Apr 8
Methane Leadership Summit 2025 in Banff on Apr 15-16
Canadian Hydrogen Convention @ Edmonton Convention Centre from Apr 22-24
High Level Innovation Conference! in Lethbridge from May 2–3
Designing for Tomorrow Live Conference in Edmonton from May 7-9
DiscoveryLab returns to the ICE Incubator on May 14
Upper Bound AI Conference in Edmonton from May 20-23
Inventures at the BMO Centre in Calgary from May 21-23
AI4Good Lab on building machine learning projects from May 5-June 26
Pathway to Silicon Valley for female founders looking for investment, June 3-4
AgSmart at Olds College on Jul 28-31
Our aims are to play a positive role by:
1. provide an open forum for entrepreneurs and innovators to pitch for free and connect with investors, business advisors and industry experts,
2. building trust and mutual understanding to ensure sustainable and rewarding multi-party relationships,
3. identifying major challenges that require innovative thinking,
4. mapping out precompetitive spaces for open-source collaboration,
5. developing fair and reasonable intellectual property strategies for progression and scalable funding,
6. structuring and optimizing core activities and facilities for supporting innovation, and
7. increasing data quality, reproducibility and decisiveness while eliminating unnecessary duplication and costs.
We welcome collaborators and partners who are interested in working together to support the innovation ecosystem.
For clarity, DiscoveryLab does not recommend advisors or investors, make investments or provide funding, but can make introductions. Each person and company has the responsibility of obtaining legal advice and performing due diligence before signing contracts or taking investments.
Funding Programs
Edmonton Edge Fund with $5 million for local tech and innovation is launching this year.
Post-Secondary Institution Business Development Support for students, faculty and staff at Edmonton’s post-secondary institutions: Executives in Residence access and up to 150 hours of free advice.
Alberta Export Expansion Program is resuming funding for the development of export markets for Alberta’s SMEs through the reimbursement of international business travel costs.
Alberta’s Hydrogen Centre of Excellence is making $20 million available over 24 months to support hydrogen production, storage, transmission, end-use projects under its Advancing Hydrogen - Competition 1 program.
Business Development Support (BDS) program open call for students, staff and alumni of Edmonton-based postsecondaries wanting to connect to industry specific expertise they need. Apply here.
BDC has launched of Thrive Venture Fund and Lab for Women, a $500-million investment platform to support the growth and economic impact of Canadian women-led businesses.
Canadian Digital Adoption Program from the Government of Canada is offering startups and SMEs grants to grow their online presence and upgrade and adopt digital technologies.
Capital City Pilots for Edmonton-based startups to test pilot-ready IP. using $10,000 in expert support, exclusive access to municipal clients, and resources.
Experiential Learning in Innovation, Technology, and Entrepreneurship (ELITE) Program for Black Youth age 15-22.
SRIA Innovation Fund to accelerate the adoption of innovative low-carbon solutions for buildings of all types
Local innovation supports:
- Alberta Accelerator by 500
- Alberta Catalyzer (Pre-Accelerator)
- Alberta Innovates Revenue Accelerator
- Growth Catalyst
- Innovation Catalyst Grant Entrepreneurial Fellowship
- Lab2Market
- Plug and Play Alberta
- Propel, Startup Edmonton pre-accelerator
- TELUS Community Safety and Wellness Accelerato
- THRIVE Canada Accelerator for food/ag
- Trade Accelerator Program (TAP) Alberta