Alberta’s flagship tech conference showcased the active sector that has been thriving in the province

Edmonton, Canada – Over 450 Alberta technologists and innovators learned about the leading edge of Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) at the sold out AccelerateAB 2018. AccelerateAB is Alberta’s flagship technology conference, which took place in Edmonton April 23-24, 2018.

Kicking off the day was Scott Penberthy, Director, Applied A.I. at Google. Dr. Richard Sutton, a global pioneer in the field of A.I., provided the closing keynote. As well, industry expert from Borealis AI, Yevgeniy Vahlis, gave an overview of where the sector is heading.

The Startup Advising Sessions were a success with nine companies – CMO4Hire, Fitset, IronSight, MicroMech, Mikata Health, PayTickr.com, ShareSmart, Skillpics, and Symend – participating in a full day of mentorship with The A100 on April 23. It included a talk from RBC Olympian Brianne Jenner who spoke about the similarities of building a strong sporting team and a strong startup team.

The annual Startup Advising Sessions Pitch Competition once again gave the Startup Advising Sessions delegates a chance to tell the Alberta tech sector about their company. The winner of the Pitch Competition was CEO and Co-Founder Rena Tabata from ShareSmart, who was awarded the inaugural ‘Alex Raczenko Pitch Award’. Alex was a passionate advocate and mentor who was always helping to grow the Alberta tech community. As such, the entrepreneurial community wanted to honour his memory with the ‘Alex Raczenko Pitch Award’. This award will be given to the AccelerateAB Pitch Competition winner annually.

As the winner of AccelerateAB’s Pitch Competition, ShareSmart received:

• A $3,500 travel card for Air Canada from The A100;
• A ticket to StartupFest from Startup Calgary;
• Attendance at the 321 Sales Academy program of the winner’s choice from 321 Sales Academy;
• A $10,000 micro-voucher from Alberta Innovates;
• Entry into The Accelerator and a twelve-month access to The Collective 12|12 from The Accelerator;
• A six-month membership at The Inc. which includes access to entrepreneur advisors, skill development classes, 24/7 access to a hot desk, and other member benefits from Calgary Technologies Inc.;
• One dedicated desk for four-months at Startup Edmonton which includes access to their mentorship program from Startup Edmonton; and
• $1,000.00 CAD from Valhalla Private Capital.

The conference would not have been possible without the help of sponsors Alberta Enterprise Corporation, Alberta Innovates, Edmonton Economic Development, BDC, PwC, TECTERRA, Advanced Technology Centre, AltaML, Aspen Properties, Fasken, Calgary Technologies Inc., Osler, RBC, Startup Edmonton, TEC Edmonton, BLG, Accelerate Fund, Rainforest Alberta, and partners Business Wire, Pinstripe Productions, and The Agency – Strategic PR & Marketing.

For more information about The A100 please visit www.thea100.org and for AccelerateAB visit www.AccelerateAB.com.

-ends-

Contact:
Cynthia van Sundert
Executive Director, The A100
cynthia at thea100 dot org
+1 403 690 9339

Meghan Somers
meghan at theagencyinc dot ca
+1 587 899 0615

About AccelerateAB:
AccelerateAB is the province’s annual flagship technology event that brings together key leaders, investors, influencers and supporters of Alberta’s fast-growing startup community, with the goal of leveraging the success of the next generation of technology entrepreneurs across the province. Backed by some of the most high-profile and successful leaders in the industry and spearheaded by The A100, AccelerateAB is one of the best connected events in the province. www.AccelerateAB.com | @AccelerateAB