Alberta's Booming Tech Sector - The Making of Canada's Silicon Valley

09/21/23 • 49 min

Join me on This Professional Life's Season 3 Episode 1 podcast as I explore Alberta's emerging tech scene and its rapid transformation from an energy-focused province to a global tech hub. With a forecasted $20 billion spend on digital transformation by 2024, record-breaking venture capital investments, and cities like Edmonton leading in AI research, Alberta is on the tech world's radar. I invited special guest Michael Grantmyre of Oslers, a national law firm in Canada, to share his perspectives and insights on this maturing tech industry in Alberta. Michael is a Partner at Oslers and leads their emerging growth and technology practice group in Alberta. He is often on the front lines helping entrepreneurs turn their visions into commercial reality.

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Previous Episode

Crypto Lawyer: Cryptocurrency, Technology, and The Law

In today's episode, we sit down with Matthew Burgoyne, Partner at law firm Oslers, and co-lead of their digital assets and blockchain practice group. We chat all things law and crypto related, as well as their office's newly built SkyHub, an incubator type space for their startup clients.

As we plunge into the middle of 2023, the world of cryptocurrency is experiencing several intriguing trends. One of the most significant is the increasing institutional acceptance of digital assets, with an influx of major corporations, banks, and even countries integrating cryptocurrency into their operations. Decentralized Finance, or DeFi, is another hotspot, revolutionizing traditional financial systems by enabling peer-to-peer transactions and eliminating the need for intermediaries. With NFTs (Non-fungible tokens), we are seeing an unprecedented melding of the arts and digital finance, creating a whole new avenue for artists and creators to monetize their work. Finally, amidst the rising concern for the environmental impact of crypto mining, "green cryptos" have surged to the forefront, pushing for sustainable solutions in blockchain technologies. These trends signal not only the maturation of the crypto space, but also the increasing interplay between cryptocurrencies and the broader socio-economic landscape.

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Next Episode

Lynette Tremblay | Success in Economic Development and Attracting Business Investment

Lynette Tremblay, former COO of Invest Alberta, shares insights on economic development strategies for cities, states, and countries looking to attract business investment. In this episode, we chat about a few topics:

The importance of talent attraction and retention policies that focus on company culture and values rather than treating people like commodities
Diversifying Alberta's energy sector into renewable energy, clean tech, hydrogen, carbon capture, and critical minerals
Leveraging Alberta's expertise in sustainable resource development to provide emissions reduction solutions globally
Ag tech innovations happening in Alberta like meat packaging technology to keep meat fresh for 2 years and plant-based proteins
The concept of circular economy and the symbiotic relationships between companies reusing each other's waste and byproducts
The value of targeted strategic partnerships that align with a region's authentic strengths and specializations
Cool innovations Lynette has seen like stingless bees, mushroom protein mimicking meat, and unexpected partnerships between Alberta and Brazil
The need for better storytelling to inspire youth, retain talent, and shift outdated perceptions of Alberta

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.