Collisions YYC

Every business owner knows they need to leverage emerging and existing technologies to stay relevant, or they’ll go the way of the dodo. But with so many opinions and options available, how can an organization cut through the noise to find valuable solutions?John shares his wealth of knowledge and simplifies the technology conversation. Instead of getting lost in the weeds, John centers on simplicity to achieve vital results by creating an end goal, a vision, and a structure to deliver.  Listen to find out why John believes technology doesn’t need to be scary, why Alberta’s drive and energy to find a better way keeps him in this province, and why SAIT’s digital transformation encouraged John to work with them.

Lauryn Vaughn has learned plenty on her entrepreneurial journey. From an idea in her basement with some interns to a successful, sustainable consignment company, Lauryn has experienced each stage of the start-up journey. The Upside brings those with fabulous fashions they no longer want, and the buyers who want them, together on one platform for an easy and unique shopping experience. We enjoy a great conversation on building a circular economy in fashion, who your top champions are in your early business days, and what her experience was like trying to raise venture capital for The Upside. Listen to today’s episode to uncover critical insights for your VC rounds and how Calgary opens doors for entrepreneurs.

Without supply chain or logistics, our lives would look significantly different. It brings everything to us - from food on our tables to the cell phone you’re reading this on. Supply chain and logistics is a traditional industry, but innovators like Daniel leverage unique technologies to modernize the sector and make it easier to find a perfect match between shippers and carriers.Evotrux is building the next generation of the supply chain in Manitoba but creating an impact far beyond their borders. If you’re curious to learn about Evotrux’s unique technology and what the Winnipeg tech ecosystem looks like compared to Calgary’s, hit play and start listening!

A famous quote says, “A rising tide lifts all ships”, and that is precisely the plan Jeff executes at Momentum. Their unique social profit structure bridges the gap between those struggling to educational and employment opportunities to build on their skills and assets.  They achieve this through three key ways: They work with people to get better jobs. They work with people to create their own job by starting a business. And then they work with people to be able to manage and save their money so that they can really move forward financially.Listen to this episode to learn more about how income inequality impacts everyone, and uncover how Momentum is using economic activity to achieve their vision of a future where all Calgarians have a sustainable livelihood. 

With many global manufacturers moving away from gasoline-powered engines to electric vehicles, there’s another similar niche that Alberta is perfectly positioned to capitalize on: hydrogen and CO2 capture. Our oil & gas industry’s orphan wells and SMR (steam methane reformer) plants, and our provincial expertise in engineering, make the perfect infrastructure and talent pool to build these industries out.Join me as George (CEO & Founder) and Jason (VP Marketing & Founder) walk me through their unique CO2 capture technology and why they firmly believe that this is our moment to win - before someone else takes the lead!

Tiffany knew Symend’s why before she even knew their what or how. The why was crystal clear for Tiffany - modernize a traditional industry to help consumers get back on financial track. Symend is a digital behaviour platform that leverages behavioural science and data to empower customers to resolve past due bills. Join me as Tiffany explains the competitive advantage that Calgary provided her start-up and how product market fit - and personal experience - were driving factors in Symend’s conception.

From chatbots to intelligent virtual assistants and cybersecurity to copywriting, Artificial Intelligence has made its way into the mainstream. But how can AI be equitably accessed by small and medium-sized businesses that may not have in-house resources to develop AI to suit their needs? Since 2019, ISAIC has been providing resources to ensure Western Canadian businesses can adopt and commercialize AI to make their business, and people, work more efficiently.Join me for an insightful conversation with Crys as she walks us through some of the unique ways ISAIC is creating collisions between hackers and hustlers to create a competitive tech future.

Telling a story well can be the difference between a sale and no sale or an investment and a goodbye. In Calgary, it could be the difference between transforming our reputation or keeping our success hidden in the shadows.Christine Gillies, Director of Product & Client Marketing at Benevity, shares a great story about how the foundational components of marketing are often overlooked - and how she is working to showcase Benevity’s wins, not just their products. Gaining a deep, clear, and foundational understanding of your client, your market, and your competition gives you the ability to craft a unique story that will motivate and inspire.

Technology debt: choosing the quick win with limited solutions over a better approach that takes longer. Sound familiar? WestJet’s CTO, Stuart McDonald, helps you understand why taking technology shortcuts has damaging consequences for your business. We also discuss the changes that COVID-19 ushered into the airline industry, and how taking a Canadian approach to partnerships can prevent technology silos that fragment the customer experience. 

Developers were not all equally prepared to confront the dramatic change to how homebuyers shop that COVID-19 ushered in. From seeing a house in-person to seeing one virtually, it took a resilient and strategic marketing-focused leader to deeply examine how to design homes that can withstand homeschooling, working, and living.Join me as Tracey takes us through what a CRO does (hint: it’s a combination of all of Tracey’s best talents), how Hopewell’s focus on digital transformation pre-pandemic worked in their favour, and why Tracey is optimistic about Calgary’s future.