Collisions YYC

AlliedVP is one of Canada’s newest angel investor groups and the brainchild of Matthew Wilson. In 2013, Matthew moved to Calgary seeking to get involved in our start-ups ecosystem and soon discovered angel investing. However, our start-up comunity was young with few investment opportunities, so Matthew looked to more established markets in Canada and the US. Nearly eight years later, he’s bringing his angel investing experience back to Alberta and our now bustling start-up culture. Join me as Matthew takes us through the world of angel investing, the importance of diversifying our industries, and how start-ups in Calgary have transformed over the past eight years.

Collisions YYC began with an idea to start the conversation on Calgary’s digital and economic transformation and get our industry leaders, innovators, shakers, and start-ups on the same page. 16 months later,  we’ve run the gamut and covered a wide range of topics that affect Calgarians and our way forward. To celebrate our 100th episode, who better to talk to than the man who is, in a way, Calgary personified – Mayor Naheed Nenshi. From capitalizing on our core industries to retraining our oil and gas workers, and attracting new talent, corporations, and investors to our city, Mayor Nenshi shares his vision for Calgary's way forward despite the challenges in our economy and the struggles faced by the pandemic.

As innovators continue to tap into its unlimited potential, AI and automated machine learning is transforming the ways industries operate. Take Dr. Devon Livingstone, Founder & CMO of ENTiD. He wanted to determine whether automated machine learning could build an algorithm capable of accurately diagnosing otologic disease. The result – a solution that helps physicians better diagnose ear, nose, and throat disease, decrease wait times, and improve access to care for all. Devon’s work hasn’t gone unnoticed as he was a 2019 recipient of a Joule Innovation Grant in the Emerging Physician Innovator category. Join me as Devon talks about the innovation of ENTiD and how AI and automated machine learning are starting to transform the medical field.

Throughout his 25 year+ plus career in education, Tim has pushed student-centeredness and the importance of the undergraduate experience. So, when his phone rang with an opportunity to be President and Vice-Chancellor at Mount Royal University, he jumped at the chance to join an institution that championed a student-centric vision. Then, just after his first year, COVID arrived and took students out of the classroom, requiring Tim and MRU to rapidly adapt without losing the benefits from in-person education. Join me as Tim talks about the pivots post-secondary education has made around this pandemic and how he incorporated virtual classrooms without losing Mount Royal’s vision for personalized experiences.

Do you remember the Orange Wave that took many, particularly Conservative leaders in Alberta, by surprise back in 2015? Well, it also came as a shock to NDP nominee David Shepherd when he was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta to represent the electoral district of Edmonton-Centre. That same year, Albertans faced another drastic change, not with our leadership but in our economy. As an elected official, David has great insights into our progress as we transform our province and the work that still needs to be done as we move forward. Join me as David and I touch on many topics in our province, from our healthcare system to new opportunities that can create more jobs, as he shares his unique perspective as both a politician and a proud Albertan.

When he was appointed as Health Minister of Alberta 2019, Tyler had many long-term plans for our healthcare system. But then, COVID-19 arrived, forcing Tyler to set those plans aside and make crucial decisions that impacted both the operations and budget of Alberta’s most expensive line item in the face of a global pandemic. While adapting and preparing for the future is crucial, Tyler's biggest goal is to communicate the Ministry’s goals to Albertans in a world where politicization and soundbites are the norms. Join me as Tyler and I discuss the state of healthcare in Alberta, the effect COVID-19 has had on long-term plans, and what healthcare in Alberta might look like in the future.

When he was studying Systems Design Engineering at the University of Waterloo, Michael spent his time bouncing back and forth between Silicon Valley. As he got closer to graduating, he knew he wanted to innovate rather than land a cushy tech gig. All he needed was that big idea. Then, on a coast-to-coast road trip back to campus, that idea came to him and his co-founder – Vidyard, an online video platform that allows businesses to increase leads with delightful consumer content. Join me as Michael takes us on his journey to Silicon Valley, why he chose to bring Vidyard back to Waterloo, and shares his impression on our digital transformation.

Most of us have the instinct to complain when we are deafened by noise pollution. For Norm and his co-founder, they had an instinct to innovate. So, they took an idea that stemmed from Harley Davidsons disturbing the peace and quiet in Naramata and turned it into Zerosound – the most scalable active noise control technology on the planet that can reduce noise by up to 92%. Join me as Norm takes us along his entrepreneurial journey, talks about Zerosound’s active noise control technology, and goes through the pros-and-cons of being a startup in Calgary during our economic transformation.

We’ve all had a big idea only to have no clue how to make it happen. So, what was Adam’s big idea? To use his tech background to bridge the gap between a big idea and a successful execution. Since then, as the Head of Technology for Aleta, Adam has provided guidance and development for start-up founders in Western Canada and North America who have a great idea but a lack of tech-savviness. Join me as Adam and I chat about many aspects of our transformation, from senior talent retraining themselves to diversify opportunities, to how work has transformed due to COVID, and some new, exciting start-ups that are calling Calgary home.

Kari got her start in marketing and business development right here in Calgary, working with a local architecture firm before entering the oil and gas sector. Once she grew weary of big business politics, Kari started her consultancy to help Calgarian tech entrepreneurs get their ideas off the ground, a venture that took her to conferences around North America. That’s when an AI start-up from New Zealand noticed Kari and lured her across the Pacific Ocean with a job. Now, since coming home to Calgary, Kari sees a lot of untapped opportunities to transform our tech and start-up cultures. Join me as Kari compares her start-up experience in Calgary to those aboard and shares her excitement in the transformation she has seen since she came home.