The City of Edmonton is one of the emerging cities in Canada for building companies. Startups require the right environment to establish, grow, and scale. In other words, it truly takes a village to build a company. The Community Safety and Wellness Accelerator is one of the growing tech hubs that is helping startups scale. We had the opportunity to discuss with Jillian McLaren and Christy Canida, who are leading the innovation momentum in the city, and learned about some of the upcoming startups to look out for.
Can you tell us more about CSW Accelerator? What is the main focus?
The Community Safety and Wellness (CSW) Accelerator addresses the social, safety, and health challenges facing our communities. We accelerate Alberta companies addressing these issues, and bring innovative solutions from around the world to Alberta. In partnership with AlchemistX, the Edmonton Police Foundation, and Alberta Innovates, the CSW Accelerator is bringing proven Silicon Valley acceleration programming to the social impact space in Alberta.
The CSW Accelerator is a 12-week, no-equity/no-fee accelerator, run as a hybrid program with one in-person week in Edmonton, AB and a live Demo Day. We provide a structured curriculum and workshops designed to prepare startups for scaling and investment, 1:1 coaching sessions with experienced Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, a strong network of similarly mission-driven founders, and feedback from VCs and industry experts. Startups graduate with a clear story and strategy, ready to take the next steps with investors and customers.
What is the role of AI/ML in communities?
AI/ML has the potential to democratize access to technology and services at scale, and create connections within and across communities. This technology can enable truly personalized healthcare, tailored and adaptive learning tools, and monitor data to enhance efficiency and security of our communities. Smart, ethical use of AI/ML tools can improve safety and wellness for everyone in the community.
What are some trends you see with regards to technology empowering communities?
Technology solves problems at scale, and removes distance and friction. This can be especially valuable for people with specific language or access requirements, as well as geographically isolated or rural communities.
What do you look for in the startups for your program?
We look at for-profit startups that are already solving real community problems, and are ready to go to market and start scaling. We look for founders on a mission, who want to make real change in the world.
What are some of the startups that are scaling from your previous cohorts?
GotCare – https://gotcare.ca/
.lumen – https://www.dotlumen.com/
Zenbase – https://myzenbase.com/
Nucleos – https://www.nucleos.com/
Areto Labs – https://www.aretolabs.com/
How can founders learn more about the program? What are the timelines throughout the year?
Learn more about the CSW Accelerator at https://cswaccelerator.com/. We run cohorts in the spring and fall, and accept applications on a rolling basis – please review the criteria and apply now!
