ScaleUP Week shines light on companies prepped for success

Shifting a business from growth to scale requires a certain mindset, says ScaleUP founder Simon Raby. "The most successful scaling companies are looking beyond proof of concept and asking a tougher question: Does the business model still work at 10x the current size?" Raby told Taproot in an email ahead of ScaleUP Week in Western Canada. "Rather than chasing growth for growth's sake, they are creating repeatable, resilient models that can compete nationally and internationally. The companies that scale successfully are those that build for the next stage long before they arrive there."

One company that has caught ScaleUP's attention is Mitsoh, an Edmonton-based company that makes pemmican-based snacks. It is a finalist for the ScaleUP Awards that will be presented in Calgary on June 10, and it is the featured company at the ScaleUP Breakfast Social happening at Edmonton Unlimited on June 12. Mitsoh, which announced a multimillion-dollar investment by Raven Indigenous Capital Partners in 2025, recently surpassed three million units sold. "Three million people reached into a bag of something that did not exist four years ago," founder Ian Gladue posted after hitting that milestone. "Something rooted in a tradition that was almost lost. Made from five ingredients that my ancestors survived on for thousands of years."

Mitsoh is one of many ag-food success stories in the region, with strong incumbents such as The Little Potato Company, Cheemo Perogies, and Aliyah's Foods. In 2025, Siwin Foods expanded its manufacturing facility due to export demand. Meanwhile, Bae Food Group's shelf-stable ramen topping won the award for most innovative product at the Alberta Food & Beverage Awards on June 5, and Sunrise Bakery's Andrew and Nicholas Polturak are Prairie finalists for the EY Entrepreneur of the Year Awards.