Tech Roundup
May 5, 2026
Three Edmonton companies are among the finalists for ScaleUP Awards, which recognize high-growth ventures in Western Canada. Gummy Nutrition Lab is a finalist for the Rising Star award, which recognizes a bootstrapped company showing potential to become the next big success story. "Making the finals is a huge deal, and we're incredibly proud to be among the top companies in the running," co-founder Jolene Ali posted. Ali and co-founder Jim Gibbon will talk about the business at Coffee Community Takeover at Edmonton Unlimited on May 6.
SketchDeck.ai is a finalist in the Emerging category, which is presented to a company in the early stages of scaling that is demonstrating exceptional potential for future growth. The steel-estimation startup closed a funding round led by Montreal's Boreal Ventures in April. Mitsoh, which makes Indigenous dried meat snacks, is a finalist for the Inclusive award, which recognizes a company achieving significant growth while exemplifying cultural values, fostering inclusivity, and contributing to the success of its community. Mitsoh secured a multimillion-dollar investment from Raven Indigenous Capital Partners late last year.
Most of the other finalists are from Calgary, Vancouver, or Winnipeg, with a couple of rural exceptions. The awards, which are for companies that generate between $1 million and $75 million in annual revenue with fewer than 250 employees, will be presented at a gala in Calgary on June 10. All finalists are eligible to win one of three additional awards at the gala — Company of the Year, Entrepreneur of the Year, and People's Choice. Voting for the latter is open until May 15. ScaleUP will also host a breakfast in Edmonton on the last day of ScaleUP Week, which runs from June 8 to 12.
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Headlines
- RUNWITHIT Synthetics and Vancouver-based M2M Tech made the top two at a pitch competition at the Alberta Aviation, Aerospace & Defence Summit on May 4, with the winner to be announced after press time. (Taproot plans to have coverage later this week.) SpectraCann, Elementiam, and Phase Metron also pitched at the summit, put on by Alberta Aviation, Aerospace and Defence.
- Edify published a feature on Edmonton's defence-industry opportunity, arguing that Ottawa's plan to significantly increase defence spending represents the largest economic opportunity for the city in generations. Mayor Andrew Knack has become a vocal supporter of the Edmonton Region Defence Alliance, which is encouraging Ottawa and defence contractors to invest billions in the region.
- AltaML was among the teams that participated in Agency Day 2026 in Ottawa, an AI hackathon sponsored by the Alberta government in which teams used real government datasets to find signs of fraud and waste. Technology and Innovation Minister Nate Glubish told The Logic the idea was to show what tech can do, not uncover federal scandals. "There's nothing cheeky about it … Our goal is to create a culture of innovation," Glubish said.
- RoBIM Technologies and Canadian Strategic Missions Corporation were among the recipients of funding from Emissions Reduction Alberta as part of a $41-million investment into the province's construction and electricity sectors. The former received $2.81 million to put towards a $6.2-million project to use robotics and AI to manufacture construction components with less waste, while the latter received $5 million towards developing small-scale nuclear technology in partnership with the University of Alberta.
- Bitcoin Well founder Adam O'Brien said he wants to work with federal authorities to improve proposed legislation that would ban cryptocurrency ATMs. The federal government's spring economic update suggests banning the ATMs due to their use in scams, but O'Brien said that wouldn't eliminate fraud. "I believe the downstream effects of this is a reduction of financial privacy and a reduction of financial rights … and a reduction of access to serious financial tools for Canadians," he told CTV News Edmonton.
- The Alberta government committed more than $2.7 million over three years to partner with the Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute to develop AI learning kits for K-12 classrooms and resources to help teachers build their AI knowledge.
- Edmonton Public Schools held its second Student Artificial Intelligence Conference, with more than 300 high school students learning about responsible AI use. Students need to build critical thinking skills before relying on AI, Jill Kowalchuk of the Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute told CityNews.
- Artificial Agency showcased its AI companion technology at GDC Festival of Gaming with a demo called Stranded, in which players choose personality traits that shape how a robot companion behaves and makes decisions. CEO Brian Tanner said the company aims to help game studios integrate lifelike and responsive AI agents into their virtual worlds.
- BioWare alumni Casey Hudson, Trent Oster, Gregory Zeschuk, and Mark Darrah are among the speakers announced for the North American Games Industry Summit. The B2B-focused event will bring together leaders, creators, and investors in the gaming industry on June 18 and 19, in conjunction with Game Con Canada from June 19 to 21. Both take place at the Edmonton EXPO Centre.
- The sold-out Upper Bound conference will feature federal Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation Minister Evan Solomon, Prairies Economic Development Canada minister Eleanor Olszewski, provincial Minister of Technology and Innovation Nate Glubish, and Canadian Institute of Advanced Research executive director Elissa Strome, the Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute shared. Plus, staff from Google, Meta, Sony AI, and Electronic Arts will speak during the May 19 to 22 conference at the Edmonton Convention Centre.
- The University of Alberta Hospital has opened the $2.7-million Neuro-Rehabilitation Innovation Centre. The centre includes a rehabilitation gymnasium, research-treatment spaces, and an electrophysiology research suite, allowing clinicians and researchers to treat and observe patients together.
- Four Edmonton tech companies — Firesafe Analytics, AIRMarket, ELIXR Simulations, and Wyvern — discussed how collaboration has helped them tackle wildfires and earn trust in a challenging industry. "We wouldn't be able to provide the value we deliver if we tried to build everything ourselves," Firesafe CEO Nafaa Haddou said at the event at Edmonton Unlimited.
- The future of tech in law enforcement was discussed at a Tech Thursday panel featuring operations chief Devin Laforce of the Edmonton Police Service, Trouvay founder Bradley Pierson, and Standard Field Systems CEO Sam Jenkins. The panellists discussed genetic genealogy, facial recognition, AI-assisted police report drafting, and digital sobriety testing, noting that legal frameworks for these tools are still being developed.
- CANDLE Lithium has completed its pilot project for Direct Lithium Extraction technology, recovering lithium from unconventional brines at 200 litres per hour in a live field demonstration. The company said the results exceeded expectations and confirm that the technology can be integrated into existing oil-and-gas operations. The pilot was part of Venture Pilots: Built World Tech, a project by Edmonton Unlimited.
- Antigoni Studios is planning to open a coworking space for women with childcare as one of its first acts since launching as Canada's first femtech venture studio. Co-founders Riya Ganguly and Kate Ellis said the studio aims to connect researchers, entrepreneurs, and end users in women's health innovation.
- Ken Bautista reflected on his departure from his role of vice-president of growth at Edmonton Unlimited, where he had helped evolve programs and build venture teams. "I'm grateful for the chance to help reshape things from the inside — evolving programs, building venture teams, reinforcing a community-first ethos, and reconnecting with founders in my hometown." He wrote that his next focus will be private capital vehicles to compound what Edmonton has built.
- The nomination deadline for the ASTech Awards has been extended to May 25.
Jobs and opportunities
- Jobber is hiring a business intelligence engineer and an intermediate software engineer.
- The University of Alberta is hiring a start-up specialist.
- The Edmonton Regional Innovation Network has opened applications for community initiatives funding. The deadline to apply is June 23.
- The Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute has opened applications for the Summer 2026 cohort of its Level Up program, which supports AI-focused startups through coaching with machine learning scientists, expert roundtables, and investor connections.
- Elections Alberta is hiring a systems analyst.
Happenings
Here are some events coming up over the next seven days:
- May 5: What Life Sciences Investors Actually Fund: Panel Discussion starting at 7:30pm at Edmonton Unlimited
- May 5: Demystifying Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Non-profit Organizations starting at 10am online
- May 6: Connected Care in Alberta: Optimizing Digital Health Across Agencies starting at 8am at Holiday Inn - Gateway Boulevard
- May 6: ScaleUP Coffee Community Takeover starting at 9am at Edmonton Unlimited
- May 6: Tour of ZERO CARBON building that uses solar and geothermal starting at 6:30pm at 9211 41 Avenue NW
- May 7: How to Build a Small Business Website with AI – From Setup to Growth starting at 12pm online
- May 7: YEG Startup Community Awards starting at 5:30pm at The Standard
- May 7: Dentons Startup legal 101: What Every Founder Needs to Know starting at 6pm at Edmonton Unlimited
- May 8: Edmonton AI Tech & Finance Networking Event starting at 7pm at 1st RND
- May 8-10: natIgnite: Competition at University of Alberta (Donadeo Innovation Centre For Engineering)
- May 11: TEDxUAlberta 2026: RegeneraTED starting at 5pm at Horowitz Theatre
And here are some upcoming events to keep in mind:
- May 13: Bioeconomy Guild Night at MKT Fresh Food | Beer Market
- May 15: Friendly Fridays - May Edition: Collaboration by Design at Reimagine Architects
- May 20: ITS Canada Conference & Trade Show at Delta Hotels by Marriott Edmonton South Conference Centre
Visit the Taproot Edmonton Calendar for many more events in the Edmonton region.
This roundup was sponsored by Edmonton Unlimited.
Now is the time for us, Edmonton's innovators, and our city. Headquartered in Alberta's capital city, Edmonton Unlimited harnesses the power of possibility and brings the very best of Edmonton to the world.