Tech Roundup
Aug. 18, 2026
The Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute reflected on the 10th anniversary edition of AI4Good Lab, a program set up to increase diversity in the field. This year's cohort saw 85 women and gender-diverse people take part in seven-week programs at Amii as well as at Mila in Montreal and the Vector Institute in Toronto. The 20 Edmonton participants spent the first four weeks in an intensive machine-learning bootcamp, with coding workshops, a foundational lecture from Amii Fellow Marlos C. Machado, socials, tours of local tech labs, and discussions on AI ethics, project management, and trust and safety. "Watching the Edmonton cohort evolve over seven weeks is always a summer highlight," said Warren Johnston of Amii. "This year, participants arrived with raw curiosity and left as a confident, connected community poised to solve real-world problems with machine learning."
The Edmonton cohort brought four projects to the national Demo Day at Mila: Vital Byte, which turns seniors' blood work results into personalized meal plans and grocery lists; Rebuildr, which helps people navigate insurance and claims documents after natural disasters; Furcast, which predicts animal shelter outcomes; and FEEDS, a forecasting tool to help food banks prepare for demand spikes. FEEDS received the Accelerator Award for its potential social impact at the Demo Day at Mila in Montreal.
Participants will continue to develop their skills through Amii's AI Career Accelerator program. Applications for the 2027 cohort will open in the fall. Participants said the final projects were a testament to the group's shared passion, skill, and friendship. "The feeling of being able to not only pursue but complete a passion project with like-minded people is something I really can't put into words," participant Autumn McFetridge said in Amii's post about the cohort.
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Headlines
- Edmonton Unlimited has announced the 10 companies to be showcased during Edmonton Startup Week from Oct. 5 to 9. They are 7 Summits Snacks, Aqtiva, Dualchemy, InnovativAI, Osprey Systems, Proholistic Discovery, Pulmvita, RNARevive, TaxFormify, and Zylotex.
- RNARevive is working to develop a platform for self-amplifying RNA therapeutics that enable the body to produce its own personalized medicine. Co-founder Nina Karpoff told Taproot the company's primary strategy is to license or co-develop therapeutics with partners. She noted Edmonton's innovators are "highly respected" internationally but remain underrecognized locally: "We're making waves, making sure people know who we are."
- The University of Alberta has partnered with Toronto-based Xanadu to build a quantum computing framework to develop non-invasive cancer treatments. Xanadu and U of A researcher Alex Brown will explore photodynamic cancer therapy using light-activated compounds called photosensitizers for minimally invasive, targeted treatment of tumours. "By combining Xanadu's quantum expertise with our experience in modelling photodynamic therapy, we're excited to explore how quantum computing could provide new tools for designing more effective treatments," Brown said.
- Financial services startup hi finance has created finance guides for each post-secondary institution in which it operates. The startup was among the top five at Startup TNT's investment summit in May.
- Registration is open for DevCon at Edmonton Unlimited on Sept. 19. The event, with the theme "Beyond the Classroom," will bring together computer science students for a keynote, breakout sessions, resume support, career panels, and mentorship circles.
- Registration is open for Scientific Entrepreneurship Day, a half-day event for University of Alberta researchers, postdocs, students, professors, and those exploring research commercialization, startups, and spinouts. Participants will hear from U.S.-based Celesta Capital about spinout readiness, building science-driven companies, and navigating market opportunity, IP, customer discovery, non-dilutive funding, and venture capital.
- CBC profiled Studio Reset, an independent video game studio founded by three Bioware alumni — Kaelin Lavallee, Kris Schoneberg, and Francis Lacuna. The studio's first game, The Eventide, will be a supernatural mystery game set in a "neon-noir" Canadian setting.
- Applied Pharmaceutical Innovation reached another milestone toward bringing the Critical Medicines Production Centre online, completing a factory acceptance test for a pharmaceutical manufacturing booth. The progress runs alongside plans by Vimy Pharma — which is pursuing a public listing — to produce the first made-in-Canada generic version of Ozempic with API.
Connect, share ideas, and spark new collaborations
From Sept. 21 to 25, Life Sciences Week brings together industry leaders, policymakers, researchers, innovators, and students for free, community-led events across Alberta. Explore cutting-edge breakthroughs, meet the people transforming bold ideas into real-world solutions, and help shape the future of Alberta's life sciences sector.
Jobs and opportunities
- Jobber is hiring a staff software engineer.
- Promise Robotics is hiring a software developer.
- AltaML is hiring an intermediate full stack software engineer.
- The Government of Alberta is hiring a business analyst, digital architect, and a product and delivery manager in the Ministry of Technology and Innovation.
Happenings
Here are some events coming up soon:
- Aug. 19: Community Coffee Takeover: Cold Calling starting at 9am at Edmonton Unlimited
- Aug. 19: ERIN Community Initiative Info Session starting at 12pm online
- Aug. 19: Tech Wednesdays starting at 5:30pm at The Pint Public House
- Aug. 20: Edmonton Community Foundation's Community Grant Sessions: Coffee, Conversations & Funding Ideas starting at 10am at Edmonton Chamber of Voluntary Organizations
- Aug. 20: Startup TNT Happy Hour starting at 6pm at Pub 1905
- Aug. 20: Data centre town halls at 6pm online
- Aug. 25: Mass Impact: A Fireside Chat with Ray Muzyka and Kristina Milke starting at 2:30pm at Edmonton Unlimited
And here are more to keep in mind:
- Sept. 15-17: Carbon Capture Canada at Edmonton Convention Centre
- Sept. 17: Fundraising, Culture, Persistence: What Keeps Founders Going at Fu's Repair Shop
- Sept. 21-25: Life Sciences Week 2026
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.