Edmonton, Alberta, July 12, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Edmonton Unlimited, in collaboration with the City of Edmonton, announces three urban innovation challenges for Capital City Pilots. Funded by PrairiesCan and the Province of Alberta, Capital City Pilots is an exciting procurement experiment that provides a case study for local startups to test pilot-ready IP. This new program is designed to set up winning participants with success, including $10K in expert support, exclusive access to municipal clients, and resources to refine their innovations in a real-world setting.
“Edmonton has earned its reputation as a thriving hub for entrepreneurs ready to expand their horizons and showcase the best of our city’s innovations to the global market,” said Edmonton Unlimited CEO Catherine Warren. “In partnership with the City of Edmonton, Capital City Pilots is a powerful triple threat – participating companies secure the City as a case study, municipal operations prosper through homegrown innovation, and the greater Edmonton community profits from local ingenuity in action. From our abundant resources to our business-friendly environment, Edmonton embraces innovation, discovery, and experimentation.”
With challenges spanning various industries released over the next several years, startups get on-ramps for testing and validating urban innovations.
Announced today, the first three challenges call for solutions aimed at city-building goals, including downtown vibrancy, reimagining public spaces, and neighbourhood renewal:
- Data-Driven Downtown: We're seeking innovations to visualize real-time data in the downtown core, encompassing residents, workers, and tourists.
- Environmenta; Records for Contamination Site: Help us map potential contamination sites for redevelopment through Edmonton.
- Igniting Vibrancy in the Quarters: We're seeking creative innovation to inhabit The Quarters, an area nestled next to North America's largest stretch of urban parkland! This is your chance to deploy innovations in the public square and take advantage of land and other previously inaccessible spaces for your testing.
Capital City Pilots challenges open doors for local innovators to secure best-in-class case studies, receive expert support, validate data, and secure talent and investments.
"Teams draw strength from diversity, so pairing a large municipality with our local startups brings together the right formula to tackle any problem,” said Zipstall Inc. Founder Kevin Petterson. “Bring your challenges and we will engage our City’s most relentless and agile problem solvers to help move Edmonton forward as a leader in innovation."
"At Standard Field Systems, we're building technology to support public institutions - like community safety, fire, and law enforcement,” said Standard Field Systems Co-Founder and Managing Partner Punchcard Sam Jenkins. “Without partnering with Edmonton Police, we wouldn't have been able to fully understand one of their real-world challenges - or the solution required. With Capital City Pilots, the municipal ecosystem becomes a hub for innovators like us, making more success stories possible, and creating much more value for the City of Edmonton.”
Pilots will provide solutions to benefit Edmontonians and grow the region’s innovation ecosystem. Participating companies with gov-tech and other urban innovations can use the due diligence and outcomes from the program to pitch international prospects, VCs, and municipal clients around the world. Ultimately, Capital City Pilots showcases investable companies in Edmonton, appeals to global investors and talent, and positions Edmonton as an innovation capital solving local and global challenges.
“The launch of the new Capital City Pilots program is exciting for everyone involved and is a progressive development in homegrown tech and innovation,” said Edmonton City Mayor Amarjeet Sohi. “The City of Edmonton will benefit from new and visionary solutions to local problems, and participants will gain valuable experience and the opportunity to validate their ideas. I’m pleased that the municipal government will be the incubator for local innovators to spark change in our communities, and I’m looking forward to seeing the proposed solutions in action.”
"Alberta’s government is a proud funding partner of Edmonton Unlimited. The Capital City Pilots program is a great opportunity for Alberta innovators to showcase their ingenuity and to apply technology to solve real world problems. Projects like these contribute to the momentum in Alberta’s tech sector as we work towards becoming one of the most innovative jurisdictions in Canada."
- The Honourable Nate Glubish, Minister, of Technology and Innovation
“When Alberta’s innovators need assistance to scale up and bring their ideas to market, our government will be there to support them. Our investment in Edmonton Unlimited’s Capital City Pilots is enabling local entrepreneurs and businesses to have unparalleled access to vital city-owned assets and resources, allowing them to test unique solutions for the challenges cities face today while benefitting the residents of Edmonton into the future.”
-The Honourable Dan Vandal, Minister for PrairiesCan
“The Edmonton region’s technology and entrepreneurial ecosystem is a leader in new technology and innovation in Canada and beyond. Today’s launch of the first round of challenges under Capital City Pilots will provide an important boost to key city-building goals, and I look forward to seeing the innovative solutions that I know local startups are eager to deliver for the benefit of our community.”
-The Honourable Randy Boissonnault, Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance
For more information about Capital City Pilots program and updates on new and open innovation challenges, register on the Capital City Pilots challenge platform. Also, stay updated by signing up for the Capital City Pilots newsletter.
