Welcome to this week's Sunday Briefing. In this issue, get the details on Amii's $30 million investment from Alberta Innovates, plus 10 other stories you've probably missed. Have a great day. We'll see you again Wednesday.

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Amii receives $30M from Alberta Innovates to accelerate AI talent and solutions

The Government of Alberta, through Alberta Innovates, has announced a $30 million investment in the Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute, known as Amii. The funding is meant to help build Alberta’s AI talent pipeline, accelerate research and commercialization and grow the AI ecosystem.

According to the government, the investment is meant to ensure Alberta – which has long been a leader in AI in Canada – remains at the forefront.

Nate Gubish, Alberta's Minister of Technology and Innovation, believes Alberta has the potential to accelerate AI and commercialize solutions. “Investing in AI ensures our province remains at the forefront of developing new and emerging technologies to solve the world’s latest challenges and bring made-in-Alberta technologies to global markets,” he said.

Amii CEO Cam Linke said the funding is “a huge vote of confidence in the work Amii is doing to expand Alberta’s AI capacity, to build on its global AI leadership.” He added that the funding will enable Amii to “increase the depth of Alberta’s innovation and technology talent pool, accelerate the commercialization of Alberta research and innovation, and build upon Alberta’s position as a global leader in AI innovation and industry deployment.”

Amii’s current projects include supporting more than 850 individuals to upskill through specialized workshops; providing online education to more than 27,000 people looking to build foundational knowledge about AI; and supporting 58 startups with AI programs designed for tech startup founders.

“Together we are creating powerful tools to allow Alberta businesses to compete across sectors and take advantage of a $16 trillion market opportunity,” Laura Kilcrease, CEO of Alberta Innovates, emphasized in a statement.

🤝 Funding, Deals + Partnerships

• The Government of Alberta has approved the University of Alberta to set up a new Innovation Fund that will invest in Alberta-led startups. The Innovation Fund, expected to be launched this year, will gain capital through venture philanthropy. The fund will invest in Alberta-based startups founded by University of Alberta students, alumni, faculty, staff and Alberta entrepreneurs. Continue

• Construction tech startup Mercator AI has raised $3.75 million USD in seed funding to accelerate its growth. The company, which is a real-time construction intelligence platform, said Freestyle Ventures and Builders VC co-led the financing, bringing Mercator AI’s total raised to $4.46 million USD since its inception in October 2020. Calgary Tech Journal

📰 Need To Know

• How Eavor Technologies, a Calgary geothermal company is making its mark across the Atlantic. Taylor Simmons / CBC

• Dani Urton, director of energy transition and climate change at Vertex Resource Group Ltd, was named a Young Women in Energy award. Continue

• Software startup Symend has restructured and reduced its staff by 25 percent. Josh Scott / BetaKit

• ICYMI: 45 top speakers converging on Calgary for tech symposium

💡 POV: Ideas and Insights

• Kevin Krausert, CEO and co-founder of Avatar Innovations, writing in The Globe & Mail: Canada shouldn’t exit oil and gas – we can’t electrify everything overnight

• Shawn Freeman, a board member with The A100, shares five tips for people building things

• Sophie Gray, founder of DiveThru joined the Telling It Like It Is podcast. Listen now

• Theresa Tayler, founder of Start Me UP PR, asks how do inherent biases impact investment thesis in our tech sector and beyond?

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