Bringing artificial intelligence home

Welcome to this week's Sunday Briefing. In this issue, read about the role of artificial intelligence in real estate, plus 11 other stories you may have missed. Have a great day. We'll see you again on Wednesday.

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Bringing artificial intelligence home

Calgary-based OpenHouse.ai has announced a partnership with fellow local company Hopewell Residential. The partnership brings together OpenHouse.ai’s AI-powered solution with Hopewell Residential’s experience building homes and creating communities to help streamline the homebuying process and offer a personalized home shopping experience.

"To meet the demands of a dynamic housing market, our goal is to help home builders deeply understand the needs of homebuyers and, ultimately, build better homes to suit buyers' needs," said Will Zhang, OpenHouse.ai CEO and co-founder. "Technology has already made a significant impact on almost every other consumer-facing industry and changed how businesses make better decisions to serve their customers more effectively. We believe that AI can finally accelerate the digital transformation of the home building industry, and we are grateful for the opportunity to work with some of the most forward-looking builders in this industry to make a difference."

Hopewell Residential and OpenHouse.ai's collaboration includes a platform, OpenConnect, designed to cater to the needs of online-savvy homebuyers while maintaining the essential human element in selecting buyers’ dream homes.

🤝 Funding, Deals, and Partnerships

• SAIT selected as test centre for NATO's defence innovation network. SAIT and the University of Alberta were among the 13 Canadian test centres announced last week by the department of national defence. Calgary Herald

📰 Need To Know

• 5 Tech Companies in Calgary to Know. These are some of the largest employers in Calgary. Built In

• Little wonder: This Calgary company uses tiny tech to lessen the impact of lithium extraction. EVs may be a greener option, but the materials in their batteries take a heavy toll on the planet. Litus’s nanotechnology makes it easier to source energy without destroying the environment. Calgary Herald

• Now Innovating: Improving balance and mobility for older adults, athletes and astronauts with wearable tech. Now Innovating shares the stories of UCalgary researchers who have moved their discoveries forward and their innovation journeys to implementation and creating impact. University of Calgary

• Bow Valley College gives students top computing power. Bow Valley College wants to put the prowess of its new computing power in the palm of learners’ hands without a big price tag for students. Calgary Economic Development

• Calgary startups embrace AI technology: ‘We’ve only scratched the surface.’ In the fast-paced digital landscape of Calgary’s startup scene, innovation knows no bounds. Global News

• Expansion In Alberta's Startup Funding Ecosystem: University Of Alberta Creates An Innovation Fund Starting At $5M With A Focus In AI, Health, Energy, And Agriculture. The mandate of the Innovation Fund is to invest in early-stage technology ventures with a connection to the University of Alberta, mainly that of undergraduate students, graduate students, faculty, staff, and University of Alberta Alumni. Mondaq

• 'Fuel of the future': Alberta’s first commercial hydrogen fuelling station unveiled south of Edmonton. Premier Smith doubled-down on her excitement on the hydrogen projects by announcing her government’s $100 million investment into the hydrogen energy sector across multiple projects. CTV News

• Calgary’s Next Economy: Digitote helps manage projects with influencers, creators. It’s project management software for creatives and agencies – they can see all the projects listed, the campaigns, when they go live, the deliverables and more. Livewire Calgary

• Alberta Takes The Lead in Quantum Tech Development. Quantum technology is positioned to redefine technology and business. And Alberta is poised to be a leader in this transformative era. The Quantum Insider

• Alberta looking at new methods to protect water supply. One water recycling project developed at the University of Alberta is being tested in Calgary. City News