Calgary's Top 40 under 40

Welcome to this week's Sunday Briefing. In this issue, read about Calgary’s Top 40 Under 40, plus 11 other stories you've probably missed. Have a great day. We'll see you again on Wednesday.

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Tech entrepreneurs and researchers recognized in Top 40 Under 40

Presented by connectFirst Credit Union, the University of Calgary, and the Calgary Chamber of Commerce, Calgary’s Top 40 Under 40 is celebrating it’s 25th anniversary.

The awards ceremony recognizes Calgarians whose contributions inspire and elevate the community, helping to create a more innovative and inclusive Calgary.

This year’s recipients include:

• Dion Kelly and Eli Kinney-Lang, co-founders, Possibility Neurotechnologies and BCI Games

• Hadis Karimipour, Canada research chair and associate professor, Department of Electrical and Software Engineering, University of Calgary

• Ben Klepacki, co-founder and chief revenue officer, Convrg

• Aaron Logan, chief operating officer, Excir

• Husein Moloo, co-founder and chief operating officer, PurposeMed

• Benjamin Tutolo, associate professor, Department of Geoscience, University of Calgary

🗳️ Question of the Week

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🤝 Funding, Deals + Partnerships

• At Fortinet, golf and cybersecurity collide. Throw in support of Brown Bagging for Calgary’s Kids and you have a glimpse into the week that was at the company’s Tech Expo and Fortinet Cup Championship. Calgary Tech Journal

• Former Minister of Justice and Solicitor General, Minister of Jobs, Economy & Innovation for the Province of Alberta co-founds law firm. Doug Schweitzer announces opening of Blue Rock Law. Doug Schweitzer, LinkedIn

• Alberta raises $640M across 75 deals in first three quarters in 2023. Third quarter tech investments add up to $180M across 26 funding rounds. Start Alberta 

• BDC announces new $50-million envelope to invest in emerging start-ups. New envelope will strategically bolster access to seed stage capital for Canadian software companies. BDC

• UCalgary scholar Dr. Aaron Phillips receives $1M for bold spinal cord injury research. As the recipient of the 2023 prize, Phillips plans to use the award to test new ways to prevent spinal cord injury, reduce damage and support healing. University of Calgary

📰 Need To Know

• How Andrew Chau’s fintech company put the prairies on the map. Neo Financial, which Chau started after launching Skip the Dishes, is valued at over $1 billion. Canadian Business

• Council of Canadian Innovators (CCI) response to the 2023 Alberta throne speech. CCI has been pressing the Alberta government to refine its approach to innovation in the form of a digital strategy over the past few years. Council of Canadian Innovators

• 2023 Institutional Sustainability Report captures the power of research and innovation. Innovative solutions and transdisciplinary collaboration are key to addressing society’s biggest challenges. University of Calgary

• 2024 Economic Outlook: Calgary set to navigate economic headwinds. Record population growth, strong commodity prices and consumer spending are expected to position Calgary and Alberta well in the year ahead, however challenging economic headwinds will have a dampening impact on growth, economists said at Calgary Economic Development’s 2024 Economic Outlook. Calgary Economic Development

• New video series captures innovation in teaching and learning. When the global pandemic hit, many educators saw an opportunity to try something new and innovative in the courses they were teaching. University of Calgary

• 'Anything is possible': Life-changing tech lets visually impaired Calgary master's student see clearly. Faizan Kazani, currently in the second year of his master's degree in creativity and change leadership, uses a set of goggles to help him read assignments. CTV News