$4 million for Calgary

TOGETHER WITH

Welcome to this week's Sunday Briefing. In this issue, read about insights into the wild world of Calgary fintech, plus 12 other stories you've probably missed. Have a great day. We'll see you again Wednesday.

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Calgary product leaders share insights on how to build trust in fintech

Last Thursday, Tech Thursday and Product Calgary hosted a panel on Product Management in FinTech. The panel featured were Neta Pyasi, VP of operations at Benevity, Spencer Yarnell, product lead at Neo Financial, Maxine Smith, product management, manager at Symend, Maryheth Cabrera, co-founder and head of product at Woveo, and Jeff McPherson, executive director of product management at Morgan Stanley ShareWorks.

There’s no silver bullet when it comes to building trust in the fast-emerging field of fintech. That’s just one of the insights panellists shared with a sold-out audience.

🗳️ Question of the Week

🤝 Funding, Deals + Partnerships

• Minister Vandal announces federal investment to grow aerospace industry in Calgary. The $4 million will be used to establish an Aerospace Innovation Hub and a remotely-piloted aviation training centre. Prairies Economic Development Canada

• PetroCanada issues may be ‘tip of the iceberg’ after Suncor cybersecurity incident. The Calgary-based oil company has provided no details about the attack or which parts of its operations were affected. Canadian Press

• Eavor secures $80 million to support Austrian oil and gas firm OMV’s transition to green energy. OMV will use Eavor’s technology to support its transition to green energy. Betakit

• Highwood Emissions Management closes $3M seed funding round. The Calgary-based company intends to use the funds to further develop and scale its platform, expand operations and its business reach. Finsmes

• Plug and Play Alberta collaborates with new partner to help advance energy technology and innovation. The Plug and Play platform combines ideas from various industries and countries onto one unified platform to advance solutions that enhance environmental performance. Plug and Play

• Quorum announces acquisition of Victoria’s VINN Automotive Technologies Limited. VINN is Quorum’s fifth acquisition in six years and marks another step forward in Quorum’s strategy to be a full-service provider to automotive dealerships. Quorum Information Technologies Inc.

• Calgary’s Syzl wins PITCH at Collision 2023. Syzl is a one-stop-shop for food makers looking for certified kitchen space. Collision

• GeologicAI announces $20m Series A funding from Breakthrough Energy Ventures to accelerate critical mineral suppliers for the clean energy transition. The financial backing will further the development and global scaling of GeologicAI's fleet of AI-powered robot geologists. GeologicAI

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📰 Need To Know

• Are you one of Canada's 50 most investable cleantech ventures? Applications for the annual Foresight 50 are back. Calgary Tech Journal

• Alberta energy startup harnesses the Margaret Thatcher effect. Entrepreneur's fifth company drives middle lane: 'Let’s do as much solar and wind as we can; let’s look at hydrocarbons and capture carbon.' National Post

• Mayor Jyoti Gondek trumpets Calgary tech at Collision conference in Toronto. Calgary's tech sector has seen record growth in venture capital investment over the past six years. Calgary Herald

• Alberta FinTech companies have raised $750M since 2017. According to Start Alberta, 2022 was a standout year for with $343M raised across 18 funding rounds. Start Alberta

💡 POV: Ideas and Insights

• The Founder Mindsight chats with Darcy Tuer, Co-founder and CEO of ZayZoon, about rejection and using meaningful impact for motivation.

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