Welcome to the Midweek Memo which features a bit of news and a bunch of upcoming events. In this issue, read about the two Calgary-based quarter-finalists in the OKGN Angel Angel Summit, plus upcoming events focused on artificial intelligence, bio-entrepreneurship and social innovation.

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Two Calgary startups secure spots in the OKGN Angel Summit quarter-finals

We told you about the fifth annual OKGN Angel Summit in December. It's a pitch program that guides Okanagan-based investors and startups from across Western Canada – including Alberta, B.C., Manitoba, and Northwest Territories – through the capital-raising process as part of a Dragons’ Den-style selection process, culminating in a public grand finale. On March 16, 2023, the last company standing will be awarded an investment of up to $225,000.

Since then, 43 angel investors have been meeting week-over-week to review 45+ applications. They've narrowed it down to the top 24 companies that will deliver their first 3-minute pitch at the Quarter Finals in hopes of continuing their journey toward the six-figure investment. Among the quarter-finalists are two Calgary companies, Earthware Reusables Inc. and EZ-Robot. 

Led by founder and CEO John MacInnes, Earthware produces reusable takeout packaging as a service. The company was recently awarded $41,075 through the Canadian Food Innovation Network. Led by CEO Dennis Kambeitz, EZ-Robot is a coding and robotics platform that scales with users. It's used by STEM educators in over 90 countries.

Learn more about the 22 other quarter-finalists.

Now, here are the key events for the week ahead...

Tonight: Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute: AI for Good and For All | January 26

Join tonight to kick off 2023 with two great presentations and networking. Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute: AI for Good and For All with David Chan, followed by YYC Data Conference: Overview of Topics and Speakers with Ben Wong. Networking takes place at Civic Tavern.

Scientific & Investment Readiness for Aspiring Bioentrepreneurs | January 27

Are you an aspiring bioentrepreneur but are not sure how to take your discoveries from the lab to the people that need them? This seminar explores the evolving nature of commercializing drug discovery from academic labs, including how the involvement of partnerships, accelerators and venture capital continue to influence change in biomedical innovation.

Founders Coffee | January 31

Founders Coffee is every Tuesday at 7.30am in Calgary and now Edmonton. This is for entrepreneurs, startups, an small business. In Calgary, meet at Red's Diner in Kensington , in Edmonton, at DOSC. 

Social Innovation Hub Housewarming | January 31

Social Innovation at Innovate Calgary has a new home and we'd love if you could join us to celebrate. Brief remarks will be followed by a panel discussion from social innovators who are pushing the boundaries of 'who, what, and where' in social innovation. The remainder of the morning will be dedicated to networking, knowledge sharing, and community building activities (with prizes!) that showcase some of the incredible spaces and resources available in our ecosystem. 

For more local tech and business events, check out our friends at In the Know YYC.

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