TOGETHER WITH
Welcome to this week's Sunday Briefing. In this edition:
Millions flow into defence and health research initiatives
A startup raises funding to streamline industry proposals
A new platform helps shoppers find local deals
Have a great day. We'll see you again next week.
P.S. Did someone forward you this email? You can subscribe right here. And for real-time updates, follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.
Photo: Neo Financial
Neo Financial makes history in Deloitte Tech Fast 50
Calgary's tech scene claimed multiple wins in Deloitte Canada's 2025 Technology Fast 50 program, with Neo Financial taking top honours in the Enterprise—Industry Leaders category. The fintech company, which is building what it calls a smarter financial experience through savings and credit products, has now achieved first place across all three Technology Fast 50 program categories over consecutive years—a feat no other company has accomplished.
ZayZoon, an earned wage access platform that allows employees to access their wages before payday, ranked 22nd in the main Technology Fast 50 category. The company added 100 people to its team last year and recently received funding from the Opportunity Calgary Investment Fund to hire 10 more staff members. Meanwhile, Orennia placed 11th in the Technology Fast 50 ranking, and two emerging Calgary companies—Ava Industries and Arcus Power—earned spots in the Companies-to-Watch category.
The recognition comes during what Deloitte calls the most competitive year for the program in over two decades. According to the firm, the top challenges facing Canada's fastest-growing tech companies include attracting and retaining qualified workers and expanding internationally. Despite these hurdles, artificial intelligence and automation remain the primary investment focus for most winning companies.
SPONSORED BY FLOAT FINANCIAL
Canada's leading companies count on Float.
Float is Canada's only all-in-one business finance platform, combining modern financial services and software to help businesses spend, save and grow.
Businesses across the country are embracing a “buy local” approach to Canadian tech. Float offers Canada's #1 solution for business accounts, corporate cards, automated expense management, next-day bill payments, market leading foreign exchange, and 4% interest to help take your business to the next level.
Join 5000+ Canadian companies that trust Float to take their finance team to the next level. Switch today.
Want to reach Calgary tech leaders? Advertise in the Calgary Tech Journal to get in front of founders, investors, and innovators. Contact [email protected] to learn more.
SPONSORED BY BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS OF CALGARY AND AREA
Male mentors needed! Be the difference.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Calgary and Area is Calgary’s mentoring charity. Currently, there are over 100 kids on our waitlist who are waiting for a male mentor. If you can give a few hours a week, you could transform a young person's life. Find out how you can become a mentor.
🤝 Funding, Deals, and Partnerships
Millions invested into new Calgary defence industry focused hub. Calgary and Canada’s national defence is getting a much-needed boost with the creation of the Xpand Canada Commercialization Centre from ConvergX, which will connect defence partners with firms in a variety of different industries. Livewire Calgary
Driving health research to market for Alberta’s future. New partnership between GlycoNet and Alberta Innovates accelerates research commercialization in glycomics – the next frontier in biotechnology – to deliver transformative health solutions. Alberta Innovates
UCalgary receives more than $4.7 million in funding for innovative research. Federal government announces winners of the John R. Evans Leaders Fund. University of Calgary
Calgary’s Bidaya AI raises $840K to automate AEC proposals. The startup is tackling one of the AEC industry’s biggest pain points—the fragmented process of finding and responding to requests for proposal. Calgary.Tech
SPONSORED BY NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY
Join Northeastern University Vancouver on November 17 for an info session about the academic programs, extracurricular and professional resources, and experiential learning model that sets Northeastern apart in the graduate education space.
📰 Need To Know
Calgary’s Future Summit 2025 looks to drive deals in legacy industries, AI, and infrastructure. Future Summit 2025 bills itself as North America’s premier conference on emerging technology and business innovation, built to skip the speeches and focus on deals, collaboration and results. Betakit
Mark Fitzgerald appointed president and chief executive officer of Eavor Technologies. Fitzgerald brings more than 35 years of executive leadership experience in the energy sector. Eavor Technologies
MindFuel launches Codingville with AI. Through this training, youth across Canada will develop critical skills to thrive and succeed in Canada's rapidly evolving innovation economy. MindFuel Foundation
Empower Calgary shoppers: Innovative platform launches to compare grocery prices across local stores. As food prices and inflation continue to challenge household budgets, the tool helps families discover the best deals on everyday essentials including fresh produce, dairy, pantry staples, and household items, while continuing to support and promote local businesses. Mkdigiworld
SPONSORED BY WEWORK
💻 Ready to find your ideal workspace? For businesses of all sizes—from startups to enterprises—discover the coworking space that fits your needs. Connect with a WeWork professional today.*