Plug and Play will support 58 startups with spring cohort

Plug and Play Alberta has announced 58 startups for the spring cohort of its industry-specific health, sustainability, food and beverage, and sector-agnostic startup accelerator programs.

The organization said this is the first cohort for the newly added food and beverage program and the third cohort for others. Of the 58 startups selected, 45 percent of companies are from Alberta, 69 percent are from other Canadian provinces, and 31 percent are joining the program internationally from countries such as the US, New Zealand, Switzerland, and Australia.

“Over the past year, the collaboration between our selected startups and the Plug and Play ecosystem has resulted in significant growth and scale-ups across various industries,” said Lindsay Smylie, director for Plug and Play Alberta, in a statement. “We're looking forward to adding the Food and Beverage program to our spring cohort and continuing to grow the tech community here in Alberta.”

A few of the Calgary companies selected are Carbon Upcycling Technologies, Earthware Reusables, and Quickly.

The full list of startups can be found on Plug and Play's website: health, sustainability, sector-agnostic, and food and beverage.

“Innovation means rethinking and retooling along the way,” said Laura Kilcrease, CEO of Alberta Innovates, in a statement. “We are pleased to see continued growth in each cohort. Entrepreneurs and startups will benefit from the mentorship, training, and support offered by the Plug and Play Alberta accelerator.”

Plug and Play Alberta says it is building a world-class innovation platform to attract top technology and investment to the region and support Alberta entrepreneurs to scale and grow, hire tech talent, and propel digital transformation across the province.

Plug and Play is part of the Alberta Scaleup and Growth Accelerator Program that is run by a consortium led by Alberta Innovates. The consortium, which also includes Technology and Innovation, Edmonton Unlimited, the Opportunity Calgary Investment Fund, and Prairies Economic Development Canada (PrairiesCan), allocated $35 million over three years to retain business accelerators. It's part of the Alberta government's goal to help create 20,000 jobs and increase technology firm revenue to $5 billion by 2030.

Over the next three months, the chosen startups will have the opportunity to participate in networking events, workshops, mentor sessions, private deal flow sessions, and more to increase their chances of securing exclusive pilots, proofs of concept, new customers, and investments.

They will be fully immersed in Plug and Play's global network of over 50,000 startups, 500-plus industry-leading corporate partners, and hundreds of venture capital firms and investors. There is no equity requirement for startups to participate in the programs.

Graduation for this batch of startups will begin at Plug and Play Alberta's Spring EXPO from May 29 to 30 in Calgary.