Top 10 talent

Welcome to this week's Sunday Briefing. In this issue, read about the closing of Calgary-based non-profit Chic Geek, plus 10 other stories you've probably missed. Have a great day. We'll see you again Wednesday.

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Exit Interview: Kylie Woods on Chic Geek’s legacy

Back in 2013, Kylie Woods launched Chic Geek, a grassroots initiative meant to support women in tech. On June 14, after 10 years of helping women and diverse groups build confidence, network, and advance in their careers, Woods announced the decision to sunset the organization. It closes down officially at the end of June.

In a conversation with Calgary Tech Journal last week, Woods acknowledged that it’s “a really sad and hard decision,” but that the time was right to make it.

“We have accomplished a significant amount of what we wanted to achieve in terms of building a community, creating a sense of belonging for women in tech, and working with and engaging a lot of corporate partners,” she says. “We're seeing the conversations around EDI and women in tech – it’s a very commonplace conversation now where it wasn't before. We're also seeing way more organizations in the EDI space like Toast [a membership-based women’s collective], as an example of one that’s stepping in and filling this really amazing gap. There’s been a lot of change since we started.”

That’s one part of the story.

🗳️ Question of the Week

🤝 Funding, Deals + Partnerships

• Wealth management startup OneVest raises $17 million CAD Series A. This latest raise places total investment to date in OneVest at $24 million CAD. Betakit

• Kibbi, which helps newcomers connect with businesses, raised $1.1M. BetaKit

SPONSORED

TKS is the world’s top innovation program for students ages 13-17.

The program is designed to make students future-ready with the tools and mindsets needed to solve important problems in the world.

At TKS, students:

• Gain real-world work experience with organizations like Google & the UN

• Be future-ready with a good understanding of emerging technologies like AI & Nanotech

• Develop a portfolio of projects for university and internship applications

• Learn the mindsets, confidence, and problem-solving abilities needed to lead

• Be mentored by professionals from Apple, Stanford, Uber & more

Applications are due June 30.

📰 Need To Know

• Calgary cements position as fast-emerging ecosystem in global report. Fintech, life sciences, and agtech and new food sectors are highlighted for their density of talent, support resources, and startup activity. Overall, Calgary is ranked as a top 10 ecosystem for affordable talent, among other advantages. Calgary Tech Journal

• Meet 3 Calgarians who shifted their careers into the tech sector. Changing careers can be hard, especially into the ever-evolving tech sector. Avenue Magazine

• Alberta Premier decries big tech and government censorship as Facebook account temporarily suspended. Smith has been very outspoken on social media, even before she first became premier in October. Global News

• Calgary Awards honour remarkable community members. Seven University of Calgary award recipients celebrated during ceremony on June 14. University of Calgary

• Collectibles for sale: How a card-sorting machine is revolutionizing trading cards. The company responsible for the machine is poised to cross $2 million as far as recurring revenue is concerned. CBC News

• Calgary cleantech company discovers process to produce fullerenes at scale. This discovery will fundamentally accelerate the pace of innovation and global efforts towards building a sustainable and economically prosperous future. Rain Cage Carbon

💡 POV: Ideas and Insights

• Collisions YYC sits down with Toast’s Marissa McNeelands and April Hicke for a first-hand look at the barriers women still face today and how organizations like Toast are disrupting historically male-centric industries.

• The Founder Mindset chats with AltaML co-founder and co-CEO Nicole Janssen about an investor pulling out while she was on a long-awaited holiday and much more.

• Mina Demian on the power of technology in fighting Canada’s wildfires.

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