Resources for Entrepreneurs
Resources for Entrepreneurs @ UCalgary
The following list is a selection of resources that are available to you within the University of Calgary campus. The purpose of this overview is to provide you with key resources and services that might be helpful in the initial phases of developing your startup. For resources outside of the University campus, please refer to the next section ‘Community Resources for Entrepreneurs'.
Resources for Entrepreneurs @ UCalgary
The following list is a selection of resources that are available to you within the University of Calgary campus. The purpose of this overview is to provide you with key resources and services that might be helpful in the initial phases of developing your startup. For resources outside of the University campus, please refer to the next section ‘Community Resources for Entrepreneurs'.
Entrepreneur Essentials
A great step-by-step webcast tool for your startup development journey featuring videos, printable resources, program offerings, and connections to community support organizations.
Hunter Hub for Entrepreneurial Thinking
The Hunter Centre has a variety of offerings that are available to assist you throughout the ideation and concepting phases of your entrepreneurial journey.
Student Entrepreneur Advising Program (SEA Program)
Available each Thursday afternoons from 1.30 – 3.30pm, during the Fall and Winter semesters, the SEA Program allows you the opportunity to meet with experienced entrepreneurs and industry experts from the Calgary business community for free 1:1 feedback related to your startup. UCalgary students are welcome to participate at any stage of the ideation process – from concept development to team formation, incorporation and initial operations. Simply review the upcoming advisors, make your selection and sign up online for your 30 minute meeting.
Summer Incubator Program
The Summer Incubator Program is a non-credit program that provides students with access to everything you’ll need to launch and grow your startup! This program offers students with a unique opportunity to spend their summer at The Inc. (Innovate Calgary’s newly developed co-working space), while being supported by specialized programming and mentorship.
Innovate Calgary
Innovate Calgary can provide advising and support for the disclosure of your innovation as well as entrepreneur development programming and advice.
Venture Mentoring Service of Alberta
The VMSA program supports Alberta-based innovators and entrepreneurs by matching them with volunteer mentors. The mentor team is comprised of two to three people who work together to provide entrepreneurs with practical, day-to-day professional advice and coaching. Mentoring is given across a broad range of business activity including product development, marketing, intellectual property law, finance, human resources, founders issues, etc.
For more information about Innovate Calgary programs and resources, or to connect with an appropriate team member visit, http://www.innovatecalgary.com
Skunkworks Innovation Clinics
The Skunkworks Cooperative serves as a connection point for students, staff, and faculty on the University of Calgary campus; we educate and promote cross-faculty events and initiatives surrounding innovation.
If you are an early stage innovator and would like to present your project (business, technology, etc) during a skunkworks meeting, please let us know at least a week in advance. Pick a clinic time and send details about your presentation to slarter@ucalgary.ca that includes:
- An overview of your business or technical venture
- Key milestones you've achieve thus far
- What you need help with from the Skunkworks group
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GSA Innovation Development Awards
Innovation Development Awards are available to all UCalgary graduate students who are looking to productize their research, or those who have an innovative product or service idea. The award package features upwards of $20,000 in prizes, free professional business mentorship services from Innovates Calgary and much more in subsidized in-kind services.
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Tesla Award
Open to all UCalgary undergraduate, graduate and post-doc students, Tesla is an early stage innovator award that is provided by the Calgary Tesla Society to honor Serbian-American scientist and inventor, Nikola Tesla. The prize consists of $1,500 cash and substantial in-kind support to get your idea off the ground.
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BLG Business Venture Clinic
The BLG Business Venture Clinic matches law students with start-up companies. The students work with these companies over the course of the entire year, providing legal information and drafting various agreements and other documents. Each student is provided with a mentor practicing law downtown who reviews the student's memos and agreements before they are forwarded to the client.
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ContractClub
ContractClub is a startup from the University of Calgary that is dedicated to providing emerging startups with resources and tools to draft and edit legal documents to build their business.
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University of Calgary Intellectual Property Policy
For questions relating to intellectual property developed at the University of Calgary, please refer to the policy below.
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3D Printing at the Taylor Family Digital Library
The consumer-level printer in the TFDL is ideal for experimenting with design and prototyping. For only a few dollars, you can print anything on a small scale, such as a prototype design, an action figure or a trinket for a necklace. Having a minimum viable product that you can use to demonstrate the value of your new product or service will help customers and investors better understand what you're building towards.
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KICS
The Kinetica Innovation Centre at SAIT is a facility and program that helps clean energy technology startups and researchers design, prototype and test their proprietary technologies. KICS helps energy innovators move their ideas from testing and experimentation to prototype development.
The 2,200-square-foot facility, located on the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) campus, offers a combination of dedicated co-working wet and mechanical lab space and access to mentorship services to help assist energy startups and researchers to accelerate their prototype development.
Resources for Entrepreneurs in the Community
The Hunter Centre is proud to work with innovative organizations from across Calgary, Alberta, and Canada. We act as a hub on campus for these innovative groups to engage with students with events and programs.
Entrepreneur Tools
An extensive list of tools and resources aimed at supporting startups and entrepreneurs. Many of the tools listed here require no coding experience, and are either cheap or free to use. This resource was produced by Mohammad Keyhani, an assistant professor at the Haskayne School of Business.
tooluru
tooluru helps business professionals and entrepreneurs share their creative solutions to the similar challenges that they face on a daily basis. The ever-changing work world is forcing businesses to change from "this is the way we have always done it" to "new and improved". tooluru helps the business community by providing a marketplace to share their creative solutions and insights with one another.
The entrepreneurial ecosystem contains a wide range of support organizations that exist to help startups and small businesses grow.
To start, visit AlbertaIN. This is a community driven and community owned online directory representing Alberta's innovation sector service providers. This site can be used to identify the most suitable service provider to meet your business needs.
Some notable organizations that can support University of Calgary students, faculty members, and startups are:
Innovate Calgary
Innovate Calgary is where startups, entrepreneurs, researchers, investors, industry and partners within the advanced technology sector take innovation and ideas to business.
Alberta Innovates
A new research, innovation and commercialization corporation that will address global challenges, and increase Alberta's global competitiveness with made-in-Alberta solutions from the province's core strengths - agriculture, energy, environment, forestry and health. It's an investment in the growth and diversification of Alberta's economy.
Startup Calgary
Startup Calgary is a grassroots organization looking to inspire and grow the ICT entrepreneurial movement by building community through events and workshops. We connect people with what they need, when they need it!
Futurpreneur Canada
Futurpreneur Canada is the only national, non-profit organization that provides financing, mentoring and support tools to aspiring business owners aged 18-39. Their mentoring program hand matches young entrepreneurs with a business expert from a network of more than 2,800 volunteer mentors.
Chic Geek
Chic Geek is a welcoming, supportive community for women exploring the intersection of technology and entrepreneurship. Through a mentorship program, networking, speaking events and basic technical workshops, we help women feel more comfortable using technology in their careers.
Business Link
If you’ve got an innovative idea and the motivation to take the next step, Business Link will give you the tools to make your business idea a reality, and connect you with the most relevant small business resources to help bring your idea to life.
NSERC
NSERC connects industry with world-firsts in knowledge and the people behind them, fuelling R&D and leading to firsts in the marketplace. Whether you are a professor looking for an industry collaborator, a company in need of research expertise, or a student interested in industrial R&D, they can help.
Concierge
Concierge is a Government of Canada program delivered by the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC-IRAP) that provides free advisory services for SMEs to find the programs, services and funding that are available at the national, provincial and local level to assist companies in growing their business.
Founders Canada
Founders Canada is a volunteer-driven non-for-profit dedicated to empowering startups and entrepreneurs. When you are starting a business you have million questions and sometimes a simple search won’t do. Founders Canada was born to change that and connect entrepreneurs with the right resources and people in the Canadian context.
Alberta Innovates
Alberta Innovates is a new research, innovation and commercialization corporation that will address global challenges, and increase Alberta's global competitiveness with made-in-Alberta solutions from the province's core strengths - agriculture, energy, environment, forestry and health.
A) Micro-Voucher Program
The Micro-Voucher is designed to support technologies in the early developmental stages. The Micro-Voucher is intended to fund the startup to retain one Service or Product Provider to assist with early start up development. Successful applicants can receive up to $10,000, which is paid directly to the Service or Product Provider named in the application. The funds are provided to cover eligible expenses for any one or more of the following items:
- Market assessments;
- Industry Development;
- Corporate training;
- Conferences (only with the support of a Technology Development Advisor);
- Intellectual property assessments; and/or
- Acquisition of materials and/or equipment critical to the Applicant’s operations.
For more information about the Micro-Voucher Program and the application process, visit:
B) Additional Funding Opportunities
Alberta Innovates also offer further funding solutions in the areas of Bio Solutions, Health Solutions, Energy and Environment Solutions, and Technology. To discover if there are funding opportunities that your startup maybe eligible for, click on the link below.
ATB BoostR
Alberta BoostR is a rewards-based crowd-funding platform from ATB Financial designed to help Alberta entrepreneurs launch or grow their business. Through Alberta BoostR, businesses can raise money, test ideas, and gain exposure and market insights from the “crowd” in exchange for a reward - a product, service, or fun/unique experience. Cast your business idea out to the public and see if they’ll validate it by helping you to raise funds.
- Visit, https://atbboostr.ca/
Accelerate Fund
The Accelerate Fund is a $10M early stage Angel co-investment fund available to early stage technology companies.
Fundica
Fundica, Canada's most successful traditional funding identification and connection platform, matches entrepreneurs, private investors, public funders and advisors. Through unique crowdsourcing/crawler technology, Fundica provides an up-to-date, comprehensive and intuitive funding platform.
SeedUps
SeedUps is an online investment crowdfunding platform where ordinary individuals and sophisticated investors come together to discover, evaluate and invest in growing companies. Companies raise capital through a secure platform where they can pitch, attract and close investors. Investors execute investments online, and stay informed of investee companies’ activities.
VA Angels
VA Angels brings entrepreneurs and investors together. Entrepreneurs looking to raise financing for their startup company present to our group of investors at forums across North America every month. The investors establish the actions of the forum; the rules and the areas of interest.
VCAA
On behalf of our members, Venture Capital Association of Alberta generates opportunities, events and programs that create:
- Dialogue among our members, and between the VC community and related industries and economic sectors.
- Networking at numerous VCAA events that are designed to facilitate introductions, connections and greater deal flow among VC industry players and related industries in Alberta and across Canada.
The Inc.
The Inc. is a coworking program powered by Innovate Calgary where physical space, mentorship, accountability and peer support combine to launch and grow a successful startup.
Assembly
Assembly offers an affordable alternative to renting or buying office space. You get a secure and professional turn-key office with all the benefits of a large office. Rates start at $300 per month.
Collective 12 | 12
The Collective 12 | 12 is a redefinition of coworking. Combining the passion and support of our community of entrepreneurs, join an incredible group of like minded individuals in a one of a kind space. Bring your dreams & a laptop and let's start something incredible, together. We are a pillar of Calgary’s startup ecosystem with hundreds of thought leaders and hungry entrepreneurs who are engaging, innovating and accelerating big ideas.
The Commons
The Commons focuses on providing a vibrant work and social environment, networking opportunities, and both quiet and collaborative spaces for like-minded coworkers to strive within their craft.
Work Nicer
Work Nicer provides its members with a physical location to call their own, offering workplace necessities and an environment that connects them to some of Calgary’s most exciting entrepreneurs. Their space is filled with those looking to create and work in a place that provides more than just a desk.
District Ventures
District Ventures — a non-profit accelerator — offers a community for Canadian entrepreneurs. They connect innovative growth-stage companies in the food and beverage and health and wellness sectors with strategic investors, sponsors and commercialization support.
Zone Startups
Zone Startups is a global accelerator for startups with strong teams and a vision to become fast-growing market leaders. They provide hands-on strategic and tactical guidance for startups looking to drive market validation and customer acquisition, as well as access to investors, corporate partners, and advisors.