DEEP TECH DAY

October 7

1-ON-1 INVESTOR MEETINGS

October 8

Alberta has entered a new era of deep tech

Bringing together the community for a full day of high-quality programming, connection and conversation.

We’re creating a curated room of deep tech founders, investors, researchers and ecosystem leaders to explore the realities of building, financing and scaling across Alberta.

Expect opportunities to learn from investors and peers, exchange ideas, make meaningful connections and spend time with people who understand the challenges and opportunities that come with building deep tech.

EDMONTON HAS DONE THIS BEFORE

Morning Session | 9:45AM – 11:00AM

Why The Matrikon Story Matters

Matrikon was built at a time when industry was changing quickly. Facilities were becoming more automated, different systems weren’t always talking to each other, and companies were sitting on more and more data without an easy way to use it.That created an opportunity.

Starting here in Edmonton, Matrikon worked alongside industry to solve those problems — and over time, turned that technical know-how into products and technology that could be used well beyond Alberta.

For Deep Tech founders, there’s a lot in that story that still feels familiar: start with a tough problem, build alongside your customers, figure out what can scale, and don’t be afraid to think globally.

Matrikon started with Nizar Jaffer Somji.

An engineer by training, Nizar founded the company in Edmonton in 1988, initially bringing his own technical expertise to some of industry’s toughest automation and data challenges.

But he didn’t stop at consulting.

Nizar saw the opportunity to turn what Matrikon was learning on the ground into software, products and intellectual property that could be used again and again. That shift helped take Matrikon from a one-person Edmonton company to a publicly traded global business with more than 600 employees and customers across six continents.

In 2010, Honeywell acquired Matrikon for approximately $144 million.

Today, Nizar continues to build and invest through the Jaffer Group of Companies, while serving as Chancellor of the University of Alberta and championing entrepreneurship, research commercialization and the connection between industry and academia.

Joining Nizar for the conversation, Shaheel Hooda and Amit Monga will go deeper into the Matrikon story and the journey behind it, from a one-person company in Edmonton to a global business, a public listing and a $144-million acquisition. Together, they’ll get into the pivotal decisions, big bets and lessons that shaped Nizar’s path along the way.

NO PLAYBOOK: BUILDING DEEP TECH COMPANIES

Afternoon Session | 1:00PM – 1:45PM

There's no step-by-step guide for building a Deep Tech company.

The technology is complex. Commercialization takes time. Capital works differently. Customers can be hard to crack. And some of the biggest decisions have to be made when there isn’t an obvious right answer.

No Playbook is a candid conversation with founders who have been in those moments.

Each founder will bring one real challenge they faced while building their company and unpack it — the situation, the decision they made, what worked, what didn’t, and what they’d do differently today. The conversation will get into capital, customers, commercialization, talent, scaling and the decisions that can change the direction of a company.

If you’re building, investing in or supporting Deep Tech, come for the stories behind the companies and leave with lessons you can apply to your own work.

FROM PILOTS TO TRUE TRACTION

Afternoon Session | 2:00PM – 2:45PM

Not every pilot creates momentum. The right ones can change the trajectory of a company.

Landing a pilot can feel like a big win. But the real question is what happens next.

Was it the right customer? Did the pilot prove something that matters? Is there a path to a larger commercial relationship? And perhaps most importantly, does it show that customers actually want what you’re building?

From Pilots to True Traction looks at pilots through the lens of investors who see companies at different stages and know what separates early promise from real commercial traction.

We’ll get into choosing the right customers, what a strong pilot should prove, turning early wins into deeper commercial relationships, and the signals that show a company is ready to scale.

If you’re building a company, commercializing technology, investing, or supporting founders, this is a conversation about making sure the next pilot gets you closer to where you actually want to go.

AMA: Questions Founders Want Answered

Afternoon Session | 3:00PM – 3:45PM

What do Edmonton’s deep tech founders really want to know about building, financing and scaling ambitious companies? Ahead of Deep Tech Day, we’ll be asking founders across the city to submit the questions they most want answered — the hard questions about capital, traction, customers, team, timing, setbacks, scale and what it really takes to build a company that can win globally.

The conversation will be shaped by the real challenges Edmonton founders are facing right now, with candid perspective from two people who have spent years building, backing and advising technology companies. If you are building a company — or helping founders build one — this is a chance to hear the questions your peers are asking and how two experienced operators and investors would think through them.

Meet the Investors

Some of Canada’s leading deep tech investors are coming to Edmonton Startup Week — and they want to meet Alberta founders.

1-on-1 Investor Meetings – October 8, 2026

Is this for you?

We welcome applications from deep tech companies located across Alberta.

You may be a fit if you are:

Commercializing science, engineering or research-based innovation
Building in areas such as AI, quantum, life sciences, energy, advanced manufacturing, robotics, industrial technology, semiconductors or related fields
Preparing for an upcoming financing round
Interested in beginning investor relationships before you raise or looking to better understand what institutional deep tech investors want to see

Focus: B2B software; AI-enabled technology; enterprise efficiency/productivity; sector-agnostic technology companies; Canadian startups.

Focus: Vertical AI platforms; Physical AI; AI infrastructure; advanced computing hardware; smart energy

Focus: Deep tech; AI infrastructure; semiconductors; robotics; advanced hardware; space/defence; industrial technology

Focus: Industrial innovation; advanced manufacturing; agriculture; mining; industrial IoT; automation and digitalization

Focus: Resource-intensive industries; energy transition; mining; industrial innovation; robotics; AI/IoT; manufacturing and machinery

Focus: AI-native deep tech; frontier AI research commercialization; Venture Scientist Fund; broader Inovia software/tech platform

UCeed

Focus: Health & life sciences; energy; social impact; early research commercialization; community/university startups

Focus: Sector-agnostic technology startups; AI and software; fintech; deep tech; healthtech; consumer technology

Meet Local Edmonton Investors

Focus: Life Sciences (Medical Tech, Diagnostics), AI (infrastructure, AI-enabled), Digital Transformation (B2B, Enterprise Software). Alberta – based, seed stage.

Focus: Early‑stage deep tech; B2B software; industrial innovation; applied AI; enterprise automation; sector-agnostic tech; Canadian startups

Focus: Early-stage companies using artificial intelligence at the core of their approach and business acceleration. Companies based in Canada, the USA and the UK. Pre-seed and seed-stage companies

Key Info

Open to deep tech companies from across Alberta
Limited curated 1:1 investor meeting slots on October 8
Founder preparation and coaching available before the event
Application deadline September 5

Selected companies will be invited to attend an investor readiness workshop on September 23 by Sprout Fund. The session will be available in hybrid format so founders from across Alberta can participate.

Are you building in deep tech and looking to connect with an investor during Edmonton Startup Week?

Deep tech founder visiting Edmonton for Startup Week? If you’re interested in connecting with investors while you’re here, we’d love to hear from you. Reach out directly: [email protected] to explore opportunities.