0:00

We creep closer and closer

0:03

and closer to May 29th

0:05

, the first day of InVentures

0:07

2024 , and I'm pretty excited

0:10

. There's a lot of really cool things

0:12

going on , and my next guest

0:14

, Dr Tonya Wolf from Red Deer

0:16

Polytechnic , and I are going

0:18

to be speaking about an activation that

0:20

they have coming up that I think is going to be beneficial

0:23

for Alberta entrepreneurs .

0:28

Sit back , settle in Welcome to

0:33

Shift

0:39

.

0:46

I'm very , very excited

0:48

about this activation

0:50

that you and your colleagues at Red Deer Polytechnic

0:53

have cooked up for InVentures this

0:55

year , called the Resource Roundup . Why don't you describe

0:57

to me where the idea came from

1:00

, or maybe first what it is and then where the idea

1:02

came from ?

1:03

Absolutely . Thanks a lot . So one

1:06

piece we noted is how to make these events

1:08

more accessible to entrepreneurs . And

1:10

all entrepreneurs are looking to seek capital

1:13

, but capital might not only be the only thing

1:15

that they're looking for . They are looking for connections

1:17

and where they can utilize the

1:20

rest of the community to support their

1:22

growth . And what we wanted to have is

1:24

an accessible way where

1:26

, instead of standing in front of a big

1:28

room and it being very intimidating

1:31

and only a small selection of entrepreneurs

1:34

to be able to showcase their

1:36

technology and their company

1:38

, is to have something a little bit more accessible

1:41

. So , unlike a traditional pitch

1:43

where the startup is up there seeking capital

1:45

, this event will see entrepreneurs

1:47

presenting their companies and outlining the specific

1:50

support they need to propel their ventures

1:52

forward . And in this piece here it's

1:54

kind of like a quick format

1:56

here , but the companies are

1:58

encouraged to come up and

2:00

present their company in

2:03

a quick format way . Encouraged

2:07

to come up and present their company in a quick format way , and we're emphasizing not on the

2:09

financial backing component , but the array of services that can catalyze

2:11

the growth Services such as marketing , engineering

2:14

, research , product development and

2:17

in the room we'll have all

2:19

of those people that contribute , so the whole community

2:21

is there supporting this entrepreneur

2:24

and the entrepreneur will say

2:26

what their problem is , what's holding them back , and

2:28

, through a digital format , the

2:30

room will collectively say these

2:32

are these components that they can help with and

2:35

that all be housed digitally

2:39

the room and all the supports they can access

2:42

to help them move forward . So a little

2:44

bit different , a

2:50

little bit more interactive , to be able to make those connections that we so want

2:52

to happen at InVentures and through the innovation ecosystem in Alberta .

2:55

For sure . So it's like concentrated networking

2:57

almost , in a way . You know where you can go

3:00

in and through it . This is my challenge . And

3:02

then have all of these people go . Yeah , I can help with that

3:04

.

3:06

Or they know somebody that can as well , and instead of having to tell

3:08

your story over and over

3:10

again , maybe to multiple different people

3:13

, everybody's

3:15

there all at once and then they get

3:17

that list of directly to them

3:19

to be able to connect and move forward with

3:21

.

3:22

But now , that said , while they're in

3:24

the resource roundup participating and giving

3:26

their pitch about their company , they

3:28

should still have their pitch ready to

3:30

deploy many other times

3:32

throughout provide opportunity for as many entrepreneurs as possible . So we're

3:34

looking at a three slide format .

3:36

So the first

3:52

one will really be about you , the

3:55

second one will be about what's holding you back

3:57

, and the third one will probably be about what

3:59

you're looking for to move forward . So

4:01

very condensed , which is that's

4:04

a very different format than than

4:06

a traditional pitch in your five or six slides

4:09

right .

4:09

Yeah , so , yeah , okay , so condensed , they get

4:11

up there , figure out who can help them , and

4:14

then those conversations can continue

4:16

after this . Now , absolutely

4:18

so . So it

4:20

this sounds , it sounds fantastic . It sounds like

4:22

a really amazing and unique opportunity for companies

4:25

. But now there's only limited

4:27

space . I think you said

4:29

there's room for , I think , 20 . Is

4:31

that how many we're going to try to ?

4:34

Yes , we are looking between that

4:36

20 and 24 type of company

4:38

number of companies to be able to participate

4:41

in this piece . It will be moderated and

4:44

when you're looking

4:46

at that kind of three slide moment

4:48

, then we really need to make sure that we move

4:50

people through and we understand

4:52

that it's quite there's

4:54

a lot of brevity into these presentations

4:56

but we're really hoping that we can get that crucial

4:59

information that's conveyed but keeping

5:01

the audience really engaged and facilitating

5:04

that transition between participants

5:07

so that we get opportunities for as many

5:09

people as possible to be able to move through

5:11

that . But yes , saying that we think that there's

5:13

only opportunity for up to 24

5:15

people to have the opportunity

5:18

to be able to do this

5:21

work .

5:21

Okay , so then we're not expecting a lineup of people

5:23

in the first 24 to get in . There's an

5:25

application process , right ?

5:27

Yeah , and that application process should

5:30

be through all the socials . I believe it's

5:32

on the InVentures website .

5:34

Yeah , it should be now . Okay , but

5:36

I'm also going to put the link on

5:38

our webpage for the

5:41

podcast , so people will have

5:43

that , and the closing date is May 10th , right

5:45

? So

5:47

there's a bit of a time crunch here , folks .

5:50

Yes , there is , and it's

5:52

a really simple form to fill out , so it's very

5:55

different that you don't have to submit all of your

5:57

background financial information . It's

6:00

really on what you are , what

6:02

the problems are you're looking to solve , and then we'll

6:04

review all through those and get back to those

6:06

24 selected

6:08

people , making sure that they are aligning

6:10

with the context

6:13

of this work here and

6:15

then submit the three slides

6:17

back to us before the deadline

6:19

. We'll make sure that we're all ready to go so

6:21

that we have all the information we can move smoothly

6:24

through . So we'll be in touch directly with

6:26

the selected people . We will let

6:28

everybody know who applied , whether they were successful

6:30

or not .

6:31

Okay , and people need to be registered for InVentures

6:33

to participate in this activity as well .

6:36

Indeed , they do , yep , and we'll work with

6:38

each entrepreneur to make sure that it's

6:40

accessible for them to attend .

6:42

Okay . Now

6:45

, if I'm an entrepreneur with an

6:47

idea , am I the

6:50

audience

6:52

you're trying to attract , or are we looking for companies that

6:54

are maybe a little more advanced in the ideation phase

6:57

?

7:14

However , you may have a higher success rate if you're not just looking for an idea and market

7:16

traction , that you're actually looking to connect with different service providers to move you

7:18

along . So we're not just open to early stage entrepreneurs , but certainly to small businesses

7:20

that are really looking to diversify

7:22

or look for connections of different types of

7:24

technology or resources as

7:27

well . No-transcript

7:34

.

7:35

Now , when we think about the people that

7:37

are going to be in the audience , we've got the entrepreneurs . You've

7:39

just described what that audience will look

7:41

like of the 20 or 24 successful

7:44

participants . What are the service

7:47

providers ? What do they look like ?

7:49

So a service provider would look like

7:51

anybody that can offer a solution . So

7:53

it could be post-secondary

7:56

, it could be a research component , it could be a

7:58

consultant , it could be a funding

8:00

agency , it could be a not-for-profit

8:03

, but if you're somebody that wants

8:06

to provide solutions to another

8:08

company , so any kind of B2B activity

8:10

, then this is the place for

8:13

you and for you to support this work

8:15

. So we're really fostering a community-driven approach

8:18

to entrepreneurship that values expertise

8:21

, mentorship and the collective power

8:23

of diverse skill sets . So

8:25

just it's for anybody

8:27

that thinks that they can provide a solution

8:29

to an entrepreneur and in that kind

8:32

of engineering and business

8:34

services .

8:35

Okay . So now let's say we've

8:37

got a listener that identifies

8:40

as a potential problem solver , how

8:42

would they get involved ?

8:44

So register for adventures

8:46

and note when

8:49

this event is going to happen . That'll

8:52

be on the website as well , so please come to

8:54

that . When you come in , there'll be a QR

8:56

code that'll link you to a

8:58

digital form that'll

9:00

ask your name and your business

9:02

and your contact information , and

9:05

then , as each entrepreneur comes

9:07

up , if you can provide some sort of support

9:09

or connection , you fill that information in digitally

9:12

and submit it , and all of

9:14

that contact information and support will be delivered to the client

9:16

. So there will be . You don't have to download an app , but there will be delivered

9:18

to the client . So there will be . You don't have to download an app

9:20

, but there will be some sort of data collection

9:23

opportunity through your

9:25

phone that you

9:27

can access and provide information

9:30

that will collect and transfer over to

9:32

the partner themselves .

9:34

Wonderful . Now we should note that

9:36

this is a pilot project . This is something

9:38

that you're launching

9:40

this year through InVentures , and

9:42

I remember you and I talking about

9:45

this space . You

9:47

know when people come in , and you were saying that

9:49

quite often . You know some people

9:51

can come into an event like InVentures , which is thousands

9:53

of people in their wide eye . They don't necessarily

9:56

know where to go , where to start , so

9:58

maybe just flesh that story a little

10:00

bit more , if you remember it .

10:03

Yeah , no , absolutely I do . And this is a

10:05

really important piece to me is InVentures

10:08

is a really great opportunity as

10:10

an entrepreneur , as a service provider , as

10:12

a community member to really connect and

10:14

a venture capital to be able to

10:16

connect with the whole industry . But it

10:18

is in the TELUS Convention Centre

10:20

and there are a lot of people around and

10:23

when you're just starting out

10:26

you may feel some boundaries

10:28

in terms of being able to connect with the right

10:31

people and

10:34

get your company

10:36

business word out there . So

10:38

we really wanted to provide a more accessible

10:40

manner , especially not for those people that are

10:42

not selected for the big , big pitch

10:44

piece in front of everybody , but to have

10:46

a more dynamic networking opportunity

10:49

and changing it from a one way presentation

10:51

to an interactive community component

10:54

where we are developing

10:57

that community basis and working

10:59

with each other . So it's a lot more

11:01

accessible and provides those connections

11:04

to really support our entrepreneurs and our

11:06

small companies , to connect further

11:08

with who . Who are the people that can be supporting

11:11

, because people just don't know and it's and it and

11:13

it can feel really overwhelming in these big

11:15

environments of who am I talking to and am

11:18

I getting anywhere with any of this and am I ? Who

11:20

am I meeting up with ? So ? it's

11:22

really supporting that community driven driven

11:25

approach .

11:31

And it's really . It's crowdsourcing . You know , it's uh , I there was always this massive move

11:33

for crowdsourcing , like 10 or 15 years ago , and now this is this is

11:35

it in a nutshell , and I love the idea

11:37

. I think it's brilliant and you've always

11:39

been such a big advocate

11:41

of the entrepreneurial ecosystem

11:43

and helping people understand where they can

11:46

go , what they can do and the

11:48

supports that they can receive . And you'll

11:50

also be on site not only running

11:52

the activation , but you're participating on some panels

11:54

as well . Why don't

11:57

?

11:57

you tell me a little bit .

11:58

Which panels are you working on ?

12:01

I'll be involved . No

12:04

, that's great . No , I'll

12:06

be involved , working with my colleagues

12:08

, with the other Alberta Polytechnics

12:10

, talking really about the type of

12:12

work we do to support applied

12:15

research , scale up and commercialization

12:17

of technology-based businesses in

12:19

the province and our connection in the work that we

12:21

do . And this all comes down to the whole

12:23

innovation ecosystem and the value

12:26

of our universities , our

12:28

colleges , our polytechnics and other institutes

12:30

and how we develop again that

12:32

whole trend , I'm

12:34

going to say the ecosystem , to be

12:36

able to support development of our businesses

12:38

. So what is the impact that we have as

12:41

Alberta Polytechnics and how can Alberta

12:43

and other companies really take advantage

12:46

of the services and expertise that are in

12:48

that area , again in

12:50

a community-driven approach ? Right

12:54

, yeah , yeah no kidding .

12:55

And if I can add to that is also the networking

12:58

and the relationships that you guys have outside

13:00

of the province , whether it's federally

13:03

with , like the , you know , tech access canada

13:05

or some of the other organizations

13:07

.

13:07

So it's I I think it's a really great opportunity

13:09

for people to step in and um and and

13:12

learn and and get some support we

13:15

also have our our

13:17

booth , which uh showcase our center

13:19

for innovation and manufacturing , as well as the

13:21

other technology access centers in Alberta

13:23

and how we connect together and the unique

13:26

services we can provide to support

13:28

entrepreneurs and small and medium-sized

13:30

businesses with the technology that are accessible

13:33

booth

13:35

to showcase its own applied research

13:37

and how businesses

13:41

can utilize those

13:43

resources to help them answer key questions

13:45

to move their businesses forward , both from a technical and

13:47

a social aspect .

13:49

Right on . So folks you heard it here first come

13:51

down to InVentures , meet Tonya Wolfe

13:53

and check

13:55

out the RDP , the Red Deer Polytechnic

13:57

booth , check out the Resource

14:00

Roundup activity that's going on

14:02

and there'll be more details on social , we've

14:04

been putting it out on the InVentures and the Alberta Innovates

14:06

socials as well as Red

14:08

Deer Polytechnic , social Resource Roundup

14:11

, and learn more Tonya

14:13

. Thank you very much for your time . I appreciate

14:16

it .

14:17

Thanks , john , and we'll see you there for

14:22

your time .

14:22

I appreciate it . Thanks , john , and we'll see you

14:24

there . Shift

14:27

can be found online at shiftalbertainnovatesca , where you can reach us via email at

14:29

shift at albertainnovatesca . We can also be found on your

14:31

favorite streaming service , so

14:34

dive in and enjoy . Until next

14:36

time , I'm John .