FutureCite

RainForest LWOL #1
2018-12-04 11:30 - 13:30 (America/Edmonton) | Enterprise Centre 2-520A, 10230 Jasper Avenue, Edmonton, Alberta, T5J 4P6, Canada
In 2011 Antoine co-founded Sustainival, the world’s first green carnival – a full-scale carnival midway that operates entirely on renewable energy. Antoine is also the co-founder of Sustainitech, a technology commercialization company that builds high-density commercial lettuce farms in shipping containers.
Given the inherent risks of these social enterprise startups, Antoine launched a third company in 2012 called ‘Boring Investments’. This company was built to purchase commercial properties and establish a cashflow foundation as a hedge against the potential startup risks.
After stabilizing these ventures with executive teams in place, Antoine returned his focus to commercial real estate in early 2016. Boring Investments was rebranded as Sparrow Capital with the purpose of demonstrating how commercial real estate assets can be curated strategically to enhance the cultural fabric of neighbourhoods and the economic resilience of municipal regions.
Antoine holds a diploma in mediation and conflict resolution from the Vienna ARGE academy and a diploma in Indian philosophy from the University of Wales. Antoine is a Platinum member of the Real Estate Investment Network, a board member of IDEA – Infill Development in Edmonton Association, the Planning Director for the Riverdale Community League, and Chairman of the PowPow Brotherhood. He lives in Edmonton with his wife and 4 children and is an avid mountain biking and backcountry snowboard enthusiast.

BetaCity YEG MeetUp
2018-11-28 18:30 - 20:30 | Startup Edmonton HQ, 301, 10359 - 104 Street, Edmonton, AB, Canada
Join us for our evening BetaCityYEG meetup, working on projects and solutions that emerged out of our recent discussions. We are the city and region’s citizen-led digital engagement group. Developers, civic employees, data enthusiasts, students, professionals and general engaged Edmontonians are all welcome! Anyone is free to stay past the one-hour meeting time and collaborate if they so wish.
Presentations to be updated as we get closer to the date.
Check out our site (http://www.betacity.ca) for previous community projects and future ideas.

Attendees (9)eaBe0

2018 Innovation Awards
2018-11-28 15:00 - 18:00 | University of Alberta Lister Hall Maple Leaf Room, 11613 87 Ave NW, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2H6, Canada
Since 2013, the Innovation Awards has honoured University of Alberta Researchers, their ground breaking technologies and the commercialization community that helps bring their innovations from out of the lab and into the world.
Join us to celebrate the researchers who received a US patent and have an active private partner. Those who have created a University of Alberta spin-off company will also be recognized. This event showcases some of the University’s best and brightest innovators whose achievements are poised to improve our quality of life and build a strong economic future for Alberta.
Speakers:
TBD
Agenda:
3 – 3:30 p.m. Networking
3:30 – 5 p.m. Awards presentation
5 – 6 p.m. Reception and networking
Following the awards presentation, beverages and light refreshments will be served.
Parking:
There is a dedicated parking lot (Lot M) in front of the conference centre. You can find parking information here.

The Innovation Awards are made possible through support from Bennett Jones and NSERC.

Social Media Analytics & Data-Driven Business Decisions
2018-11-28 11:30 - 13:30 | Matrix Hotel, 10640 - 100 avenue, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Social media has not only become a part of modern communication, but is now a key component of successful businesses. With active user bases that grow daily, companies are discovering new ways to engage with customers, receive feedback on products and services, and track public opinion.
In addition to reaching a wider audience, social media is one of the most cost-efficient digital marketing strategies. Customer data is now a prized commodity, enabling organizations to make informed business decisions based on digital analytics. In this panel discussion, our industry experts will discuss the most important metrics, trends, and strategies in social media marketing, and share valuable perspectives on how your business can make the most of a data-driven social media strategy.
Panel Speakers:

Elli Hanson, Global Director of Design Strategy, Ogilvy Worldwide, NY
Daniel Haight, ’97 BCom, President and Co-founder, Darkhorse Analytics
Avery Johnson, Co-Founder, Kaden Ave Communications

The panel discussion will be moderated by Kyle Murray, Vice Dean & Professor of Marketing, University of Alberta School of Business.

November 28, 2018
11:30 AM – 1:15 PM
11:30 AM — Registration
11:45 AM — Lunch
12:15 PM — Panel discussion with Q&A
1:15 PM — Event Conclusion

Matrix Hotel
10640 100 Ave NW, Edmonton

$60 per person/$480 per table of 8 guests

RainForest Summit
2018-11-27 08:00 - 16:30 | Shaw Conference Centre, 9797 Jasper Avenue, Edmonton, Alberta, T5J 1N9, Canada
There’s more to building a city of innovation than just the basics. You can have talent, capital, and business-Efriendly policies and still fall flat as a place for innovation, while other cities take their place as the next Silicon Valley. Why? Because you need an innovation ecosystem connecting and building on those basic ingredients.
The Rainforest Alberta initiative works together to improve Alberta’s innovation ecosystem, based on the principles of The Rainforest: The Secret to Building the Next Silicon Valley. We use a scorecard from that resource to measure the quality of Edmonton’s ecosystem twice a year, with the goal of increasing our score to 800 out of 1000 by 2020.
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Who Should Attend?
The Rainforest Alberta – yeg Summit brings together a group of Edmonton innovators, doers, strategists, and thought leaders together to evaluate Edmonton’s ecosystem and discuss how we can do better to create a true hub of innovation in Edmonton.
If you are passionate about building a stronger, more resilient, more innovative economy for Edmonton, you need to attend this session. Not sure if this is a good fit for you? Read more about Rainforest Alberta – yeg!
Assessing Innovation in Edmonton
During the summit, attendees will analyze the state of innovation in Edmonton using the results of the Rainforest Scorecard. If you want to make sure that your voice is heard, Click here to complete the Scorecard Assessment (you don’t have to be attending to help us gauge the state of innovation in Edmonton!).

Thank you to our Sponsors!
The Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research is our Ecosystem level sponsor. Thank you so much for supporting the growth of innovation in Alberta by helping make the Summit a reality!

Work Nicer is Alberta’s largest coworking community created on the foundation that no one succeeds alone. Community is more than a common space but a group of people who rally together to work through the struggles and celebrate the wins. What comes out of community is deeper connections, cooler collaborations and higher innovation.

Agenda

8:30 Check-In
8:50 Welcome
9:00 Session #1 – Background and Context
10:45 Session #2 – Rainforest Pillars
12:30 Lunch
13:00 Session #3 – The New Narrative
15:00 Session #4 – Continuity
16:30 Conclude

The Nuts and Bolts of Data Science for Social Innovators and Entrepreneurs
2018-11-21 16:00 - 17:30 | RoundHouse MacEwan University, 11110 104Ave, Edmontnon, Alberta, Canada
Data science, machine learning, and artificial intelligence are BIG buzzwords but what do they really mean to you and your business?
Experts from Cybera (Alberta’s not-for-profit technology accelerator) will host an introductory session on data science for entrepreneurs and social innovators. We will help shed light on how Alberta businesses (both big and small) can navigate this complex landscape of buzzwords, and translate it into practical knowledge to be better prepared to do more with their data.
In this session, Cybera will untangle the buzzwords and jargon, and show you how data science is impacting business through real-world examples. You will learn whether you’re ready to start using data science to improve your business and how to optimize your project’s chances for success.
Audience:
This introductory session is geared toward the non-technical business audience (start-ups, entrepreneurs, social innovators or small-to-medium sized business) looking to understand the world of data science and are considering implementing it in their organizations.

Lunchalytics - Data Viz
2018-11-21 11:30 - 13:00 | Startup Edmonton HQ, 301, 10359 - 104 Street, Edmonton, AB, Canada
Analytics is the use of data and analysis to improve the performance of an organization. In other words, it’s the search for a free lunch. Ergo, we combine compelling speakers with a free lunch.This month we explore data viz, and our speakers are:Joey Cherdarchuk, Darkhorse Analytics“Visualizing Economic Opportunity in the US”Karen Parker and Logan Moran, City of Edmonton“Visualizing Municipal Data: How the City of Edmonton uses visualizations to provide insight to staff and citizens”Food starts at 11:45, speakers start at high noon. We hope to see you there.Please note: RSVPing “Yes” indicates that you are attending in person, and we will save you a seat and order you lunch. If you are attending remotely, there is no need to RSVP.For those unable to attend in person, we will be live streaming to our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/channel/UCzPqHzOHnHsQGPEPaUCC5Jw/videosOur hashtag for social media is #lunchalytics.Interested in presenting, volunteering, or being a sponsor at Lunchalytics? Please get in touch with us via www.lunchalytics.com.

Demo Camp 43
2018-11-20 18:30 - 20:00 | University of Alberta Campus Centennial Centre for Interdisciplinary Science (CCIS), Room L2-190, 11455 Saskatchewan Drive (East of 116 Street), Edmonton, AB, Canada
DemoCamp brings together developers, creatives, entrepreneurs and investors to share what they’ve been working on and to find others in the community interested in similar topics. For presenters, it’s a great way to get feedback on what you’re building from peers and the community, all in an informal setting. Started back in 2008, DemoCamp Edmonton has steadily grown into one of the largest in the country, with over 200 people attending each event.The rules for DemoCamp are simple: 7 minutes to demo real, working products, followed by a few minutes for questions, and no slides allowed.Time: 6:30 pm doors open, 6:45 pm program startsLocation: CCIS L2-190, University of AlbertaDrinks and networking to follow at RATT (Room At The Top) – 7th floor, Students Union BuildingInterested in demoing? Applications are open here! http://www.startupedmonton.com/democamp/

Virtual Reality Day '18 - Edmonton, Alberta
2018-11-17 12:00 - 18:00 | TBD
Celebrate global Virtual Reality Day by attending this local event near you. Learn and experience from different VR/AR demonstrations. Become educated about virtual and augmented reality. Have your first virtual reality experience. Ask questions. Meet the local VR/AR community.
Final location, time and exhibitors/demonstrations will be posted here as we get closer to the event.
Register here today on Eventbrite, and receive notices automatically for the event.
Learn More at VirtualRealityDay.org
The 2nd Annual Global Virtual Reality Day will take place Saturday, November 17th, 2018.

Virtual Reality Day is a series of VR/AR events organized worldwide to help virtual and augmented reality become more mainstream. Any individual, company or organization can host a free public VR/AR event and become part of the Virtual Reality Day phenomenon. This is a completely voluntary and grassroots effort. It’s about bringing the energy and interests of the greater community together, and focusing that energy for the benefit of everyone on one special day.
How does it work?
You organize your local VR/AR event at any location of your choice. This could be a small scale event at a local coffee shop, or a bigger event at a public school or corporate partner in your area. As long as the goal of your event is to help people get exposed to VR/AR and it’s free to attend, the size, location and venue is up to you.
Need help finding a venue?
Reach out to your local VR/AR Meetup group, or other startups in the area, and work together to find a venue.
Partner with your local coffee shop, and setup your VR rig there for the day.
You could consider reaching out to your local Microsoft or Apple Store, Best Buy, etc., and organizing a special educational event with them for that day. Why wouldn’t they want some local help and support to drive extra foot traffic and interest that day?
Still struggling? Email us, and we’ll try to connect you with other like-minded people in your area.
How are we going to get the word out?
1) We’ll be putting out multiple press releases promoting Virtual Reality Day leading up to the event starting in early September, informing the public to make plans to attend an event near them.
2) For every event that has been scheduled by Monday, November 12th, we’ll be reaching out to the local media in your city that week to cover the event.
3) During the week before, we will also reach out to the public school systems where events are taking place, informing them to ask teachers to make announcements in their classrooms. We will also inform the local surrounding parent/teacher associations (PTAs).
4) We’ll be running a large social media campaign for the entire week leading up to November 17th.
5) We’ll be scheduling live video check-in remotes with all the events on that day to have them share what they’re doing locally with the larger global internet community.
Why are we doing this?
It’s hard to say at the moment whether 2018 is a critical year or not for the VR/AR industry. We do know that for any company, startup or established, driving interest, and generating revenue is always of paramount importance.
Further, AR/VR is not mainstream yet. It’s getting closer. But, you’ll be hard pressed to find anyone that has had a high-end VR experience with the Microsoft HoloLens, the Oculus Rift, or the HTC Vive.
We want to help to change that. And so, we decided to put a stake in the ground and designate Saturday, November 17th, 2018 as the second annual global Virtual Reality Day.
We chose this day because it’s the last Saturday before Black Friday, and the start of the holiday shopping season. It’s also a day when most students, grade, high school and college are still in school before their Thanksgiving break. Also, by having it on the weekend, it allows parents to bring their children.
We’d like to encourage individuals and groups to organize a free public VR event on this day on any topic you like. It could be introducing VR for the first time to people, or focused on a vertical topic of your choice, with the goal to educate and inform.
Last year, we had individuals and organizations participating in 8 cities globally, and we’ve already exceeded that committment for this coming year.
The Washington, DC event even made the 11pm evening news last year:

Is it Smoke and Mirrors? The Cannabusiness with Aurora Cannabis
2018-11-13 12:00 - 13:00 | NAIT Shaw Theatre X107 (accross from Bookstore)
A panel of leaders from Aurora Cannabis join us for a frank discussion on the Cannabis business in Canada and Edmonton. From growing, to distributing and retailing.
This event is being hosted in the X107 very near to the bookstore.NMh

EBA November Luncheon - Open Data Portals
2018-11-13 11:30 - 13:00 | Varscona Hotel, 8208 106 St NW, Edmonton, Alberta, T6E 6R9, Canada
November Luncheon with guest speakers from the City of Edmonton. They will speaking on Technology Innovation and Open City/Open Data, and the portal the City of Edmonton has made available. This information is a wealth of information/data that is valuable for small business/entrepreneurs as you grow your business.
Date: Thursday, November 15
Time: 11:30am Registration
Location: Varscona Hotel – 8208 106 St NW
Edmonton, AB T6E 6R9
Cost: $35 – Members
$50 – Non Members
We look forward to hearing from our guest speakers.
Norman Mendoza, Manager, Business and Technology Innovation
Tom Girvan, Market Planner with City of Edmonton’s Economic Development team.
Tom leads the Business Retention and Expansion Program that visits businesses to facilitate questions and solicit feedback about City operations as a way to better serve the business community. He focuses on industrial businesses, however serves as a connection to departments who focus on other types of businesses.
Registration Deadline: Tuesday, November 13

Cannabis Awareness & Worksite Strategies _ECA Event
2018-11-13 08:00 - 15:30 | ECA Edmonton Construction Association, ECA Learning Center: 10215 - 176 Street, Edmonton, Alberta, T5S 1M1, Canada
Substance abuse and impairment are not new problems on construction work sites – but with the legalization of recreational marijuana in the near future, it is more important than ever that construction workers and managers effectively recognize and manage the safety risks of substance use, abuse, and impairment. Your registration includes: The SureHire online training course, “Reasonable Suspicion Supervisor Training” (90m) A practical, in-person workshop (7h) Shortly after you register, we will contact you with the access code for your online course. You will need to complete the online course before the in-class portion.
The in-class course builds on the online course, and includes collaborative discussion where participants will review, ask questions, and work through real-life scenarios together. In-Person Workshop (7h) Learning Objectives: History of Cannabis in Canada Introduction on Cannabis Managing Medical Cannabis in the workplace Managing Recreation Cannabis in the workplace Tools to manage cannabis Policy Audit: Best practice and gap analysis for Drug and Alcohol policies Guidelines for accommodating medical cannabis in the workplace Recreational cannabis worksite considerations Internal communication strategies and implementation phase The in-person workshop will include case studies where you will practice and reinforce what you have learned.
Participants will work together to discuss “real life” alcohol and drug scenarios and case studies, finding and applying pertinent guidance in the COAA and Enform Models Alcohol and Drug Policies. Online component: SureHire Reasonable Suspicion Training for Supervisors (90m) Employers must understand that you cannot test employees randomly without proper documentation and proof. SureHire’s online reasonable suspicion training for both employees and supervisors educates on proper tools and skills to recognize and handle possible substance abuse within the workplace. The Canadian Model recommends supervisors complete this type of awareness training.
Substance abusers cost employers approximately $10,000/year due to absenteeism, low productivity, lost time accidents, and increased health and Workers Compensation Board (WCB) costs.
The online course covers: An introduction to Reasonable Suspicion Employer and employee obligations The characteristics of the modern workforce and how this impacts substance use trends Facts on medical and recreational cannabis use in Canada Tips for reviewing, updating and implementing your Drug & Alcohol policy Tips on when to use drug testing and why How to document reasonable suspicion and trigger testing Post-Incident testing tips and timelines
Tips on accommodating prescription drug use Your Presenters:
Ashley Snape, CPHR, is the Team Lead, People Services with SureHire Occupational Testing. Having worked in both the corporate and non-profit sector, Ashley is a strategic human resource professional with a vision to build great people and culture. With over eight years of experience, she is a strong collaborative leader with the proven ability to build highly-competent teams.
Kelsey Saunders is the Result Department Team lead at SureHire, overseeing a team dedicated to interpreting and delivering occupational test results to clients across Canada. In addition to managing the Result Department, she also oversees the After Hour Program, which serves to provide emergency drug and alcohol services in post incident and reasonable suspicion situations 24/7. Kelsey recently completed the Business Analyst program at the Northern Institute of Technology and has since lead and executed several large scale initiatives at SureHire.
November 13, 2018 | 8:00am – 3:30pm **Please Note: Due to a system malfunction, the date may be displayed incorrectly. The correct date is November 13, 2018.
Online+Classroom registration: ECA Members: $220 (+GST) | Non-Members: $275 (+GST) To register for the online course alone, please contact Jessica Kuhnel at 780.483.1130 or by email jessica.kuhnel@edmca.com
Event details: http://edmca.com/networking/event-details?eventID=529 Event registration: http://edmca.com/networking/event-registration?eventID=529

EPL Makerspace for Entrepreneurs
2018-11-08 12:00 - 13:00 | TEC Edmonton, 4rth Floor Enterprise Square, Edmonton, Alberta, T5J 4P6, Canada
EPL Makerspace for Entrepreneurs
Thursday, November 8, 2018. 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.
Bring your own lunch and learn about the EPL resources available to entrepreneurs!
Did you know that Edmonton Public Library has makerspace tools and dedicated staffing to help entrepreneurs bring their ideas to life and learning new digital skills? Accessible for free or extremely low cost, EPL’s Makerspace offers digital design software, 3D printing, cutting tools, a recording stu4th Floordio, electronics, educational robotics, and demonstration technology such as VR and AR headsets – as well as offering in-person classes and online learning options for learning new skills.
Learn about the exciting options currently available and receive a sneak peek of plans for our upcoming Makerspace expansion in the revitalized Stanley A. Milner Library.

Presenters:
Holly Arnason
Associate Manager, Makerspace, DLI & Web Services

Edmonton Data Science Meetup
2018-11-07 18:30 - 21:30 | Startup Edmonton HQ, 301, 10359 - 104 Street, Edmonton, AB, Canada
Edmonton Data Science meetup is a place to learn about data science and network with fellow Data Scientists. The presentations for the upcoming meetup include:• “Personalized Knowledge Graphs as Backend for Chatbots” – Ammar Asmro (ML Engineer @ AltaML)• ““ – Tyler Dauphinee (Senior Analytics Manager @ Enterprise Data Science, Data, Transformation ATB)Pizza will be provided before presentations and after presentations we will head to a pub for networking!The meetup is sponsored by AltaML (http://altaml.com/).———-Edmonton Data Science (EDS) meetups are a platform for data science enthusiasts and professionals to:• learn about big data techniques and tools• discuss best practices in big data and data science• promote big data and data science among university students and the local tech community• learn about practical applications of data science methods• learn about companies that use data science as the foundation of their business processesWe are passionate about data science and big data. We hope to create a vibrant data science community that is engaged in sharing and learning different topics in the field.In these meetups, we intend to a) share best practices and knowledge of data science-based startups and corporations with university students, b) introduce research works on big data and data science to the local tech community. We aim to connect the students to companies and make them more aware of our vibrant local tech community. We also invite professors and researchers to present their work on data mining and machine learning methods to the professional community. Each meetup will include a presentation introducing a company who is using data science techniques, and two presentations about big data, data science and machine learning techniques.

Development on AWS with the Tools You Know
2018-11-06 18:00 - 20:00 | Startup Edmonton HQ, 301, 10359 - 104 Street, Edmonton, AB, Canada
AWS User Group meetup dives into C# Development on AWS with the tools you know and some you may not! We are bringing you 2 dynamic speakers from AWS’ Campus in Seattle so make sure you RSVP and join us at Startup Edmonton!Agenda:6:00pm – Arrival, pizza eating, mingling6:20pm – Welcome & Introductions6:30pm – Presentation begins7:30pm – Open Discussions, Q&A8:00pm – Event concludesTalk Title: C# Development on AWS with the Tools You Know (and Some Tools You Might Not)Description: When switching to cloud development, you’re required to learn new tools, new paradigms, and new coding patterns. But what about the tools you’re already familiar with? We’ll take a tour of some useful tooling available to C# developers working with AWS built around familiar stalwarts like Visual Studio, PowerShell, and the dotnet CLI. We’ll also meet some new favorites along the way as we show the minimal and easy code changes needed to transform an existing C# WebAPI project to run in a serverless architecture.AWS Knowledge Level: IntermediateSpeaker 1: Nicki Klein, Sr. Developer Advocate – .NET at AWSBio: Nicki brings with her 5 years of experience working in the software industry, first as a self-taught .NET developer, and then as a funded entrepreneur working on an HRTech startup for developers. She is very passionate about helping developers succeed on AWS and in general.Speaker 2: AM Grobelny, Sr. Technical Evangelist at AWSBio: AM Grobelny is a Senior Technical Evangelist based in Seattle, WA and is focused on enabling all kinds of software developers to be successful on AWS. AM enjoys using most languages, but C# and TypeScript have a special place in his heart. AM has built and talked about software solutions at companies like Box, Volusion, and SmartVault. Previous to working in technology, AM was also a professional educator, and he retains a passion for helping people more easily understand difficult concepts.

Shiza Shahid, the co-founder of the Malala Fund, in Edmonton on November 5th!
2018-11-05 11:30 - 13:00 | Myer Horowitz Theatre, 8900 114 Street Northwest, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2J7, Canada
Shiza Shahid is an entrepreneur, investor, and thought-leader. She is passionate about leveraging philanthropy, entrepreneurship, technology and the media to drive scalable social impact.
Shiza co-founded the Malala Fund with Malala Yousafzai, and led the organization as founding CEO through to the Nobel Peace Prize. She is now focused on supporting mission-driven startups whose financial success makes the world a better place through her fund and platform, NOW Ventures. Shiza is a prominent speaker on social innovation and impact, human rights, and women’s rights, and mission-driven business.
The keynote address will be followed by a panel discussion on gender equality and womens’ rights around the world, moderated by Ms. Shahid.
ABOUT THE KEYNOTE ADDRESS
This keynote and panel are part of the national conference, Together 2018: Collaboration, Innovation and the Sustianable Development Goals. This ticket is for the keynote and panel discussion only. No food or drinks, or access to the conference, are included with this ticket.
If you would like to attend the entire two-day conference, or the ‘How to Change the World’ innovation lab, tickets can be purchased at www.together2018.ca
SEATING:
Doors will open for balcony seating at 11:00am. Ticket holders are asked to have proof of purchase with them for admittance into the theatre.
For accessible seating needs, please contact Leah Ettarh, Alberta Council for Global Cooperation, leah.ettarh@acgc.ca
