Inventures

What Inventures does

Inventures is an annual three-day innovation conference hosted by Alberta Innovates, a Crown corporation of the Province of Alberta. Founded in 2018 and held in Calgary, the event convenes entrepreneurs, investors, industry leaders, students, and government officials around five thematic content tracks covering energy/food/health, AI/DeepTech/FinTech/Spacetech/Quantum, cleantech/resiliency/infrastructure, entertainment/media/VR, and startups/entrepreneurship. The 2024 edition drew nearly 4,000 attendees from 33 countries, featured more than 400 speakers across 200+ sessions, and facilitated an estimated $164M–$256M in business transactions between investors and innovators. The 2025 edition moved to the upgraded BMO Centre at Stampede Park (May 21–23) and featured keynotes including Gary Vaynerchuk and Jim Balsillie.

The core product is the conference itself, supported by sub-products including the Attendee Hub mobile app (iOS and Android), an invite-only Investor Lounge hosting 150 VIP guests, and six pitch competitions offering $10,000 prizes per theme. The 2024 pitch competition attracted a record 1,097 applicants — more than double the prior year — of which 178 were from outside Canada, with 30 finalists selected. Institutional sponsorship and ecosystem backing come from a coalition of Core and Major partners including Deloitte, ATB Financial, TC Energy, Rogers, the University of Calgary, the University of Alberta, the Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute (Amii), and global platforms such as Plug and Play and SVG Ventures THRIVE.

Inventures is not a technology product company; it operates an event-driven go-to-market motion with revenue primarily derived from registration fees ($499 early-bird / $749 standard), supplemented by corporate sponsorship. It carries no independent ownership or venture capital backing — it is fully integrated into Alberta Innovates' mandate and is government-funded, with no disclosed separate P&L or revenue figure. Its value proposition rests on ecosystem facilitation: providing a curated annual venue for deal flow, mentorship, policy dialogue, and startup visibility rather than delivering proprietary technology.

Name

Inventures

Legal name

Inventures

Website

https://inventurescanada.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Inventures is an annual three-day innovation conference in Calgary, hosted by Alberta Innovates, connecting entrepreneurs, investors, industry leaders, students, and government around five thematic tracks. The event drives deal flow through pitch competitions and an Investor Lounge.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Innovation Conferences

NAICS

Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920), Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

akta.pro primary industry

Technology & Innovation Expos Organizers (THAHABAE)

Keywords

• Innovation conference
• Startup pitch events
• Venture networking
• Investor deal flow
• Technology summit

Headquarters

HQ city

Calgary

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Conference Registration Fees: Inventures generates revenue through ticket sales for conference attendance. Registration fees are the primary revenue stream, with standard tickets priced at $749 and early-bird promotional rates at $499 for limited periods.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Inventures is an annual three-day innovation conference hosted by Alberta Innovates in Calgary that brings together entrepreneurs, investors, industry leaders, students, and government. The event features keynotes, panel discussions, pitch competitions, an invite-only Investor Lounge, and thematic content tracks covering energy, food, health, AI, deep tech, fintech, cleantech, and entrepreneurship. Registration fees for conference attendance are the primary paid offering, complemented by corporate sponsorship packages.

Product overview

Inventures is a global innovation conference platform that operates as an annual unified event. The core offering is the Inventures Conference itself—a three-day innovation event featuring five content tracks (Build from Strength, Explore the Next Frontier, Imagine a Better Future, Unleash Creativity, and Turn Risk to Reward), the Pitch Competition for startups, the invite-only Investor Lounge, and the Attendee Hub mobile application. The event is hosted by Alberta Innovates and held annually in Calgary, Alberta.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Inventures Conference Annual three-day global innovation conference held in Calgary that brings together innovators, investors, students, and government officials to explore technology and humanity through keynotes, panels, networking, and pitch competitions.
• Investor Lounge Invite-only space within the Inventures conference designed to foster high-level connections between venture capitalists, family offices, and promising startups; hosts 150 VIP guests to drive deal flow and meaningful partnerships.
• Pitch Competition Startup pitch competition run as part of Inventures where companies pitch their ideas and innovations to expert panels; six competitions across conference themes with $10,000 prizes per track and 1,097 applicants narrowed to 30 finalists in 2024.
• Attendee Hub Mobile App Official mobile event guide application available on iOS and Android that allows attendees to build their schedule, discover speakers, and access event information; delegate profiles remain discoverable for 90 days after the event.

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 4,000 attendees participated in Inventures 2024
• +4 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and supporting.

• University of CalgarycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025University of Calgary is a major sponsor of Inventures 2025, contributing to the innovation ecosystem by connecting academic research with industry and investment opportunities.
• University of AlbertacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025University of Alberta is a sponsor of Inventures 2025, participating in connecting academic innovation with industry and investment communities.
• ATB FinancialcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025ATB Financial is a sponsor of Inventures 2025, supporting the innovation ecosystem and connecting with entrepreneurs and startups.
• DeloittecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Deloitte is a sponsor of Inventures 2025, providing expertise and support for innovation and entrepreneurship programming.
• TC EnergycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025TC Energy is a sponsor of Inventures 2025, supporting innovation in energy technology and connecting with emerging solutions.
• RogersmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Rogers is a sponsor of Inventures 2025, participating in connecting technology innovation with industry opportunities.
• SVG Ventures | THRIVEmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025SVG Ventures THRIVE is a climate and agriculture technology investor that co-hosts pitch competitions at Inventures, including the Climate Challenge Pitch Showcase with Alberta Innovates.
• Plug and PlaymajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Plug and Play is a global innovation platform that hosts the AI in Energy Innovation Challenge pitch competition at Inventures.
• Ontario Brain InstitutemajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Ontario Brain Institute hosts the Neurotech Pitch Competition at Inventures, focusing on brain-related technology innovations.
• Foresight CanadasupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Foresight Canada is a sponsor of Inventures 2025, supporting climate and clean technology innovation.
• Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute (Amii)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Amii (Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute) is a key ecosystem partner, ranked as the world's third leading AI and machine learning research center, supporting the Tech Triathlon program track at Inventures.
• A100supportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2025A100 is a sponsor of Inventures 2025, representing Alberta's tech and innovation community.
• Air CanadasupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Air Canada is a sponsor of Inventures 2025, supporting travel and connectivity for innovation participants.
• SAIT (Southern Alberta Institute of Technology)supportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025SAIT is a sponsor of Inventures 2025, connecting technical education with innovation opportunities.
• ATCOsupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025ATCO is a sponsor of Inventures 2025, supporting innovation in energy and infrastructure sectors.
• The51supportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025The51 is a sponsor of Inventures 2025, focused on funding women in the food economy.
• Alberta Innovates Hydrogen Centre of ExcellencecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025The Hydrogen Centre of Excellence, led by Alberta Innovates, is a key partner driving hydrogen technology advancement and clean energy innovation showcased at Inventures.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Web Summit: Web Summit is one of the world's largest technology conferences (Lisbon, and formerly Collision in Toronto), connecting startups, investors, and media. It directly competes with Inventures for international attendees, pitch applicants, and corporate sponsors across overlapping content verticals (AI, fintech, cleantech).
• Collision Conference: Web Summit's North American counterpart, held in Toronto, focusing on tech startups, investors, and enterprise. Directly comparable to Inventures in target audience (founders + VCs), pitch competition format, and sponsor profile.
• Startup Grind Global Conference: Startup Grind hosts a global founder-investor conference with pitch programming and community-driven content. Comparable to Inventures in serving early-stage entrepreneurs seeking investor connections and ecosystem mentorship.
• Slush: Slush is a Helsinki-based founder and VC conference with strong pitch competition programming and a global investor base. Directly comparable to Inventures' investor-startup match focus and emerging-tech thematic tracks.
• TechCrunch Disrupt: TechCrunch Disrupt is the premier US startup conference anchored by its Startup Battlefield pitch competition. Directly comparable to Inventures' pitch competition format, founder-attendee mix, and VC deal-flow positioning.
• TNW (The Next Web) Conference: TNW Conference in Amsterdam brings together tech companies, startups, and investors across AI, cleantech, and digital media tracks — directly overlapping with Inventures' content tracks and audience segments.
• Venture Summit | Global: Global Venture Summit events connect venture capitalists, corporate VCs, and angel investors with early-stage and emerging growth companies. Highly comparable to Inventures' Investor Lounge and curated investor-startup matching focus.

Broad incumbents

• SXSW: SXSW is a much larger multi-track festival in Austin combining tech, film, and music. It overlaps with Inventures' innovation, investor, and pitch programming but operates at a global mega-event scale and broader consumer/creative orientation.
• CES: CES is the Consumer Electronics Show, the largest global innovation and technology expo. Comparable to Inventures in its focus on technology innovation, exhibitor/sponsor model, and investor attendance, though at vastly larger scale.

Regional players

• FWD50: FWD50 is a Canadian government-technology conference held in Ottawa, focused on public sector innovation and digital government. Comparable to Inventures in its Canadian-government ecosystem positioning and innovation-track programming, though more specialized.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/inventurescan

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments1 record

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Inventures