Edmonton Business Association

What Edmonton Business Association does

The Edmonton Business Association (EBA) is a not-for-profit, volunteer-governed business association serving small business owners and entrepreneurs in the Edmonton Metro Region of Alberta, Canada. Originally founded over 100 years ago as the South Edmonton Business Association (SEBA), the organization rebranded to EBA in January 2018 after a 95% member vote, reflecting that its members operate across all quadrants of the city rather than within a single geographic boundary. EBA is operated by an elected volunteer Board of Directors and a single paid Executive Director (Berekti Crapo), with day-to-day operations run on a thin staff layer; the organization explicitly receives no government funding and is sustained through membership fees and fundraising events such as the annual Derby Fundraiser.

EBA's core product is its annual membership (priced from $130/year for non-profits to $345/year for businesses with 101+ employees), which bundles access to monthly networking mixers, knowledge luncheons, the quarterly EBA Knowledge Series, a member-exclusive webinar and podcast library called 'The 95%,' the Collab Over Coffee small-group program, an online member directory, and a monthly e-newsletter reaching approximately 1,000 subscribers. Additional revenue is generated through event sponsorship tiers (webinar sponsorship at $75 members/$150 non-members, mixer sponsorship at $150 members, Derby fundraiser tiers from $250-$1,000), tradeshow table rentals ($25-$50), and merchandise such as $35 engraved personal name tags. The technology stack is standard web/CMS infrastructure on Squarespace; no proprietary technology, AI/ML capabilities, patents, or API products are in evidence.

The go-to-market is community-led and event-driven: marketing operates across social media (Facebook, Twitter/X, LinkedIn, Instagram), a ~1,000-subscriber email newsletter, blog content, and recurring webinars plus in-person mixers, with a formal referral program offering a free membership renewal for three successful referrals. The member base is approximately 150 active SMBs distributed across unrelated industries (hospitality, marketing, design, PR, construction, financial services, optical), and co-hosting partnerships with the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce, Kingsway District Association, West Edmonton Business Association, Leduc Regional Chamber of Commerce, and Northern Alberta Transportation Club expand EBA's reach into the broader Edmonton business ecosystem.

Name

Edmonton Business Association

Legal name

Edmonton Business Association

Website

https://yegba.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1918

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Edmonton Business Association (EBA) is a not-for-profit, volunteer-governed business association in Edmonton, Alberta, offering ~150 small business members annual networking mixers, knowledge luncheons, webinars, a member directory, and community events funded by membership dues and sponsorships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Edmonton

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: The primary revenue source comes from annual membership fees at various tier levels based on business size. Membership provides access to networking events, directory, educational content, and member-only benefits.
2. Event Sponsorship: Sponsorship opportunities for webinars and mixers. Webinar sponsorship: $75 for members, $150 for non-members. Mixer sponsorship: $150 for members. This provides exposure to the business community at events.
3. Event Participation Fees: Fees for tradeshow tables at events: $25 for members, $50 for non-members. Derby fundraiser events with ticket sales and sponsorship tiers.
4. Merchandise Sales: Sale of branded merchandise such as personal name tags for $35.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Edmonton Business Association (EBA) is a not-for-profit, membership-based business association serving small business owners in the Edmonton Metro Region. It provides annual memberships that bundle access to monthly networking mixers, knowledge luncheons, webinars and podcasts, an online member directory, and member-only programs such as Collab Over Coffee. Revenue is generated primarily through annual membership fees, event sponsorship packages, and ticketed fundraiser events.

Product overview

Edmonton Business Association (EBA) is a business networking organization, not a software product company. It offers a single unified membership-based service that provides small business owners in the Edmonton Metro Region with access to networking events, educational programs, and member resources. The core offering consists of EBA Membership, which bundles together Monthly Networking Mixers, Knowledge Events and Luncheons, EBA Webinars & Podcasts (The 95%), Collab Over Coffee program, and EBA Member Exclusives including the business directory. Additional offerings include sponsorship packages for events and Personal Name Tags available through the online store. The organization is governed by volunteer Board positions elected annually at the AGM.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• EBA Membership

Quantifiable outcome

• More than 150 active members
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Taproot EdmontonminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 5 September 2019EBA sponsors Taproot's weekly Business Roundup newsletter, a curated email chronicling Edmonton's business community and economy. This supports local journalism while increasing EBA visibility to new business enthusiasts.
• Edmonton Chamber of CommercecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 January 2018Partner organization for co-hosted events. EBA works with Edmonton Chamber of Commerce to provide members with access to events co-hosted by both organizations.
• Kingsway District AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 January 2018Joint mixer events held with Kingsway District Association for cross-pollination of business networks.
• West Edmonton Business AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 January 2018Partner organization for co-hosted events serving Edmonton's business community.
• Leduc Regional Chamber of CommerceminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 January 2018Partnership expanded EBA's reach to the Leduc region for joint events and member benefits.
• Northern Alberta Transportation ClubminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 January 2018Joint mixer events hosted with Northern Alberta Transportation Club.
• Kingsways Business DistrictminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 January 2018EBA may host joint mixers with Kingsways Business District for networking purposes.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Toronto Region Board of Trade: Large, established business association with tiered memberships, events, and policy advocacy. Represents the scaled, professionally-staffed model that EBA's volunteer-led operation is the smaller-market analog of.
• Better Business Bureau (BBB): National business membership organization focused on trust, accreditation, and dispute resolution. Comparable membership dues model with directory exposure and brand-trust positioning, but operates at national scale.
• SCORE: U.S.-based nonprofit providing mentoring, workshops, and networking for small business owners. Comparable mission and member-services structure; useful benchmark for how associations scale content and volunteer engagement.
• Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB): National advocacy and member-services organization for Canadian SMBs. Comparable in serving the same small business owner persona but operates nationally with policy influence and insurance/banking perks EBA does not offer.

Regional players

• Leduc Regional Chamber of Commerce: Chamber serving the Leduc region just south of Edmonton. Comparable association model targeting SMBs outside Edmonton's core, and EBA lists it as a co-hosting partner for joint events.
• Calgary Chamber of Commerce: Regional chamber serving Calgary-area SMBs. Directly comparable membership association structure (dues tiers, events, advocacy) operating in an adjacent Alberta market, useful for benchmarking programming and sponsorship economics.

Direct peers

• BNI (Business Network International): Global referral-driven networking organization for SMBs with structured chapter meetings and membership fees. Closest business model analog to EBA's networking mixers and Collab Over Coffee, with a much larger paid-membership footprint.
• Small Business BC: Non-profit supporting small businesses through education, advisory, and networking in BC. Direct comparable in member-supported programming, webinars, and events for SMBs outside the EBA geography.
• Edmonton Chamber of Commerce: The flagship local chamber serving Edmonton businesses. Operates in the same geography with overlapping SMB audience and co-hosts events with EBA; comparison-relevant because it represents the broader, more established association model EBA competes against for member mindshare.
• West Edmonton Business Association: Neighborhood/district-level business association in west Edmonton. Direct peer with similar grassroots networking model, dues structure, and event programming; EBA explicitly partners with WEBA for joint mixers.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/youryegba
• Facebookfacebook.com/yourYegBa
• Instagraminstagram.com/youryegba
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/youryegba

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Edmonton Business Association