Three Calgary companies can now add Top 50 Startup of 2018 to their portfolio.
ShareSmart, Acuspire, and RoboGarden competed against 6,000 global tech companies for this title at Startup Grind Global - held in Silicon Valley this past February.
With over one million members in 350 cities, Startup Grind is a global tech community designed to educate, inspire, and connect entrepreneurs. Powered by Google for Entrepreneurs, the road to top 50 starts with local chapters, like the one in Calgary. “Startup Grind isn’t a Silicon Valley conference - it’s a global conference happening in Silicon Valley,” says Chad Ford, Chapter Director for Startup Grind Calgary. “We consistently hear that we need to do a better job telling Calgary’s tech story to the world, and we are proud to help accomplish this.”
With over 700 venture capitalists and angel investors in attendance at Startup Grind, the top 50 companies get the chance to showcase at the global exhibit hall, are matched with investors to build relationships and pitch to conference attendees.
Rena Tabata is the Founder and CEO of ShareSmart, a secure clinical app that enables healthcare professionals to use their own smartphones to take photos and discuss patient cases with colleagues. With a growing team, Tabata wanted to give her new recruits a taste of the startup scene, showcasing how ShareSmart fits within the global health tech community.
“Canadian startups are at an advantage for attracting international investment,” says Tabata. “With more access to non-dilutive funding and a reputation for being fiscally prudent, there are several benefits to investing from across the border.”
Acuspire was founded by long-time entrepreneur Stephen Wensley, with the idea to connect employees to their dream job, and connecting employers to top talent.
“With seven to ten thousand people on site, you can raise a lot of money fast. You never know who you will meet,” says Wensley. “You will come back with a stack of business cards from people who want to invest in you or want to connect you with someone who does.”
RoboGarden is a hands-on, intelligent educational platform that teaches science, technology, robotics, engineering, art and mathematics (STREAM) content based on coding literacy. Dr. Mohamed Elhabiby founded RoboGarden to fill a skills gap in coding and programming at his company, Micro Engineering Tech Inc., before realizing that he was solving a global issue.
“We made a great connection to Africa at Startup Grind and are now in negotiations to build an initiative using RoboGarden,” says Elhabiby. “In the last three months, RoboGarden has grown quickly by having distributors in over 12 countries and we’re aiming to expand services in other territories. We’re helping show that you can be a successful global company from right here in Calgary.”
Know a startup that should be in the next top 50? Check out the next Startup Grind Calgary event on March 28.