Calgary's tech sector leads North America in growth for third straight year

Calgary's technology industry is experiencing unprecedented growth, leading North America for three consecutive years. A recent report from CBRE Group highlights a 56% expansion in the sector, creating 28,900 new jobs. This boom is not confined to a single niche; it spans diverse fields such as energy, clean technology, agriculture, and manufacturing.

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In Alberta and in Calgary, specifically, there’s a lot of tech that’s based on kind of our natural resources and traditional industries.

Platform Calgary, a downtown hub, plays a crucial role in fostering this growth. CEO Jen Lussier emphasizes the organization's mission to support entrepreneurs through direct programming, assisting them with product development, customer acquisition, fundraising, and hiring. "We like to say it takes a village to raise a startup," Lussier noted, underscoring the collaborative effort involved.

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We like to say it takes a village to raise a startup.

Local companies are also reaping the rewards of this thriving ecosystem. Nathan Day, head of sales and marketing at TCG Machines, shared that his company has doubled in size over the past six years. TCG Machines, specializing in trading card sorting, recently moved into a large facility after processing one billion cards. "The proof is in the pudding, you know what I mean? We’re now in 24 countries, we have just over 500 units out in the field, this is making a real impact for people," Day said. He added that the company's success stems from years of hard work, not just luck.

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The Calgary Economic Development innovation strategy has been put in place, and over the next three years… Platform is the critical referral engine at the middle of that.