How Calgary is well positioned to help close Canada’s growth gap

At the Calgary Innovation Coalition (CIC), we know there is no shortage of entrepreneurs starting businesses, but there is a gap in scaling those businesses.

The latest article from the Digital Journal, covering the kickoff of ScaleUP Week 2025, puts that challenge into sharp focus: fewer than 0.1% of Canadian companies ever achieve high growth. The ambition is here. The ideas are here. But the infrastructure to scale those ideas into lasting impact is still lagging.

We’re working to change that — starting right here in Calgary.

We talk a lot about startups, and rightly so. But the real economic impact, the kind that creates jobs and builds long-term prosperity, comes when those companies scale. That’s the part of the journey where Canada still needs to do better.

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What we’ve learned in Calgary

Since 2016, the CIC has grown to include almost 100 member organizations supporting innovation-based ventures across the region. We’re one of eight Regional Innovation Networks funded in partnership with Alberta Innovates, all focused on helping entrepreneurs grow technology and knowledge-based businesses.

We call ourselves a coalition because we know growth doesn’t come from isolated efforts. It takes coordination, shared insight, and a strong commitment to founder-first support. That’s what we’ve built in Calgary, a connected, collaborative network designed to accelerate innovation and help companies navigate complexity.

We’ve also set an ambitious “North Star”: to support the creation and acceleration of 1,027 tech startups in Calgary by 2031. That’s our 10X challenge. If we get there, it will mean 50,000 jobs and $50 billion in direct GDP added to Canada’s economy. But to hit that target, we must focus just as much on scale as we do on start.

Why Supporting Scale matters

Scaling is where companies face their toughest challenges: managing talent, raising capital, expanding operations, and sustaining momentum. It’s also where the greatest economic return lives — not just in Calgary, but across Canada.

That’s why we’re proud to support initiatives like ScaleUP Week in the spring and Innovation Week in the fall. These are more than just events — they are platforms for building the relationships, insights, and momentum needed to fuel Canada’s scale-up economy.

We’re especially encouraged by tools like the ScaleUP Monitor survey, which brings founder voices to the forefront. Data like this helps us all — policymakers, investors, and support organizations — design smarter programs and make better decisions.

We’re also excited to have played a role in having Digital Journal step in as media partner. Telling the stories of growing companies — steadily, strategically, and sometimes quietly — is essential. It helps reshape the national narrative around what success looks like.

Building momentum that lasts

Calgary has the momentum, the networks, and the ambition to lead in solving Canada’s scale challenge. But we know we’re not doing it alone.

At CIC, we see ourselves as an umbrella — connecting entrepreneurs, innovation organizations, and regional partners to accelerate progress together. By aligning our efforts, sharing insights, and telling real stories of scale, we can move the needle — not just for Calgary, but for the entire country.

We’re proud to be part of this work — year-round, through initiatives like ScaleUP Week and Innovation Week — and we’re just getting started.