Celebrating Another Startup Success Story in Our Community - Scholarships Cafe Wins Pitch Event & Cohort 11 Graduates Velocity.
What do all the companies in the latest cohort of Alberta Catalyzer Velocity South have in common? Whether it's optimizing commodities trading with advanced analytics, connecting customers with auto services, empowering students with scholarship opportunities, revolutionizing IT hiring with AI, streamlining productivity for businesses, enhancing legal team operations, or helping job seekers with AI-driven tools, each of these startups leverages cutting-edge technology to drive efficiency, accessibility, and growth.
Cohort 11 Companies: Quantim Intelligence, Drivee, Scholarships Cafe, Techies4tech.ai, SEPT., Myoby, JobAutopilot.com
About the Velocity Showcase
The Velocity Showcase is a launchpad for participants to showcase their company, pitch live (some for the very first time) to a an audience of peers, investors, and potential customers, and gain traction in the tech and startup landscape. Attendees will experience the excitement of discovering new ideas, learn how Alberta Catalyzer helps early-stage startups, and be part of the electric atmosphere in Alberta’s thriving startup ecosystem! View the full photo gallery here.
The People's Choice: The Startup That Stole the Show
The Velocity Showcase People's Choice Award is a beacon of recognition, spotlighting the startup or founder who has captured the hearts and minds of attendees. This award not only celebrates the winner's achievements but also symbolizes the tech and startup community's appreciation for innovation, hard work, and passion, inspiring others to pursue their vision and make a lasting impact.
People’s Choice Award Sponsors
We're honored to acknowledge the Platform Pillar Team partners who are passionately committed to empowering early-stage startups and their founders and whose generosity and expertise have elevated the People's Choice Award for cohort 11. Through their support, the winner will gain access to a wealth of resources and knowledge from renowned partners KPMG, Ayming, and Fasken.
Fasken, is a leading Canadian law firm to emerging and high-growth technology companies. Their Emerging Technology practice is comprised of 90+ dedicated legal professionals across the Canadian market. Deeply involved in the startup ecosystem they have worked closely with founders from startup to scale up to exit. As a leading Canadian law firm for venture capital financings and tech mergers and acquisitions they act for many of the best-in-class startup and scale up innovation-based companies in Canada. Given this experience they understand market trends and can assist in guiding companies forward as they scale – they take a holistic and strategic approach to helping clients achieve their goals and provide the full suite of services including corporate, corporate finance, mergers & acquisitions, commercial, IP, data and compliance, employment, tax and beyond.
KPMG equips early-stage startups in Velocity with vital insights for startup accounting and tax success. Participants explore the fundamentals of startup accounting and taxation, SR&ED intricacies, unlocking opportunities for government funding and incentives to fuel growth, and learn to manage changes seamlessly while optimizing financial processes. The goal is to empower founders with the tools and knowledge necessary to establish a strong foundation, leading them towards sustainable and long-term growth.
Ayming provides invaluable input and guidance to startups in the Alberta Catalyzer Velocity Program. They pride themselves in guiding and supporting founders in successfully navigating vital government funding avenues essential to their business. With their leading AI software they provide a customized portfolio of current and future Federal and Provincial Grants and tax credits tailored for each business. Their SR&ED Express service exclusively supports early-stage companies, and their non-dilutive financing allows faster access to these government funds. Ayming is driven by one purpose, to help companies fund their innovation and growth in a sustainable and profitable manner, helping them leap ahead competitively.
And the Winner is…
To those who joined us in person, thank you for your energy and enthusiasm. And to those who couldn't be here with us today, we're thrilled to share the news with you: Dr. Olumuyiwa Igbalajobi founder of Scholarships Cafe, is the well-deserved winner of this prestigious award!
“On stage, I felt immense gratitude and joy. Winning the People's Choice Award validated our hard work and the community's appreciation, fuelling our motivation to continue helping students achieve their educational dreams.” - Dr. Olumuyiwa Igbalajobi, Scholarships Cafe
Scholarships Cafe Bridges Knowledge Gaps for Equal Access to Scholarships
Scholarships Cafe believes every student should have equal access to scholarship opportunities but students often don’t know what opportunities exist or how to optimize their applications for the best chances of securing a scholarship. Scholarships Cafe addresses these significant challenges students face with a two-pronged approach:
1. Scholarship Matching Tool: AI-powered matching technology that connects students with relevant scholarships. 2. Application Optimization Tool: Expert guidance to enhance application quality and boost chances of securing scholarships.
Scholarships Cafe stands out from the competition by offering a unique combination of benefits. With a global perspective, they provide access to international scholarship opportunities and an extensive database at an affordable price. Their commitment to social impact and strong online presence further enhance their appeal. Most notably, their AI matching tools ensure accurate and personalized results, setting them apart in the market.
Since 2020, Scholarships Cafe has helped secure over $1 billion in scholarships for more than 60,000 students worldwide. What's next for Scholarships Cafe? The platform is poised to expand its reach, further develop its AI technology, and solidify its position as a leading scholarships platform, empowering more students worldwide to access the financial support they need to succeed.
Dr. Olumuyiwa also reflected on his entrepreneurial journey, expressing “The showcase was a milestone in my Velocity journey, symbolizing growth, learning, and the validation of Scholarships Cafe's impact. It highlighted our progress and the value we bring to students seeking scholarships.”
Dr. Olumuyiwa and Scholarships Cafe will receive in-kind services from KPMG, Ayming, and Fasken as the winner of the People’s Choice Award! Olu also expressed his gratitude, saying, "These partnerships will help us refine our business model, optimize operations, and ensure compliance, enabling us to scale and impact more scholars worldwide."
Collectively, we're paving the way for a vibrant future in Alberta's innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem, and we're thrilled to anticipate the successes that our startup community will accomplish.
Thank you for joining us for a night of celebration, collaboration, and community. See you at the next showcase.
About Alberta Catalyzer
Alberta Catalyzer is a merit-based pre-accelerator that offers company support, resources, and coaching to entrepreneurs aiming to launch and grow their tech-enabled companies, preparing them for advancement to the scale-up and acceleration stages.
Launched in 2022, Alberta Catalyzer is developed and delivered by Platform Calgary and Edmonton Unlimited, with support from partners and organizations across the Alberta Innovation Network.
Apply to the next cohort in one of three programs: Engage, Traction, and Velocity.
