Plug and Play Alberta Announces New Director and Dedicated Office in Edmonton

News provided by

Oct 03, 2023, 15:30 ET

EDMONTON, AB, Oct. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Plug and Play Alberta has appointed Dawn Newton as a new Director in Edmonton, focusing on their presence in the growing tech community there. The team in Edmonton has a new dedicated office in the Edmonton Unlimited space. With her exceptional expertise in running accelerator programs and serving the Edmonton innovation community, Dawn will play a pivotal role in leading the provincial programs team and continue expanding Plug and Play's impact across the region.

"Having Dawn Newtown join our team, along with the new office space reflects our dedication to fostering innovation and supporting our team's growth in Edmonton," said Lindsay Smylie, Director of Plug and Play Alberta. "We believe it will further enhance our ability to effectively serve the innovation community and our Scale-Up GAP partners."

"The steady growth of made-in Edmonton technologies, innovation and research is diversifying our economy each and every day. With the exciting announcement of Plug and Play establishing an office in Edmonton, we are collectively taking yet another step forward in strengthening our region's economy and supporting local entrepreneurs in a big way, while retaining talent and attracting new investments to the Edmonton region," said Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi. "Congratulations to Plug and Play and welcome to Edmonton – together, we can build a more innovative city for all of us."

"Edmonton Unlimited is a committed 'fund and fellowship' partner with Silicon Valley-based Plug and Play, helping to attract this and other global accelerators to our city and connect local companies through their networks to the world," said CEO of Edmonton Unlimited, Catherine Warren. "With our new downtown space hopping with local innovators and loads of free programs, the time is right to open our doors to the growing Plug and Play team, providing a dedicated office space and our cutting-edge event venue to drive North America's high-growth tech sector, accelerate local startups, and advance our city as an inclusive global innovation capital."

To commemorate these exciting announcements, Founder and CEO Saeed Amidi will be joining the Plug and Play Alberta team to host an opening celebration on October 3 in the Edmonton Unlimited Atrium.

"Building and establishing a presence in Edmonton is critical to advancing the innovation ecosystem, said Laura Kilcrease, CEO of Alberta Innovates. "We're pleased that Plug and Play Alberta now has an office in Edmonton to help grow tech businesses across the entire entrepreneurial landscape of Alberta."

"It's an exciting time for the Edmonton innovation space," said Saeed Amidi, Founder and CEO of Plug and Play. "We're thrilled to establish a physical presence in Edmonton, aligning ourselves with the city's vibrant entrepreneurial spirit and dynamic tech landscape."

The event will offer attendees the opportunity to connect with industry leaders, meet the Plug and Play Alberta team, and engage in networking with the local tech community.

The highly regarded Plug and Play Alberta Sector Agnostic and Digital Health EXPO will be hosted for the first time in Edmonton on November 30, 2023. Additionally, a number of events are also on the map in Edmonton within the coming months, including weekly meet-ups and networking sessions.

Visit the Plug and Play Alberta website for more information.

About Plug and Play

Plug and Play is the leading innovation platform, connecting startups, corporations, venture capital firms, universities, and government agencies. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, we're present in 50+ locations across 5 continents. We offer corporate innovation programs and help our corporate partners in every stage of their innovation journey, from education to execution. We also organize startup acceleration programs and have built an in-house VC to drive innovation across multiple industries where we've invested in hundreds of successful companies including Dropbox, Guardant Health, Honey, Lending Club, N26, PayPal, and Rappi. For more information, visit https://www.plugandplaytechcenter.com/.

About Plug and Play Alberta

Plug and Play Alberta is building a world-class innovation platform to attract top technology and investment to the region and support Albertan entrepreneurs to scale and grow, hire tech talent, and propel digital transformation across the province. Plug and Play is part of the Alberta Scaleup and Growth Accelerator Program that is run by a consortium led by Alberta Innovates. The consortium, which also includes the Government of Alberta, Edmonton Unlimited, the Opportunity Calgary Investment Fund, and Prairies Economic Development Canada (PrairiesCan), allocated $35 million over three years to retain business accelerators. It's part of the Alberta government's goal to help create 20,000 jobs and increase technology firm revenue to $5 billion by 2030.