Innovation Saskatchewan is responsible for implementing the province’s innovation priorities and helping grow Saskatchewan’s tech sector. Effective April 2022, this includes operation of the Innovation Place technology parks in Saskatoon and Regina.
Saskatchewan’s tech sector is thriving thanks to innovative startups, like Cultivator, the business incubator powered by Conexus Credit Union and based at Innovation Place in Regina, and established tech companies and continued investments from both venture capital funds and the provincial government, CBC’s Adam Hunter reports. Saskatchewan’s thriving tech scene is the best kept secret Innovation Place is aiming to help share with our communities near and far.
As Canada’s tech sector continues to gain traction worldwide, what sets Saskatchewan’s burgeoning scene apart is not its reputation as “the Silicon Valley of the Prairies” and instead its interconnection and support between big and small tech companies. At a recent event at the Saskatoon Chamber of Commerce, Jordan Dutchak, founder of Co.Labs, a tech incubator located at Innovation Place in Saskatoon, remarked on this perceived competition for attention stating that in Saskatchewan, and Saskatoon specifically, it all comes down to attitudes and Saskatchewan tech’s attitude is “all ships rise with a rising attitude.”
Cultivator exemplifies this attitude and environment as it finishes its exceptional first year celebrating achievements such as the wildly successful 24-Hour Startup, an event that brings together entrepreneurs, developers, and designers to build a minimum viable product in 24 hours. Cultivator’s massive success is a testament to the unique environment Saskatchewan’s tech sector provides and the attitude that with connection and support we can all succeed together.