Edmonton has what it takes to build globally significant deep tech companies.
But breakthrough technology alone does not create a successful company.
Deep tech founders face a different commercialization journey. Development cycles are longer, capital requirements are higher, and customers and investors need rigorous evidence before they commit.
The challenge is not simply building the technology. It is determining where that technology solves a problem important enough for someone to act on — and then building the evidence to prove it.
That is why we call this The Deep Tech Foundry.
A foundry takes something with raw potential and puts it through a rigorous process of shaping, testing and refinement. The Deep Tech Foundry at Edmonton Unlimited is designed to do the same for emerging deep tech ventures.
Through intensive work with experienced practitioners, investors and operators from Edmonton and across Canada, founders will challenge assumptions, engage with the market, generate evidence and make better decisions faster. The program is built around rapid iteration and learning — helping founders determine what is worth pursuing, what needs to change, and what evidence is required to move forward with greater confidence.
Program Architecture & Format
This flagship initiative emphasizes action, rigorous experimentation, measurable progress, and fast decision-making over classroom theory. There is no cost to participate and no equity given up, but founders are expected to fully commit to the process, attend all sessions, and complete the work.
- Cohort Size: 8–12 highly vetted companies. Intentionally small to concentrate meaningful resources, attention, and visibility on each founder.
- Format: Hybrid, milestone-driven structure incorporating weekly in-person intensives in Edmonton with deliverables that will be reviewed and feed into the following week, including remote work.
- Weekly Rhythm: Includes a weekly Founder Intensive, a 60 minute Milestone Review, biweekly Expert Clinics (e.g., IP, regulatory, technical validation), and continuous 2-week Traction Sprints.
- Go/No-Go Decision Framework: Structured evaluation gates throughout the 12-16 weeks force teams to confront hard data early, establishing explicit “kill criteria” for hypotheses to determine whether to double down, pivot, or pull back.
Is this for you?
Deep Tech Foundry is built for technical founders turning science and engineering breakthroughs into companies.
That could mean AI, energy, advanced materials, health, robotics, industrial technology or another area where the technology itself creates a meaningful advantage.
The program is Edmonton-first, with limited space for companies from across Alberta when they add to the strength of the cohort.
The strongest companies for this program have:
- Stage Readiness: A working prototype or MVP, generally around Technology Readiness Level 4–6, and are moving beyond the pure idea or early research stage.
- Evidence of Progress: Early customer engagement through discovery conversations, pilots, letters of intent or other tangible signals of market interest.
- Differentiated Insight: A clear insight into the problem or opportunity — something you understand about the customer, business, market or technology that others may not.
- Founder Drive & Adaptability: A strong reason for building the company, a willingness to be challenged, and the ability to make difficult decisions when the evidence points in a different direction.
The Work
Deep tech companies face a different set of questions as they move from promising technology to a credible business. Who is the right customer? What evidence will they need to buy? Which technical milestones matter most? When is it time to keep going, change direction or rethink the path?
Throughout the program, founders work through those questions with experienced mentors and advisors, testing assumptions and building the evidence needed to make stronger decisions about their technology, market and company.
Technology & Market Fit
Assess technology readiness, identify where the technology can create the greatest value and focus on the opportunities worth pursuing.
Customer Discovery
Identify the right customers and budget holders, understand the problems they need solved and test whether there is enough urgency to drive action.
Technical & Commercial Milestones
Define the milestones that matter over the next 12 months and set clear criteria for when to continue, adjust or stop a path.
IP & Freedom to Operate
Build an IP strategy and identify areas that may require further legal or technical review.
Pilots & Early Customers
Identify potential early buyers, design pilots around clear outcomes and determine what evidence is needed to move from pilot to commercial relationship.
Capital Strategy
Explore the right mix of grants, strategic partners and equity, while building the story and supporting materials needed for future investors.
Investor Readiness & Execution
Put the company through realistic investor conversations, pressure-test the business and turn what you learn into a focused plan for what comes next.
Evidence & Pivot Reviews
Regularly review what the market and technology are telling you and decide whether to go deeper, change the application or market, or pause further investment.
By the end of the program, founders should have more than a plan. They should have clearer evidence about what to build, who it is for, what needs to happen next and where to focus their time and capital.
What Founder's Will Leave With
Founders should not leave The Deep Tech Foundry in the same place they started. The goal is not simply more activity — it is greater clarity, stronger evidence and better decisions.
By the end of the program, founders should have:
- Greater Speed of Learning: The ability to test important assumptions faster, learn from evidence and adapt before unnecessary time or capital is spent.
- Strategic Clarity: A credible 12-month technical and commercial roadmap supported by clear milestones and decision criteria.
- Market Evidence: Stronger evidence about customer demand and a credible path forward — or the clarity to change, pause or stop pursuing a path when the evidence does not support it.
- Investor Readiness: A stronger founder narrative, more robust data room and financing strategy aligned with the capital requirements of the business.
- A Stronger Network: Meaningful relationships with operators, investors, experts and fellow founders who can continue to support the company beyond the program.
KEY DATES
Innovator Applications Open
Sept 17
Program Kickoff at Startup Week
Oct 6
Innovator Applications Close
Oct 13
Hackathon Day at UofA
Oct 17
Semi-Final Presentations
Nov 10
Demo Day
Dec 1
FAQs
Who can apply?
Students, developers, designers, researchers, engineers, industry professionals and startups. If you can contribute to building a solution, you’re eligible. Participants must be currently living in Alberta or, if applying as a company, be an Alberta-based company. Alberta-based means you are either incorporated in Alberta or your senior team is present in Alberta.
I’m a student, how do I apply for a stipend to participate?
Stipend recipients must be attending a post-secondary institution in the Edmonton Metro Region.
To apply, fill out the registration form and fill in the appropriate details about your degree program in the application. We have 60 merit-based stipends. Your registration video will be used as your stipend application. Details on the judging criteria for stipends is in the registration form.
Do I need a team before I apply?
No. You apply as an individual, and teams form after applications are approved. Teams run one to five people.
If you already have a team, each individual must complete the registration form. Once all team members have been approved, a separate team registration must be filled out.
Do I need a background in construction?
No. The challenges are cross-sectional by design. Teams that mix technical builders with people who understand the industry tend to do best, and the sponsors are available to answer questions about their world.
What's the time commitment?
Eight weeks with an expected 30 – 40 hours of work total throughout the duration of the program.
Does the program have a virtual option?
Events will be in person. Teams can work asynchronously, but must be able to attend the semi-finals day in November and the finals in December.
Is there a cost to participate?
No.
Who owns what my team builds?
The team does. Edmonton Unlimited and the Challenge sponsors take no ownership in the solutions or any associated IP.
What happens if my team wins?
Top teams receive prizes at Demo Day and have the potential to receive funding through Edmonton Unlimited’s Venture Pilots program to implement their solution with customers. Edmonton Unlimited also works with top teams on incorporation where the opportunity warrants it.
I am a corporation. How do I submit a challenge for a future cohort?
Reach out to Zack Storms directly: [email protected]
WHAT'S NEXT?
We are finalizing the design of The Deep Tech Foundry now, and founder input will help shape the final program.
Register to be notified when The Deep Tech Foundry officially opens, including full program details and application dates.
Questions? Contact Mo Ghashghavi, Director of Founder Success, at [email protected].
