2018 Alberta Tech Deal Flow Study

Alberta Enterprise Corporation has released the 2018 Alberta Tech Deal Flow Study.

The objective is to provide stakeholders with a shared understanding on the strength and make-up of technology deal flow across sectors and regions in Alberta.

Deal Flow is the stream of business proposals, pitches and investment offers that venture capital, angel and private equity investors identify and engage with on a daily basis. Strong deal flow is an indicator of a thriving ecosystem, strong economy and healthy capital markets.

2018 Deal Flow Study Highlights

Alberta Enterprise Corporation’s 2018 Deal Flow Study uncovered some interesting facts about the makeup, evolution and distribution of technology in the province. While Alberta’s tech sector is still considered in its early stages of development, the data shows it is maturing.

The Deal Flow Study provides a leading yardstick for measuring the health, growth and composition of the Alberta technology and innovation sector. The study was made possible due to the collective support from Alberta’s tech firms and numerous organizations that make up the Alberta ecosystem.

Findings revealed Alberta offers significant early stage opportunity for tech investors, with 54% of companies surveyed at the Pre-Series A stage and 70% of Alberta tech companies surveyed generating annual revenue (almost a 32% increase since 2016). In fact, nearly one in four companies are earning more than $1 million annually.

It was also revealed that female participation in the technology sector in Alberta is very strong, with 30% of tech companies in Alberta being led by a female founder or co-founder.

Among other key findings:

• 34% of Alberta technology firms are integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) into their offering.
• 23% of firms report over $1M in annual revenue.
• 81% of capital funding raised by Alberta tech firms is from Calgary or Edmonton sources.
• 27% is raised from other parts of Canada; 24% is from the US.
• Alberta’s technology sector is largely concentrated in Calgary (767 companies) and Edmonton (394 companies), with 94% of companies operating in Alberta’s two largest cities.
• There has been a 38% increase in companies with 10+ employees.
• 63% of companies surveyed in 2018 report they have launched products. (Compared to 50% in 2016).
• Among technology companies operating in Alberta, the most common are software companies (40%), followed by life sciences (13%), clean tech (11%), energy tech (10%), and industrial hardware and materials (9%) companies.
• The average age of Alberta’s startup founders is 43.
• 71% of founders have previous startup experience; 84% have a technical background.

All data is analysed and reported on an aggregate basis, with no identifying information for any company released.