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Expert Advisor Program

The Expert Advisor Program (EA Program) matches early-stage startup companies with seasoned experts to help them achieve their business goals. This program leverages the domain expertise of advisors to help entrepreneurs work on specific challenges within a timeline. Advisors on the roster have deep expertise in the Areas of Expansive Support listed below, and use their experiences and successes to help startups avoid common pitfalls and streamline their path to success.

Access to the Expert Advisor Program is exclusive to members of Innovate Calgary hubs. If you are a member, you can collaborate with any advisor on our roster to gain valuable insights and strategic guidance. Interested in becoming a member? Download the membership brochure.

Questions? See FAQ

Expert Advisors PFA

Expert Advisors, Expansive Support

We have experts from a wide array of industries and expertise.

Meet our Expert Advisors

A group discussion

How it works

Hands-on service is available exclusively to active members of one or more of our hubs. To get started, you’ll have an introductory meeting with an advisor, where a Statement of Work is outlined, detailing maximum hours, timelines, and specific deliverables. From there, you’ll collaborate with top industry experts to accomplish your business objectives.

Frequently asked questions

Who can access the Expert Advisor (EA) Program?

Access to the Expert Advisor Program is included with your Innovate Calgary hub membership. Interested in becoming a member? Download the Membership Brochure. 

Select Incubator and Accelerator program participants have access to the EA Program. If you believe your program offers EA hours, please contact your Program Manager for more information. 

If you run a program and would like your participants to have access to expert advisory support, please reach out to expertadvisorprogram@innovatecalgary.com

I am a Member and I want to work with an EA. Who do I contact?

Please fill out this online FORM and outline the business need you have or the EA you would like to work with. 

The EA Program Manager will reach out to you with next steps within 3 business days. 

What type of advisory can I expect?

The program offers advisory in key areas that are highly relevant to our Members; such as business development, marketing, intellectual property, regulatory, finance etc. We are continuously striving to ensure the advice needed by our members is available, and that the advisors in the program are consistently delivering high-quality guidance.

What type of advisory is not provided by the program?

The program is not designed to provide advisory in niche areas. 

Furthermore, the program is not designed to provide service offerings. Areas such as bookkeeping, software development, grant writing and submission are not covered by the program. 

How many hours can my Member company spend with the EA Program?

Member companies accrue EA hours at a rate of 2.5 hours/month, for a total of 30 hours/year. Unused hours are carried over to the next month but not to the next membership year. 

We want to ensure our Members can utilize their hours when needed most, and therefore we will assess exceptions to allow the use of hours prior to full accrual on a case-by-case basis.

If you receive EA hours through participation in a program, please contact your Program Manager for details on the number of hours included. 

I don’t know how many hours my company has left, where can I find this information?

Please email expertadvisorprogram@innovatecalgary.com and request information about the number of hours you have used and how many hours you have available to work with an EA . As a Member you will also receive an email at regular intervals outlining the hours you have used and the number of hours that are still available.

We’ve used all of our EA hours, can we receive or purchase more hours?

Access to the program is limited to Members and program participants, and more hours cannot be granted or purchased at this time. 

What is an EA engagement?

“EA Engagement” is the term we use to describe the work done between a Member/Program Participant and an EA through the EA Program. It begins with a Statement of Work (SOW) document to define the work you will do together, the time frame it will be accomplished in, and the number of hours allocated to accomplish the work. This is followed by the execution of the defined work, under the defined timeline and hours allotment. 

How long does it take to set up an EA engagement?

Depending on the availability of the requested EA, and the schedules of all parties, it can take from 3 days to 3 weeks to book an intro call and set up an EA engagement. Please plan for it to take at least 2 weeks.

What contracts are necessary to set up an EA engagement?

All advisors sign an Expert Advisor Service Agreement (EASA) with Innovate Calgary, which includes a comprehensive section on the non-disclosure of confidential information.

A Statement of Work (SOW) must be agreed to and signed by the Member, the EA and Innovate Calgary before starting an EA engagement. This outlines the start date, end date, maximum number of hours, and what will be accomplished. 

The EA Program Manager will make sure all necessary contracts are in place.

What if the EA Roster doesn’t have someone with the expertise I need?

If you believe there is an expertise gap in the program and that a certain expertise would benefit your company and other Member companies, please email expertadvisorprogram@innovatecalgary.com with your suggestion. Note that new advisors’ expertise must be relevant to a subset of our membership to ensure they can be utilized multiple times.

My company wants to work with a particular person, but they are not on the roster. Can they be added to the roster?

If you have an advisor in mind, please provide your referral to the EA program manager. 

We only include new expert advisors after a thorough due diligence process and assessment of our Members needs, which can take up to 2 months. New advisors’ expertise must be relevant to a subset of our membership to ensure they can be utilized multiple times.

Please do not include prospective EAs in these emails – there is a structured process to be followed by the EA Program Manager, who will follow up on your email.

I am interested in becoming an Expert Advisor. How do I find out more information?

Please email expertadvisorprogram@innovatecalgary.com, and the EA Program Manager will connect with you on next steps. Please note that there is a thorough process for expression of interest and due diligence to ensure a great fit for the program and our Members.

I have more questions, who can I ask?

Please email expertadvisorprogram@innovatecalgary.com. The EA Program Manager will happily answer your questions or schedule a call to discuss.


Back to Program Details

Become an Innovate Calgary Expert Advisor

Are you ready to share your expertise and help shape Calgary’s innovation landscape? Join our Expert Advisor Program (EAP) at Innovate Calgary as a trusted Expert Advisor (EA).

Getting Started is Simple:
Fill out our form to express your interest, so we can assess if your expertise aligns with our clients’ needs. We’ll review your submission and get back to you shortly. Fill Out the Form.

Have Questions?
If you’re a client and would like to learn more about the program or discuss meeting with an advisor, please get in touch with us. Access to the Expert Advisor Program is exclusive to members of Innovate Calgary hubs. Contact Us.