The Social Innovation Hub has closed.
After three years of supporting founders and partners across Calgary’s social innovation ecosystem, Social Innovation at Innovate Calgary has entered a transition phase, and the Social Innovation Hub is now closed. Access to the physical space and programming is concluded.
Since launching in early 2023, the SIH supported more than 400 ventures across sectors through mentorship, expert advising, access to our creative studio and ecosystem resources, and a community of peers, helping founders, researchers, not-for-profits, and students turn ideas into impact.
We are deeply grateful to the founders, partners, and funders who made this work possible. As Innovate Calgary reflects on the next evolution of this mission, we welcome conversations with partners and community members.
“Although the physical space is closing its doors, this phase of the Social Innovation Hub has been a significant success,” says John Wilson, President and CEO of Innovate Calgary. “This period was designed to test, learn, and inform what comes next. As funding comes to an end, we are carrying forward what we’ve learned to deploy in other areas of our mission, and will continue building a more inclusive innovation ecosystem and resilient economy.”
Some highlights from the last three years:
- Expanded participation in innovation: Supported 100+ BIPOC founders, 10+ rural founders, and 40+ nonprofits to build more sustainable, revenue-diverse ventures.
- Bridged research, talent, and impact: Helped 40+ researcher-led ventures move their ventures forward, and facilitated 25+ student placements with real-world, applied learning experiences.
- Built a connected impact community: Engaged 400+ community members through 60+ events, fostering connection, collaboration, and visibility for social impact entrepreneurs.
- Pioneered inclusive, founder-centred supports: Designed first-of-their-kind offerings, including 1-to-1 mental health support, a full-service creative studio, and an artist-in-residence program to strengthen founder and venture resilience, and spark creative collisions and collaborations.
- Catalyzed momentum and capital access: Deployed over $250K in prizes and awards and strengthened investment readiness, connecting founders to the UCeed Social Impact Fund, which has invested $3.2M+ in social startups.
The past three years of foundational work at the Social Innovation Hub would not have been possible without the collaboration of our partners. We thank them for their generosity and their support for social innovators and entrepreneurs tackling today’s complex challenges, including:
- The University of Calgary
- Prairie Economic Development Canada
- The Government of Alberta
- Alberta Innovates
- The City of Calgary
- Suncor Energy Foundation
- Flanagan Foundation
- United Way Calgary and Area
- All 70+ of our ecosystem programming and event partners over the last three years
We are deeply grateful to the founders, partners, and funders who made this work possible. Going forward, Innovate Calgary will seek to connect with stakeholders to explore the future of the important work of supporting social entrepreneurs.
For questions about this transition or to connect, please contact: socialinnovationhub@innovatecalgary.com.