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Edmonton Companies News & Discussion

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Taproot Edmonton Tech Roundup: December 02, 2025

With news from Edmonton Unlimited, Startup TNT, Ethically Aligned AI, Reliable Controls, Nanoprecise, Alberta Electric System Operator, and more.
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We notice that Zach Storms, co-founder of Startup TNT, is helping build a new program at Edmonton Unlimited.

Storms will lead the launch of the Venture Pilots Program, which he described as a great opportunity for Edmonton founders. The goal of the program is for local startups to pilot their innovations with the city’s corporate community. The program will fund 10 pilot projects in 2026, Storms said. He added that he’s interested in partnering with existing programs if applicable, and encouraged those interested to reach out to him as he helps design the program over the coming months. Storms also added that he will still be “very active” with Startup TNT.

When it comes to Startup TNT, Storms said he’s been preparing to hand over day-to-day operations to the organization’s first executive director, CK Dhaliwal, for the past few months. Dhaliwal, formerly the business development specialist for interactive digital media at Edmonton Screen, was hired earlier this year as part of a shakeup at Startup TNT. Last December, Storms and his co-founder, Tim Lynn, said the organization was at a “pivotal moment,” and announced it was letting some staff go and restructuring its operations. In May, Storms and Lynn told Taproot that hiring an executive director would allow them to iterate on how its regional chapters are run and pursue more funders for its investment summits.
 
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I wasn't sure which thread to put these sound bites in. I was at the Canada/Toronto real estate forum and two things really stuck out. One: without exaggeration, at almost every presentation or roundtable I sat at, I met a former Edmontonian. Reminds me how much talent didn't remain in Edmonton. Just think what Edmonton could be if there were real career opportunities in the financial markets there. Two: I met two econ dev from Leduc County. They spent much of their time crowing about businesses they were "stealing" from Edmonton because of the property tax delta, and how they were out there pitching the airport lands for development. EXCUSE ME?????? I had to shake my head when they admitted they had no meetings set up with people in Toronto to drum up new business. Just goes to show why Edmonton not pushing to annex the airport was a huge lazy mistake.

Flame away.
 
^i wouldn’t call it lazy, I’d call it just the realistic choice. There is zero chance, and I mean zero chance the provincial government would have backed Edmonton over Leduc County in an annexation fight for the airport. It would have just been a messy, expensive and fruitless exercise that just would rile people up.
 
Another Don Iveson legacy. I was at the presentation when it was announced at the airport that it wouldn’t be annexed. The guy acted like a buffoon and yes it was a major failure on his part. I think Edmonton should be more aggressive when it comes to regional “cooperation “ because obviously the surrounding communities are just a bunch of cherry pickers.
 
Oilguy said:
^i wouldn’t call it lazy, I’d call it just the realistic choice. There is zero chance, and I mean zero chance the provincial government would have backed Edmonton over Leduc County in an annexation fight for the airport. It would have just been a messy, expensive and fruitless exercise that just would rile people up.
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Yes, this is also to a large extent just a function of where the airport is, right next to Leduc. The Toronto airport isn't in Toronto, neither is Montreal or Vancouver's, this is not so unusual.

It is unfortunate there are not more career opportunities in the financial markets here, which is partly because of the size of the city. However, it would help if there was interest in attracting more corporate offices to the city.
 
David A said:
Yes, this is also to a large extent just a function of where the airport is, right next to Leduc. The Toronto airport isn't in Toronto, neither is Montreal or Vancouver's, this is not so unusual.

It is unfortunate there are not more career opportunities in the financial markets here, which is partly because of the size of the city. However, it would help if there was interest in attracting more corporate offices to the city.
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Be more aggressive and don’t worry about offending others. Edmonton has been way too inclusive for too long.
 
David A said:
Yes, this is also to a large extent just a function of where the airport is, right next to Leduc. The Toronto airport isn't in Toronto, neither is Montreal or Vancouver's, this is not so unusual.
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Yes but all of those cities proper boundaries are all bordering their major international airports, while Edmonton's is a 10 KM straight shot down the QE2.

It's comical how sordid Edmonton's history with airports has been since the 60s, where the list of what has gone right is tiny compared to the book of blunders that gets a new chapter every few years (like the most recent entry, let's make arrivals walk 1/3 of a KM through an unheated parkade IN EDMONTON just to be picked up by their friends/family)
 
northlands said:
Yes but all of those cities proper boundaries are all bordering their major international airports, while Edmonton's is a 10 KM straight shot down the QE2.
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I mean, technically Edmonton proper borders the airport now. And when they build the third runway, it’ll be partly in Edmonton city limits.
 
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