Cleantech, fintech and agtech are underpinning startup sector growth in Calgary that’s four times faster than other Canadian cities, according to a new Startup Genome’s annual report.
The new, 2026 Global Startup Ecosystem Report, done by Startup Genome and the Global Entrepreneurship Network and released Tuesday, has Calgary in the #41-50 spot as an emerging ecosystem globally, and #26 to 30 in North America.
It also has Calgary in the top 10 (North America) for affordable talent, and top 30 (North America) for funding momentum and funding runway.
“The ecosystem is anchored by Calgary’s Innovation Strategy, a roadmap for Calgary to become the innovation capital of Canada,” the report reads.
“The strategy is driven through sector-specific nodes connected together through central ecosystem players like Platform Calgary.”
The overall startup ecosystem value is around $7 billion, with the global average around $25 billion.
Calgary startup community has grown 40 per cent annually since 2021, compared with a roughly 9.6 per cent average, the report shows.
“Calgary isn’t trying to be the next Silicon Valley,” said Kelly Schmitt, CEO of Headversity.
“We are building something unique: a deeply collaborative ecosystem where talent, capital, and hard-earned lessons are shared to solve real-world problems. That combination of humility, grit, and ‘we’re in this together’ ambition is why I chose to join Headversity and scale another company here.”
Calgary’s overall global rank has jumped by 52 spots since 2020.
“Organizations like Platform Calgary, Calgary Innovation Coalition, and Calgary Economic Development can be proud of their leading role in building Calgary as a model of how mid-sized cities can execute a winning playbook,” said JF Gauthier, founder and CEO of Startup Genome, in a media release.
