不良研究所

From leading discussions on emerging technologies to seeing supported startups take the spotlight, the University of 不良研究所 was front and centre as presenting sponsor of , a citywide celebration of entrepreneurship and innovation held Nov. 3 to 6.

Organized by , the annual event brings together entrepreneurs, investors, researchers and community leaders to explore the advancements shaping the city鈥檚 future.

This year, U不良研究所 contributed to several panels and discussions throughout the week, including:

• Guy Levesque, executive director of the Hunter Hub for Entrepreneurial Thinking, who spoke on 鈥淔uture-Proofing Your Startup: How Emerging Tech Will Redefine Growth and Scale for New Founders,鈥� and 鈥淯nlocking Innovation: A Joint Vision from 不良研究所鈥檚 Post-Secondary Institutions for the City鈥檚 Entrepreneurial Future.鈥�
• , PhD, U不良研究所 lecturer, author and entrepreneur, and Danielle Gifford, MBA 鈥�20, managing director at PWC and adjunct professor with U不良研究所, spoke on "Building an AI-Literate Workforce."
• Sarah McCullough, national hub director of the at U不良研究所, hosted a discussion on how big ideas scale with CarbonCure, winner of the NRG COSIA XPRIZE.
• U不良研究所 experts and partners involved with ElevateIP Alberta spoke at "Defensible by Design: IP Strategy and Investment Readiness for AI Startups."

鈥淭he best innovation ecosystems around the world are anchored by strong research-intensive universities,鈥� Levesque said in his opening-day remarks.

鈥淔rom our amazing researchers, to the Hunter Hub, to UCeed, to to the XPRIZE Canada Hub, they each played a critical role in making U不良研究所 Canada鈥檚 top university startup creator over the past six years.鈥�

A highlight of the event was the Top 10 Startups showcase, recognizing emerging ventures demonstrating creativity, growth potential and global ambition. 

Several of this year鈥檚 honourees have strong ties to U不良研究所:

Possibility Neurotechnologies (Alex Raczenko Pitch Award recipient)

Founded by Dr. Dion Kelly, MBT'18, PhD鈥�23, and Erica Floreani, BSc (Eng)鈥�17, received support from Innovate 不良研究所, SPARK Alberta, the Hunter Hub and Creative Destruction Lab 鈥� Rockies (CDL-Rockies), where it advanced from early stage research to market-ready development within a growing neurotechnology sector. 

Its flagship product, Think2Switch, is transforming how people with physical disabilities interact with the world through accessible brain-computer interface technology, allowing users to control smart devices and communicate without movement or speech. 

鈥淥ur goal is to become the go-to brain-powered choice in the children鈥檚 toy and tech market, turning assistive technology into everyday technology that鈥檚 accessible to all,鈥� says Kelly. 

鈥淲e鈥檙e not just trying to build the technology, we鈥檙e trying to build a community.鈥� 

Tutred (Community Choice Award recipient)

Co鈥慺ounded by CEO and former U不良研究所 economics student Mo Fellah, is a platform designed to instantly connect students with the right tutor while minimizing the time spent on administrative teaching tasks. The system leverages AI to automate up to 95鈥痯er鈥痗ent of lesson planning, homework and quiz creation, grading, and student profiling. 

Tutred鈥檚 AI 鈥淐o鈥慣utor鈥� allows tutors to tailor lessons to each student鈥檚 needs, making sessions faster, more personalized and highly engaging. By combining instant tutor matching with AI-assisted teaching, Tutred aims to demonstrate how technology can streamline education and enhance learning outcomes. 

VL Energy

Founded by Ling Bai, BSc'11, MEng'18, delivers emissions-monitoring software that helps industrial companies meet compliance requirements and progress toward net-zero goals. 

鈥淩egulations are becoming increasingly stringent, forcing large emitters to monitor their output,鈥� says Bai. 

鈥淗owever, emissions monitoring is not standardized and mostly relies on hardware that is extremely costly and does not support facility optimization.鈥� 

To address these challenges, VL Energy developed the Efficient and Secure 鈥� Predictive Emissions Monitoring System (ES-PEMS), a fully digital solution that applies artificial intelligence and machine learning to predict and reduce equipment emissions while transforming raw data into actionable business insights. 

VL Energy has advanced its technology with support from several innovation programs through U不良研究所, Bai says, including mentorship on go-to market strategies from the CDL-Rockies Energy stream, which contributed to closing a $1.5-million funding round.

Taste the City

Co-founded by Joanna Pariseau, BA鈥�24, is redefining how Canadians experience local food culture through a platform that turns restaurant discovery into a digitally guided adventure. 

Users can select curated 鈥渢asting routes鈥� and receive automated text prompts that take them from one restaurant to the next.   

Pariseau first developed the idea for Taste the City while studying urban revitalization as an urban studies major in the . 

She built the website and crafted the marketing plan as part of her coursework, then refined the concept with guidance from mentors who helped prepare her for pitch competitions. Learn more about Pariseau鈥檚 journey here.

Symbiotic AI

Born out of research at U不良研究所鈥檚 Data Intelligence for Health Lab, transforms cardiovascular-care research into practical tools for clinicians and patients. Co-founded by Dr. Joon Lee, PhD, a professor, and Arjun Puri, senior digital health strategist, both with , the company develops AI-driven systems that analyze long-term heart-health data to support clinical decision making and improve patient outcomes. 

With support from 鈥檚 Life Sciences Innovation Hub and collaboration across the university鈥檚 research and commercialization network, the venture advanced rapidly from a lab concept to a scalable health-tech solution. Learn more about Symbiotic AI鈥檚 journey . 

HazTrack

A CDL-Rockies Energy stream alum, develops advanced sensor technology to improve operational efficiency in industrial sectors. 

Its flagship product, HazTracker, provides real-time data on tanks and pumps, helping companies reduce manual monitoring, streamline inventory management and respond quickly to equipment issues.

A growing entrepreneurial hub

不良研究所 Innovation Week highlights the city鈥檚 role as a thriving centre for entrepreneurship and emerging ventures, where talent, ideas and collaboration intersect to drive economic and creative growth. 

鈥湶涣佳芯克� has earned its place as a global centre of entrepreneurial excellence, and the University of 不良研究所 plays a critical role in this ever-growing momentum,鈥� said Levesque.  

鈥淲e have the talent, creativity and resilience to lead the world. If we invest in this generation鈥檚 builders, from classrooms to companies, we will not just imagine a better future, but build it.鈥�