Shift by Alberta Innovates
Shift by Alberta Innovates
Shaping Tomorrow: Alberta's Innovation Journey
What does it take to build a thriving innovation ecosystem? Join us as we uncover the remarkable journey of Robert Lai, Alberta Innovates’ new VP of Investment. With a stellar background in telecom and a pivotal role in the groundbreaking SuperNet project, Robert shares his vision for propelling Alberta’s tech community to new heights. You'll get an inside look at his responsibilities, from nurturing startups through the Accelerator Programs to fostering cutting-edge research at post-secondary institutes. This episode offers a treasure trove of insights into the future of Alberta's economic growth and technological advancement.
Discover how Alberta’s universities are becoming hotbeds of innovation, developing groundbreaking technologies ready for commercialization. Robert Lai sheds light on the crucial role of identifying future trends like AI and quantum computing and how a vibrant research environment is key to attracting global talent. We also discuss the hurdles of adopting new technologies in Canada and how Alberta Innovates is tackling these challenges head-on with programs like the Product Demonstration Program. Learn about the “find, educate, connect” strategy designed to prepare startups for investment and the indispensable guidance provided by Technology Development Advisors. Don't miss this essential conversation for anyone passionate about innovation and economic growth.
Shift by Alberta Innovates focuses on the people, businesses and organizations that are contributing to Alberta's strong tech ecosystem.
So you're a tech entrepreneur in Alberta. Where do you go for support, advice, access to capital? Just connecting to the ecosystem? Well, today we're joined by a key leader at Alberta Innovates who's driving growth with his team in Alberta. We'll explore his journey what excites him about his new role and how his teams are fostering innovation and supporting entrepreneurs in Alberta's dynamic ecosystem. Sit back, settle in. Welcome to Shift. Today's guest is Robert Lai. Robert is the VP of Investment here at AI and, robert, as I understand it, this is three and a half months now you've been in this position.
Robert Lai:Yeah, John, that's correct. Thanks for having me first of all. Yeah, it's been about three and a half months. It's been great, Really enjoying myself here at Alberta Innovates.
Jon :Yeah, right on, it's great to have you, so why don't we dive in a little bit? Tell me a bit about your background and what led you to Alberta Innovates.
Robert Lai:Yeah, that's interesting. I have started my career really early in the telecom space, mostly in the business side, in the sales side, mostly in the business side, in the sales side. And as my career evolved I started working for Bell and when I was at Bell we worked on a major project called SuperNet, and that's when I really got attached to the innovation system here in Alberta and it really attracted me to what we're trying to do here in the province. Then I joined the government and worked at a ministry called Advanced Education and Technology. The predecessor was called Innovation and Science. So I learned a lot about the innovation system then and the purpose, what our vision is, what our objectives were. And from there I did go back to the private sector and learned a lot more about business and the broader business world. Then just came back to now Albert Innovates, and I think bringing both my background in private sector and public sector is of value to what we're trying to do here.
Jon :Oh for sure. And so when you were with Advanced Education, then you would have had familiarity with Alberta Innovates back then too, and what we you know health solutions and the predecessor names.
Robert Lai:Yeah, no for sure. We funded Alberta Innovates back then. We developed a lot of the policies around the innovation systems and a lot of the initial planning and design of the program. Some of the programs we roll out today.
Jon :Oh, fascinating.
Robert Lai:So there is a strong history with that and also a connection to what we do today.
Jon :Right Now I just want to talk briefly about SuperNet. That's such a great name. Now the internet and accessibility has become absolutely imperative for businesses and family life. This is what SuperNet was bringing the internet to Alberta.
Robert Lai:Yes, this is what SuperNet was bringing the internet to Alberta. Yes, it was probably close to over 20 years ago that the provincial government looked at, you know, how the digital economy was going to be critical to the success to the province. And look at how do you make an investment that allows the province to flourish in a digital economy. And looking at, you know, outside of your Edmonton and Calgary, where there's a lot of infrastructure to support that, but that's not the same case for a lot of communities here in Alberta. So the investment was made to connect 422 communities wherever there was a school, hospital or library that they would bring broadband to that community. So then also created a business model for allow local service providers to enter the market there and provide that digital access that is much needed in rural communities.
Jon :I see okay and it can still get better. We're still improving that accessibility in some of the small yeah yeah.
Robert Lai:What we used to call high speed now would be slow speed. So For sure, as technology advances and the desire for more, faster infrastructure, you upgrade that. But I think the key to it is the vision of understanding the need to provide the infrastructure for that province. Whether you live in rural or urban, access to that digital infrastructure was critical Right.
Jon :So now you've obviously had experience, as we just discussed, in the Alberta ecosystem, the innovation ecosystem, and now that you're here with Alberta Innovates, what excites you most about what's going on?
Robert Lai:You know, what excites me the most is that we have a vision about what we can be. That means there's a lot to do yet and the vision is to really create a vibrant technology community here in the province that continues to innovate, continues to commercialize those innovations, support the companies that are going to commercialize those innovations and help them to become global companies, which is going to be a really significant return for the province, for the people that live here, for all the business that will thrive through this. And that's really what's exciting is that vision is going to create the opportunities for Noni today for the future, and it's quite honestly, it's quite exciting.
Jon :It's pretty exciting, for sure, I agree. So now, when we think of your position, there's essentially and correct me if I'm wrong anywhere in this but you oversee four teams, correct?
Robert Lai:That is correct.
Jon :Okay, so capital development, the accelerator programs, entrepreneurial investments and post-secondary investments and emerging technologies. That is correct. Okay, so can you give us a little like a bird's eye view of what each of those four are?
Robert Lai:Sure. So the first group would be the capital development team, and their main focus is to create more capital available capital for companies here in Alberta and also to help those companies access that capital. The second, the Accelerator Program. This is where we want to help Alberta scale-ups grow on a global stage through our global accelerators and also through fellowship. Third, Entrepreneurial Investments. As the words state, we want to invest in entrepreneurs and we invest them by providing coaching, community and also capital. Okay, and the last is the post-secondary investments and emerging technologies, and our focus there is to enable and matchmaking talent and accelerating emerging technologies towards commercialization.
Jon :Okay, and that's the emerging technologies that researchers are working at at the universities and the polytechnics and stuff like that. That's right, yeah.
Robert Lai:So, when you talk about emerging technologies, one of the focus we've we invested early on is um, um AI Right and that investment has, you know, created a really um. Put Alberta on a map, global map, as one of the you know uh best in class in terms of uh talent and also uh infrastructure and um activities around AI.
Jon :Right, yeah, especially when you look at the Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute, which is just down the street from where we are right now. In the work they're doing, I think they're top three globally and that's an organization that we've supported for a couple of decades now. So it's fascinating when you think about, you know, when you're talking about SuperNet and having that vision, to say, okay, we need to, you know, do this to make our province competitive. So that same vision was, you know, 20 years ago, with artificial intelligence going hey, how do we do this?
Robert Lai:No for sure, I think, using a sports analogy. I know our CEO likes to use sports analogy, and so do I. When you think about Wayne Gretzky he always talked about let's not focus on where the puck is, but where the puck is going right. So what's the next emerging technology that we should look at investing in and developing, so we are well positioned for the future.
Jon :Right, and one of those things that I hear talk a lot about is quantum.
Robert Lai:Yeah, for sure. I don't know a lot about quantum myself, but when I was in private sector, we were working very much on quantum, as you know our innovation to make sure that our corporation was going to be relevant in the future Fascinating.
Jon :It's going to be exciting to see what comes of all of this in the coming years. So let's dive a little deeper into a couple of those. So I'm thinking about the accelerators. Now they operate under what we call the Alberta Scale-Up and Growth Accelerator Program here at Alberta Innovates. How do we help those companies get off the ground and thrive here in the province?
Robert Lai:So we partner with global accelerators, and these global accelerators, you know, use a holistic system to build entrepreneurial capital for Alberta companies, namely measurable financial outcomes, such as investments, funding and revenue, and also with human outcomes, enhancing the entrepreneurship learnings and the competencies of these companies, social outcomes, creation of networks and cultural outcomes, to make sure that these companies are really ready and can compete and scale on a global stage. So these global accelerators that we partner with have a lot of experience in doing this and we have partnered with five of the top 10 in the world in this area. So it's really leveraging the expertise of these global accelerators to provide their holistic systems, uh, and enabling our companies to learn from that and capitalize on that.
Jon :So these accelerators are now. They have offices in the province.
Robert Lai:Yes, they do.
Jon :Okay, that's, yeah, that's pretty, that's pretty cool. It's quite a coup, I think, for the ecosystem to be able to attract players like that.
Robert Lai:Yeah, I think it's very important to recognize what we can do, what we can do very well and what partners can do and do very well that can help us. In this case, these global accelerators are world class. That's what they do best and ultimately, what we want is the outcomes, which is enabling our local companies to be able to flourish under those systems and grow to be global companies.
Jon :So as we're talking you know and I know we talked briefly about post-secondary just prior to that and the emerging tech I want to go back just a second and can you explain in a bit more. You know a bit more detail about how we work with the PSIs, the post-secondary institutions and their work with emerging technologies to push innovation and research forward in the province.
Robert Lai:Sure, so we focus on two areas. One is highly qualified personnel. Okay, we call it in short HQP. So this is the talent side, the talent that people are doing the research and innovating at our post-secondary institutions. So we have programs that support that, such as our graduate student scholarship. So this is to really encourage these students to continue to innovate.
Robert Lai:Second we want to connect those innovators with entrepreneurs that can consider and hopefully we want them to now commercialize some of these research programs to really see what comes out of that research that can be commercialized and then again matching up with some potential entrepreneurs to commercialize that.
Jon :Okay.
Robert Lai:So that's the PSI part, the post-secondary institute.
Jon :Okay, so let me just kind of paraphrase here. That's the PSI part, the post-secondary institute. Okay. So let me just kind of paraphrase here. So you've got a researcher at a university that's working on a technology and the goal and we'll fund that through some of the programs we have and then the goal is to try to find an entrepreneur that could potentially take that technology and commercialize it in her or his business.
Robert Lai:Bang on. Okay, yeah, so they're different programs but they all interlink in terms of again, try to develop that talent and capitalize on some of the work of the, from the talent to commercial.
Jon :Okay, so that's the PSI portion of it, of the PSI ET emerging technology. So now, what's the emerging technology side?
Robert Lai:Yeah, like we talked about earlier, it's really looking at where the puck is going right.
Jon :Okay.
Robert Lai:And we invested in AI many years ago and we're continuing to invest in it. We see that as something that we'll see the continued growth of that. But really set our eyes on what's the next thing. Like you say, quantum.
Jon :That is challenging. Hey, where's the puck going? You know, you look at. Let's extend the sports analogy briefly. Gretzky could figure out where the puck was going, but of how many players? Were there 900 players in the NHL at the time? Maybe not that many, but how many of them could anticipate where the puck is going?
Robert Lai:That's right. So I think you know we do focus on that. We don't do this alone. We have many partners that we work with, to you know, to to take the information, look at the, the environment and really consider what is the next thing, right?
Jon :Yeah, that makes sense. Another thing that I think about, kind of tied in with the HQP, the highly qualified personnel and the emerging tech, when we're doing work and supporting work at the post-secondaries and the polytechnics. I would think that global players, global academics, could look at this and go. Hmm, this seems like a fertile ground in Alberta for me to go work and does so. I guess the question is does this attract a lot of um external academics to the province to go? I want to go and apply my trade here because this looks like a hotbed.
Robert Lai:The province to go. I want to go and apply my trade here because this looks like a hotbed, yeah. So attracting talent is also one of the things that you can realize by focusing on some great work.
Robert Lai:I know in the past we used to have other programs like I-Corps that was really centered around bringing the brightest and the best researchers in the world and the intent there was they will attract others to come and follow and do the work here right. So that history of that has carried on right, Based on some of the work that we've been doing. And when you do great work, the scientific and research community is tight. The scientific and research community is tight, so when they hear about great things that are happening here in Alberta, they're interested in it. They'll consider looking at working here as well. So you're absolutely correct. It certainly can be a way of attracting talent to Alberta as well.
Robert Lai:Both at the university, Polytechnic, and at in the companies as well.
Jon :Right, right. Well, what made me think of this was, uh, uh, one of your comments before, when we bumped into one another in a hallway where you said success is a magnet, and I love that that really resonates because, yeah, you create something and, uh, people are going to be attracted to that.
Robert Lai:No for sure. Uh, success is a magnet. Uh, I think we, when we were talking in the hallway, we talked about you know. Going back to the sports area, the Imbotent Oilers are a success these days. They have been a success and when you're successful you attract more people that want to play here.
Jon :Right and the evidence is really proving out. Yeah, and now. No affront to the Calgary Flames, because I'm sure at some point they'll have a bit more success and start attracting other players. So now, how do we spot those high potential entrepreneurs and support them? Are we doing calls? Do we want people to come to us? How does that all work?
Robert Lai:Yeah, there's many, many, I'll say channels to spot these high potential entrepreneurs. One, they come to us, okay, and they come to us in many fashions One, directly. Two, they can go through our regional innovation network partners, who play a big role in terms of part of the community, whether that's rural or in urban centers. We have these regional innovation networks that they can connect with and then they will suggest that to work with us. There are companies that are well aware of us and they'll engage us through our technology development advisors, and our technology development advisors are great.
Robert Lai:I spend a lot of time with them and I continue to learn what they do. They really go and listen and learn about these companies. They will give them some coaching, some advice, or connect them to other partners that could be a help to them, or connect them to some of our programs that can help with them. So it's either directly they could go through our ecosystem partners such as the RINs they can go through the TDAs. We do prefer that, when they're trying to access our programs, not to just go directly through the website and apply. They should really consider talking to the TDA, not to just go directly through the website and apply. They should really consider talking to the TDA. Oh, okay, so they can get some of that coaching and community and advice that we talked about earlier. Yeah, so they are more informed in terms of you know what help they may need and where the help is.
Jon :And is there a cost for someone to access a technology development advisor?
Robert Lai:No, there isn't.
Jon :Okay.
Robert Lai:Like I said, we they do an excellent job and I really do encourage you know companies that are considering working um working with us, or even they're not working with us, that they need some help. Just to consider reaching out to uh.
Jon :So, would you say, then, as businesses uh start up and begin to scale up, is there a point where it's like they no longer need maybe some uh support from Alberta Innovates, Like I guess? What I'm saying is, if a company is well into their journey, is it possibly advantageous for them still to reach out to a TDA?
Robert Lai:No, for sure. So you know, most of our clients are startups, but it's not limited to startups.
Jon :Right.
Robert Lai:There are companies that are, maybe, you know, a well-established company, but they're looking to diversify their business with new technologies or new, I would say, products and services, and they want to, you know, some help in that regard. We will talk to them and if there's a fit for our programs or the services that we provide, we will help them. But having that initial conversation will help decide, you know, what path to take next.
Jon :Okay, and it's also the connections too, because I think these TDAs, these men and women, are business professionals, they understand the ecosystem and they can also do those handoffs right.
Robert Lai:No for sure. System and they can also do those handoffs right? No for sure. I mean, when we talk about ecosystem, it's not just the universities, the RINs or you know different technology innovators, companies. You may find the opportunity to say you know this company is doing this and this company is doing that. Maybe there's an opportunity for companies to partner, for example, just based on that network you talked about.
Jon :Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Robert Lai:So there's many things that can happen just by having a conversation with someone that is in touch with the ecosystem and facilitating that potential connection, whether that's a company partner or a researcher or you know, I love that.
Jon :Yeah, it's almost like a concierge in a way. Hey, like a business concierge. I don't mean to sound like that, you know is diminishing it or anything, but to be able to have someone that's so connected that can say, hey, what about? Have you looked at you know?
Robert Lai:so connected that can say hey, what about have you looked at? You know it's funny. You say that because, uh, when I worked at uh advanced education in technology or initial thought about the role of we didn't call it TDA then, but we did say concierge for the innovation system.
Jon :So is that right? Okay, so, okay, so, that's cool. So back back to kind of your the, your Genesis in of your genesis in the system you were part of coming up with that program of technology development advisors recommendations.
Robert Lai:You can ask for services. It's really very similar, yeah, but we don't want to be calling them concierge, I guess, maybe because that's really not a. I think what they do is the same or similar. I should say but we want to really focus on the technology side. That's why we call it technology development advisors.
Jon :Well, and to that point you know all of this discussion we're having, our focus is at Alberta. Innovates is on technology.
Robert Lai:That's correct.
Jon :So, while there's lots of entrepreneurs that are doing other things and I understand again from conversations in the past you have some background, your family has some background on the restaurant business, which is entrepreneurialism as well, which is entrepreneurialism as well, and there can be a lot of similarities between you know those entrepreneurial undertakings, but our focus is primarily on on tech.
Robert Lai:No for sure. So you think about a business. There's many different types of business and you mentioned restaurant being one, and there's similarities in terms of challenges in businesses, but what our focus is not just business challenges is technology.
Jon :Yeah, business challenges Right and we can always point people in the right direction.
Robert Lai:Correct. That's what we're here for.
Jon :So, robert, tell me why is funding innovation and entrepreneurs so important for the province?
Robert Lai:Well, like I said, we have a vision. We have a vision for this province that we are going to be a vibrant hub for innovation, commercialization and a vibrant technology ecosystem, and for that to happen, I think there's a role for government to be enabling that. So, through our programs, through our ecosystem, that is our ability to invest in getting to that outcome or achieving that vision. To not fund or to focus on building that. It does not naturally happen. You have to be very intentional in terms of how you accomplish that. So I think that's why it's important that we invest in funding innovation and entrepreneurship here in alberta, because doesn't happen at a pace you would like on its own. You need to take the initiative and being very intentional.
Jon :Like I say, Tell me about, from your perspective, what are some of the biggest challenges that really related to more about adoption.
Robert Lai:Okay, there's a lot of innovation that happens Mm-hmm and typically the innovator will look at well, there's a problem there that I see that I can solve with my innovation and with all good intentions of solving that problem. But now you need the recipient to adopt it right and I think you know how do you encourage more adoption? Is maybe de-risking it for those companies to adopt it right? Is maybe de-risking it for those companies to adopt it right? Or where's the capital to take that innovation so you can actually get it to the point where you can prove it that it can solve a problem for someone? So it's really taking the ideas side, creating something that can be now shown or demonstrate to a customer. Ultimately, you want not just one customer markets, right, right, but it's the adoption side I think is a big challenge in the innovation system. There's a lot of innovation that happens right.
Jon :Right, okay.
Robert Lai:And you need someone as a recipient of that innovation. And so how do we encourage that? And I think one of the things that we see is productivity is a big challenge, particularly here in Canada.
Jon :Productivity? Yes, okay, flesh that out for me.
Robert Lai:Yeah, so there are stats that show that Canada lags amongst the G7 as the lowest productivity of the G7. Okay, as the lowest productivity of the G7. So, when you look at how adoption of innovation and technology can enable or accelerate productivity, that's my.
Jon :So adoption can enhance productivity of technology, okay Well when I hear you say productivity, I think you know, and that we've got low productivity. Do we have a shorter work week than everybody else? Is it like individually we're not as productive as other nations? Am I understanding that correctly, or is it a different definition of productivity?
Robert Lai:Yeah, no, I think. Productivity. We're not talking about work week or how many days we work. It's more about how much we produce for, you know for, in terms of effort, right, Okay?
Jon :Okay.
Robert Lai:So technology does enable to produce a lot more with the same right.
Jon :Okay, is that a per capita issue, or is it because you know Canada's? What are we at? 40 million people?
Robert Lai:No, it's based on. I'm not an expert in that area.
Jon :I'm putting you on the spot. You've got to answer everything, Rob.
Robert Lai:But certainly, like I said, there is a lot of articles written about the lack of productivity here in Canada. Okay, and adoption of technology to enable more productivity is a major issue.
Jon :Okay, okay. So what are we doing at Alberta Innovates to help with the adoption issue. And again, I told you I was going to put you on the spot.
Robert Lai:Oh, not a problem. So one of the things that we do in our program is called a product demonstration program.
Jon :Okay.
Robert Lai:And the intent there is to support these startups or these companies to be able to demonstrate their product to potential customers. Okay, and a lot of people with the customer side will always look at something new as risky. Of course you know. Yes, you understand my problem. Yes, you can solve my problem. Now show me right. So this product demonstration program will support companies to be able to do that.
Jon :Okay. Okay, you know you raise a good point. Yeah, it's like being an early adopter of something, Exactly. There's always a bit of a risk involved, there's uncertainty and you know it's a very it's. It's like the bell curve, right. So you imagine you've got in the middle. That's where the highest amount of any activity or adoption is, and then on the right and the left-hand side is a really low number of people. So that's where initially it's really low. So we help people kind of get their products higher up onto that curve.
Robert Lai:No for sure. And you know, like I said, our program's there to support that and you know, in most part it's working really, really well when companies are able to take their product and demonstrate it to potential customers.
Jon :So okay, no, that's really cool. I want to go back a little bit here. I won't keep you much longer, but I remember in one of our conversations you had mentioned this concept of find, educate connect. I think it was in the success is a magnet conversation that we had. Do you want to just flesh that out for me a little bit, because I really liked that and it fits also in with that coaching, community capital sort of. You know, vibe, that we've got these, these kind of quick to remember statements. So find, educate connect.
Robert Lai:Yes, this is where our capital development team is focused on.
Jon :Okay.
Robert Lai:When we say find, we want find available capital. So, whether that's an angel investor, a venture capitalist, all these different sources of capital, we want to find who they are. We want to attract that investment here in Alberta Okay. We want to develop more local investors and fund managers, so we want to find them, okay. And then the second is educate. And when we say educate, this is where we want to educate our startups and early stage companies what it takes to be investment ready. So a lot of founders are well educated on the innovation, well educated on a lot of business, but some are not as familiar in terms of what it takes to be investment ready. Okay, so we want to create sessions, workshops, programs to educate our entrepreneurs to what it takes to be investment ready.
Jon :Okay.
Robert Lai:And the last is connect right. So we find them, we educate them. Now we want to connect the people who need capital to the people who have the capital. We want to connect the people who have capital to deals that are looking for capital. So that's the find, educate and connect that I refer to.
Jon :Oh, cool, okay, Thank you. So again, with all of this, from your perspective, the first step is start with a technology development advisor.
Robert Lai:Yeah, they play a critical piece in all this. You know, I know we all do things through the internet, online, through websites, and there's only so much information you can get. But when there are companies that really want to better understand what you know, programs are available to them. What help is available to them? I think the best is to reach out to a technology development advisor, okay, a person that will triage that and see what your needs are and if the needs are a good fit for our TDAs, they will connect you with a TDA. So that triage is important because sometimes the questions could be very simple, could be answered by the person that triaged this, but also not misdirect you to TDA with. That's not what the help you need, right, but certainly we're here to help and you know our team does an excellent job. I'm very proud of the work they do.
Jon :Excellent. So you heard it here. Folks, there's no charge to access the technology development advisor. You can go to the website and look connect with us. I think on the top I was looking earlier on the top right-hand corner of the page is a start here button. Click on that. You can read all about funding and then there's a button that says connect with us. So if you're a business owner out there, a technology business owner, select that. Go set up a meeting with the TDA. If you've already got a TDA, keep it going. Robert, this was a very good conversation. I appreciate your insight and I appreciate that you took some time to talk with me today.
Robert Lai:Yeah, thank you so much for having me, john.
Jon :All right, we'll talk soon. Take care Well, thanks for joining us today. Folks on Shift, we love it that you listen. Take a moment to subscribe, join your favorite streaming service and click the old subscribe button so you don't miss anything. On behalf of everyone here, I'm John Hagen. Until next time.
