Calgary's tech ecosystem is growing more than four times faster than any other market in Canada, according to new global rankings that highlight the city's continued rise as a destination for innovation, entrepreneurship and investment.
The 2026 Global Startup Ecosystem Report (GSER), released by Startup Genome and the Global Entrepreneurship Network at VivaTech Paris this week, ranks Calgary among the world's Top 50 emerging startup ecosystems. The city has climbed 52 places in the global rankings since 2020 — and moved into the Top 30 in North America — reflecting the strength of Calgary's growing innovation economy.
Calgary’s startup ecosystem on the rise
The report also found Calgary's startup ecosystem generated $7 billion in ecosystem value between July 2023 and December 2025. Ecosystem value — which measures the combined value of startup exits and company valuations — has grown 115 per cent over the past five years, making Calgary one of North America's fastest-rising startup ecosystems.
"What makes Calgary special isn't just our talent or our affordability — it's the way people come together to create opportunities that wouldn't happen anywhere else. When entrepreneurs, researchers, investors and industry leaders collaborate, unexpected possibilities emerge," said Brad Parry, President and CEO, Calgary Economic Development.
"That's a big reason why our innovation ecosystem is earning recognition on the global stage. Together, we're creating new opportunities for companies to grow, attract investment and build the industries that will drive Calgary's future prosperity.”
According to data from Startup Genome, Calgary's ecosystem has grown at an annual rate of nearly 40 per cent since 2021 — well above the Canadian average of 9.6 per cent. This steady ecosystem valuation growth led to Calgary also placing among both the Top 30 North American Ecosystems in Funding Momentum and Funding Runway categories.
"Calgary has been growing four times faster than the other Canadian startup ecosystems, gaining 52 ranks globally since 2020, and one we constantly quote among our best-practice policy case studies," said JF Gauthier, Founder and CEO, Startup Genome.
Calgary’s talent advantage stands out
The report recognized Calgary as a Top 10 startup ecosystem in North America for affordable talent, reinforcing the city's position as one of the continent's most competitive places to build and scale a company.
The city was named North America's fastest-growing tech talent market in CBRE's most recent Scoring Tech Talent report, with the tech workforce growing by more than 61 per cent between 2021 and 2024. Combined with lower operating costs and competitive salaries, Calgary continues to offer startups access to the skilled workforce needed to scale.
Capital follows talent — and Calgary is seeing both.
Calgary also ranked among the Top 30 ecosystems in North America for both Funding Momentum and Funding Runway, highlighting the city's ability to attract investment and support long-term growth. Between 2021 and 2025, local startups attracted $3.4 billion in venture capital funding, according to Startup Genome.
These strengths continue to attract entrepreneurs and innovators looking to build globally competitive companies while benefiting from Calgary's talent pool, affordability and collaborative business environment.
Calgary's roadmap to be Canada's innovation capital
Calgary's Innovation Strategy is helping guide that growth by aligning entrepreneurs, investors, researchers and industry around sectors where Calgary has the greatest opportunity to lead.
The strategy focuses on building sector-specific innovation nodes, strengthening pathways to commercialization, attracting investment and supporting entrepreneurs as they grow globally competitive companies from Calgary.
Through strategic investments from the Opportunity Calgary Investment Fund and ecosystem partners, Calgary has helped launch and accelerate initiatives including the Energy Transition Centre, Life Sciences Innovation Hub, Aerospace Innovation Hub, Alberta Logistics Centre of Excellence, Xpand Commercialization Hub by ConvergX, XPRIZE Canada Hub and AgSphere.
Together, these initiatives are helping position Calgary as Canada's innovation capital while creating new opportunities for founders, researchers and investors. Calgary's Innovation Strategy is projected to support the creation of up to 187,000 jobs and generate $28 billion in economic impact by 2034.
Global startup ecosystem industry trends
The report identified AI-native companies as the fastest-growing segment of the global startup economy, while defence and dual-use technologies were among the fastest-growing innovation sectors worldwide.
Calgary is well positioned to capitalize on these trends through its strengths in artificial intelligence, enterprise technology, aerospace, energy and advanced manufacturing. Combined with a growing defence and dual-use technology ecosystem, strong early-stage funding and a critical mass of STEM talent, these advantages are creating new opportunities for companies developing technologies with both commercial and strategic applications.
The report also highlighted Neo Financial's recent $68.5 million raise to launch a credit securitization program and recognized Calgary-based CropMind for its selection in Google's 2026 Startup Accelerator Canada cohort.
The city's innovation ecosystem continues to produce success stories across sectors. Companies such as Neo Financial, ZayZoon, Helcim and Headversity are scaling nationally and internationally, while innovators in energy, agriculture, life sciences and emerging technologies continue to attract investment and global attention.
As competition for talent, capital and innovation intensifies around the world, Calgary continues to distinguish itself through its affordability, entrepreneurial culture and collaborative approach to ecosystem building.
The latest GSER rankings reinforce Calgary's growing reputation as a place where ambitious ideas can become globally competitive companies — creating jobs, attracting investment and helping build a more diversified and prosperous economy.
“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 Gauthier.
Read the full 2026 Global Startup Ecosystem Report and learn more about Calgary's Innovation Strategy.