Seventeen Saskatchewan-based projects and startups, including Saskatoon-based 7shifts and Coconut Software, have received a collective $21 million in funding from the federal government.
“We are proud to be part of the thriving technology sector here in Saskatchewan.”
The cross-company investment was provided through Western Economic Diversification Canada, the Government of Canada’s regional development agency (RDA) that supports tech organizations and projects in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and BC.
“Saskatchewan entrepreneurs are creative and innovative, always looking for new ways to become more competitive and extend their reach in the global economy,” said Ralph Goodale, minister of public safety and emergency preparedness. “That’s one of the reasons why employment in Saskatchewan has reached record-high levels.”
Goodale called the $21 million a “homegrown initiative” that is meant to stimulate job growth, create new training opportunities, as well as commercialize new products, for the greater prosperity of Saskatchewan.
Of the $21 million, 7shifts received $3 million through the Western Innovation Initiative, a five-year federal initiative that offers repayable contributions for small-and-medium-sized enterprises with operations in Western Canada. The capital is meant to help commercialize 7shifts’ cloud-based employee-scheduling platform for restaurants. This funding comes a few months after the company closed a $13 million CAD Series A. Coconut Software, which raised a $4.2 million Series A in 2017, received $3.5 million to commercialize its on-demand appointment scheduling software.
RELATED: Conexus launches $30 million venture fund to support Saskatchewan startups
The government said the 17 projects are expected to provide training opportunities for over 900 people and assist more than 630 small-and-medium-sized business to scale and commercialize their products. While all the projects are different, the government said the investment was part of a broader effort to promote innovation, skills development, and growth in Saskatchewan.
“As a rapidly growing business, we value the support of Western Economic Diversification Canada and the Western Innovation Initiative to help us promote innovation and get our prairie-grown solutions into customers’ hands around the globe,” said Jordan Boesch, CEO of 7shifts. “We are proud to be part of the thriving technology sector here in Saskatchewan and are excited to be contributing to the overall advancement of the Canadian digital economy.”
The 17 recipients are:
| Organization | Funding |
|---|---|
| 7shifts Employee Scheduling Software Inc. | $3,000,000 |
| Biktrix Enterprises Inc. | $250,000 |
| Bitstrata Systems Inc. | $1,130,865 |
| Coconut Software Corporation | $3,500,000 |
| Genome Prairie | $745,846 |
| Keewatin Community Development Association | $975,000 |
| Makwa Sahgaiehcan First Nation | $211,109 |
| Morris Industries Ltd. | $1,550,250 |
| Prairie Diagnostic Services | $1,334,786 |
| Saskatchewan Collaborates Inc. | $250,000 |
| The Saskatchewan Food Industry Development Centre Inc. | $3,500,000 |
| Saskatchewan Industrial and Mining Suppliers Association Inc. | $294,438 |
| Saskatchewan Trade & Export Partnership | $1,690,000 |
| University of Saskatchewan (Innovation Enterprise) | $650,880 |
| University of Saskatchewan (Centre for Biologic Imaging Research and Development) | $987,000 |
| Viamo Inc. | $875,000 |
| Western Canada Testing Inc. | $95,990 |