2024 Launch Party companies. Photo courtesy of Edmonton Unlimited
It’s a “call to action” for Edmonton’s innovation ecosystem. 

The theme of Edmonton Startup Week 2025, running October 6-10, is “Step in, Step up, Step forward.” For a city long defined by energy, the spotlight is shifting to make room for sectors like artificial intelligence, health technology, cleantech, and advanced manufacturing. 

According to 2025 Startup Genome data on Edmonton, the city generated $1 billion in ecosystem value between mid-2022 and the end of 2024. Edmonton was also recently ranked fifth in North America for affordable tech talent, underscoring its appeal for ambitious ventures.

As part of kickoff activities, the Launch Party Showcase on October 6 is celebrating 10 startups that are offering a window into how local innovation is tackling real world challenges. The selection committee for this year’s list includes: 

Shaheel Hooda, general partner at Sprout Fund

Tiffany Linke-Boyko, principal at Flying Fish Ventures

Danielle Brewin Graham, general partner at Phoenix Fire and co-founder of The Firehood

As official media partner of Edmonton Startup Week, Digital Journal takes a closer look at the startups you need to watch, and why they’re ones to keep your eyes on.

Edmonton Startup Week’s 10 companies to watch

CARM&A Health

What they do: Founded by primary care physicians Marjan Abbasi and Sheny Khera, the CARM&A Health team has created Carmi, an AI-powered virtual assistant aimed at making collaborative care easier and more efficient. The tool focuses on reducing administrative tasks, improving patient engagement, and providing data-driven support for clinical decision-making.

Why it’s needed now: Canadian primary care providers face rising administrative burdens and cognitive overload, with more than half of family physicians reporting burnout. Carmi’s integrated, AI-driven tools are working to help ease this strain by automating documentation, enabling tailored assessments, and enhancing team communication. At a time when health systems are under pressure, this technology supports efficiency and better patient outcomes.

Deeleeo

What they do: Founded by Jackson Payne, Deeleeo is a platform that offers same-day and scheduled delivery featuring live tracking, trained and background-checked couriers, seamless integrations for businesses (including Shopify, Magento, ShipStation, and API support), and a valet service to pick up and deliver vehicles.

Why it’s needed now: Many small and local businesses struggle to offer efficient delivery options that meet customer expectations and compete with major e-commerce platforms. Deeleeo positions itself as a local option with built-in integrations and tracking, giving smaller firms a way to compete with larger e-commerce providers.

FluidInsight

What they do: By combining machine learning and proprietary inline sensor chemistry, FluidInsight delivers real-time, lab-quality insights. Founded by Patrick Emokpae, their technology is designed to work across virtually any industry, application, or fluid. The company says its technology can be applied across different industries and fluids. It also develops custom enterprise resource platforms tailored to client processes and teams.

Why it’s needed now: Traditional fluid analysis often requires lab testing, which creates delays and increases risk. At the same time, industries from energy to manufacturing are under pressure to boost efficiency while reducing costs and waste. Continuous monitoring offers faster, more accurate data, allowing operators to address problems quickly. 

Firesafe AI

What they do: Founded by Nafaa Haddou and Ismail Haddou, Firesafe AI develops AI-powered solutions for real-time wildfire detection, risk assessment, and proactive management. Its products include a network of AI-driven static surveillance sensors that detect fires in their earliest stages, and drone-based systems that provide live validation, mapping, and monitoring to support rapid response and data collection,

Why it’s needed now: Coast to coast, Canada has faced unprecedented wildfire seasons in recent years, with millions of hectares burned and thousands of residents displaced. Traditional detection often relies on human spotters and delayed reporting, limiting the ability to contain fires before they spread. Earlier detection and more precise risk assessment can give communities, industries, and emergency services the tools to respond faster and protect infrastructure, ecosystems, and lives at a time when wildfire threats are intensifying.

PulseMedica

What they do: Founded by Nir Katchinskiy and Eric Martin, PulseMedica has developed a system to image and treat vitreoretinal diseases, more commonly known as eye floaters. Its technology integrates diagnostics and treatment into one platform, and uses high-resolution 3D imaging, on-the-spot tracking, and machine learning algorithms for early detection and treatment.

Why it’s needed now: Left untreated, vitreoretinal diseases can cause impairment and blindness. As the general population ages, these conditions are also on the rise, yet treatment options are often invasive and delayed. Tools that improve precision while reducing barriers to care are essential for long-term vision health.

Recon Intelligence

What they do: Founded by Jonathan Prill, Nasim Morawej, Morgan Allen, and Ahmed Hag Elsafi, Recon Intelligence provides downhole drilling data recording, analysis, and reporting. Its products deliver high-resolution data for performance optimization, preventative maintenance, usage tracking, and R&D validation, with AI features under development.

Why it’s needed now: Alberta’s energy sector is under pressure to cut costs and reduce environmental impact. Traditional drilling often relies on delayed maintenance and self-reported usage, which increases failures and downtime. Accurate, continuous data helps improve efficiency, prevents costly breakdowns, and supports safer, more sustainable operations.

ReFi.Trading

What they do: ReFi.Trading is a Web3 platform that lets traders and fund managers launch AI-powered trading agents in minutes. Trades are cryptographically verified through zero-knowledge proofs that enforce risk limits, creating transparency for regulators and investors. The platform also hosts a marketplace where developers can publish and monetize trading strategies.

Why it’s needed now: Decentralized finance is expanding but faces trust and security challenges. ReFi Trading keeps assets self-custodied and provides verifiable compliance, helping traders and institutions use AI-driven tools with greater confidence in a volatile market.

RL Core

What they do: Founded by Martha White, Adam White, and Alden Christianson, RL Core develops software that uses reinforcement learning to optimize industrial operations in real time. The system continuously monitors process variables, adapts to changing conditions, and fine-tunes plant performance. Instead of replacing operators, it works alongside them, handling routine adjustments so people can focus on maintenance, safety, and higher-priority tasks.

Why it’s needed now: Many industrial plants still rely on fixed rules or manual oversight to run complex processes. That approach struggles with efficiency when conditions change quickly. RL Core’s technology learns from both current operational data and historical performance, offering more adaptive, resilient control. As industries face pressure to cut costs, reduce emissions, and improve safety, smarter automation is becoming essential.

SketchDeck.ai

What they do: Founded by Daniel Kamau, SketchDeck.ai is a B2B SaaS company that builds AI-powered software for the structural steel industry. Its platform, called LIFT, automates material counting for estimators by extracting data directly from uploaded blueprints. The system is designed to replace manual takeoffs with a faster, automated process.

Why it’s needed now: Structural steel projects often require lengthy, error-prone manual takeoffs that can slow timelines and increase costs. With construction firms under pressure to deliver projects faster and manage resources more efficiently, SketchDeck.ai’s automation can help teams complete estimates in minutes instead of days, reducing mistakes and keeping projects on track.

Space Copy

What they do: Founded by Madison Feehan, Space Copy develops 3D printing technology for building infrastructure in extreme environments, both on Earth and in space. Their system combines AI, spectral data analysis, and additive manufacturing to create a multi-purpose platform for testing materials and producing parts on demand.

Why it’s needed now: Remote and harsh environments require new ways of building. Traditional construction is costly and often impractical. Lower-cost, adaptable infrastructure has the potential to support sustainable communities, resource operations, and even off-planet missions.

Get connected at Edmonton Startup Week

Produced by Edmonton Unlimited, Edmonton Startup Week has become a regular fixture in the city’s innovation calendar. The five-day event brings together founders, investors, community leaders, and policymakers for panels, workshops, networking, and mentorship. 

This year marks the sixteenth edition of Launch Party, the signature showcase where a group of startups is introduced to an audience of peers and supporters.

Startup Week serves as both a gathering point and a platform for Edmonton’s tech community. As media partner, Digital Journal will be covering the event and connecting local developments to the broader national conversation.

Learn more about Edmonton Startup Week here.