Red Deer Polytechnic, Red Deer Chamber of Commerce to partner with Growth Catalyst to drive Alberta economy

May 2, 2023

Red Deer, Alberta, May 2, 2023 - Red Deer Polytechnic (RDP) and the Red Deer & District Chamber of Commerce are partnering with Mount Royal University's Growth Catalyst program to create a first-of-its-kind business accelerator for central Alberta. Designed for enterprises with $2 to $100 million in sales, Growth Catalyst is a scale-up accelerator program, not for start-ups. The program is based on the research of MRU Professor Simon Raby, Ph.D. and his team, who identified gaps for serving small to medium-sized businesses that still have exponential growth potential.

Growth Catalyst's hybrid model combines in-person learning with real-time coaching and implementation, supported by a variety of highly regarded local experts. This program allows companies to reimagine, rediscover and realize new growth opportunities over seven months. With a commitment to serving all of Alberta, the program’s fourth cohort will focus on central Alberta, from Rocky Mountain House to Ester, and operating from RDP. Businesses are invited to apply now for a September start. Designed for a team of up to four people, this is a highly subsidized (but not free) indisputably valuable accelerator that is helping drive the Alberta business economy. Interested companies are encouraged to visit the Growth Catalyst website or join an upcoming Chamber lunch and learn this spring.

 

"We are proud to partner with Mount Royal University and the Red Deer & District Chamber of Commerce to support the growth and innovation of central Alberta businesses, this collaboration, combined with Red Deer Polytechnic’s education, training, and applied research opportunities in state-of-the-art facilities, will create an ecosystem that will help to ignite industrial and economic prosperity across the province.”

– Richard Longtin, Associate VP of External Relations at Red Deer Polytechnic

 

"The Red Deer Chamber of Commerce is pleased to showcase the strong Entrepreneurial spirit of Central Alberta"

– Scott Robinson, CEO of Red Deer & District Chamber of Commerce

 

"Unlocking the potential of Central Alberta is an essential part of the overall success of the Albertan Economy. We are excited to be working with RDP and the Chamber to recruit companies seeking ambitious growth. We will also be collaborating on program delivery and including local innovation and scaling up experts."

– Peter Fenwick, Director of Scale-Up and Growth Programming at MRU IIE

 

For further information please contact:

Emily Baadsvik, MBA. Manager of Ecosystems, Scale-up and Growth Programming, Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship
403.477.6779
ebaadsvik@mtroyal.ca

Peter Glenn, Senior Media Relations Officer
403.463.6930
mediarelations@mtroyal.ca