Calgary is poised for a vibrant future.
The Opportunity Calgary Investment Fund (OCIF) is committed to finding, fueling and fostering opportunities with unparalleled potential to bring prosperity to all Calgarians. OCIF is one of the most effective tools our city has to help ensure our economy is diversified and resilient.
OCIF's Impact
Did you know, for every dollar invested by OCIF, Calgary experiences a 10x return on funding committed. To date, this has spurred up to about an impressive $900 million in economic activity. Our investments, totaling $83.8 million across 30 projects, have yielded:
* as of July 2024
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3,000 jobs
Almost 3,000 jobs created or retained
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800 companies
over 800 companies created and scaled
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$34 million
$34 million in additional leveraged funding from government partners
With OCIF’s contribution to Avatar, we will enable the new technologies, leadership and investments required to uniquely position Calgary to be a leader in the global race to a net zero future.
OUR IMPACT IN 2023
Get insights into our achievements, explore where we're headed and how we're driving progress towards a prosperous future for all, together. Dive into our 2023 Annual Report now.
Read report
Recent Calgary Stories
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Platform Calgary
OCIF provided $400,000 to Platform Calgary for the National Bank Investor Hub to unlock capital for underrepresented Calgary-based founders. The National Bank Investor Hub helps broaden the city’s investor pool and creates more opportunities for Calgarians to build their companies. OCIF's investment will be help engage and educate up to 40 investors and connect them to Calgary startups led by underrepresented founders and/or with missions focused on equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility (EDIA).
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Thin Air Labs
OCIF’s $4 million investment in Thin Air Labs Fund I in 2022 supported early-stage companies and helped accelerate the growth of the technology and innovation sector in the city. Since OCIF’s investment, Thin Air Labs Fund I has invested in 17 Calgary companies, including Quickly and Fillip, that recently raised $15 million in Seed financing.
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Life Sciences Innovation Hub
OCIF invested $8.5 million in the Life Sciences Innovation Hub in 2019, to help position Calgary as a major global life sciences hub. Since OCIF’s initial investment the Life Sciences Innovation Hub has attracted $121M in value of incremental private sector investment, assisted 374 small and medium sized enterprises, and created 554 indirect High Qualified Personnel jobs in Canada, positioning Calgary as one of the main hubs in Canada to build life-science based companies.
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Bow Valley College
In 2023 OCIF invested $5.5 million into the Calgary Entertainment Arts Production Hub (CEAPH) at Bow Valley College, expanding Calgary’s talent pipeline in digital media and entertainment arts. The CEAPH at Bow Valley College will train 675 individuals, support more than 125 Calgary companies, and create more than 300 jobs in the creative industries sector.
OCIF and Thin Air Labs funding enabled us at Syantra to build a foundation to expand into the U.S. in 2024.
OCIF in the news
OCIF, AVATAR INNOVATIONS SUPPORTS CALGARY'S CLEANTECH INNOVATION FROM INSIDE ENERGY SECTOR
August 13, 2024
OCIF INVESTS IN SAIT TO BUILD INNOVATION IN CALGARY’S CONSTRUCTION AND MANUFACTURING SECTORS
July 25, 2024
OCIF INVESTS IN PLATFORM CALGARY’S NATIONAL BANK INVESTOR HUB TO UNLOCK CAPITAL
June 20, 2024
Join us in shaping Calgary's economic future.
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