Tech Links

A plain directory of the local groups, programs and learning links worth knowing if you are into tech, programming or building something in and around Red Deer. Grouped by how close to home they are: Central Alberta first, then Alberta, Canada, and finally a few global standbys.

Nothing here is a paid placement and there is nothing to sell. If a link is stale or a door is closed, tell me at a meetup and I will fix it.

Central Alberta

The people most likely to answer the phone and help you in person.

• Red Deer Tech & Code — This group — technical meetups and chat for programmers, makers and the curious.
• Red Deer Start Here — The sister meetup for startups and founders, with a deep resource library of its own.
• CARIN — Central Alberta Regional Innovation Network — Regional innovation network. Free Catalyst Incubator and help navigating funding.
• Red Deer Polytechnic — Applied research, labs, continuing education and student talent.
• Red Deer & District Chamber — 800+ members, advocacy, networking and business events.
• City of Red Deer — Licensing, permits, economic development and doing-business info.
• Community Futures Central Alberta — Business coaches, plan help and loans. Known for saying yes when banks say no.
• Central Alberta Economic Partnership — Regional economic development alliance for Central Alberta.

Alberta-wide

Provincial programs, hubs and communities — most are free or low-cost to talk to.

• Technology Alberta — Connects Alberta tech companies to programs, talent, jobs and community.
• Amii — Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute — One of Canada’s national AI institutes. Research, talent and AI adoption help.
• Alberta Innovates — Provincial innovation agency: funding, advice and connections.
• Alberta Catalyzer — Free pre-accelerator (Engage, Traction, Velocity) for Alberta tech founders.
• Platform Calgary — Calgary’s innovation hub and startup programs (resources, events, community).
• Edmonton Unlimited — Edmonton’s innovation agency — programs and events.
• Business Link — Free one-to-one guidance and market research for Alberta small business.
• Alberta Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) — Loans, programs and community for women entrepreneurs in Alberta.
• Startup TNT — Alberta’s grassroots investor and community nights (Edmonton, Calgary and more).
• Rainforest Alberta — Connects the province’s innovation community and maps who is who.
• Digital Alberta — Digital media and technology association for the province.
• Alberta small business resources — The province’s index of programs, funding and supports.

Canada-wide

National funding, tax credits and networks.

• Futurpreneur Canada — Loans up to $75,000, mentoring and resources for founders aged 18–39.
• BDC — Business Development Bank of Canada — loans, advice and venture capital.
• NRC IRAP — Advisory services and funding for SME technology innovation.
• SR&ED tax incentive — Federal R&D tax credits — non-dilutive money for work you have already done.
• PrairiesCan — Federal regional development funding for the Prairies.
• MaRS Discovery District — Toronto-based innovation hub with free resources and programs.
• Creative Destruction Lab — University-linked, objectives-based program for deep-tech and scalable ventures.
• Communitech — Waterloo region’s tech community and startup programs.

Learning to code and get better

Free, high-quality places to learn, practice and ask questions.

• MDN Web Docs — The reference for HTML, CSS and JavaScript. Start here, stay here.
• freeCodeCamp — Free, project-based courses and certifications in web development and more.
• Exercism — Free coding exercises in dozens of languages, with human mentoring.
• The Odin Project — A free, self-paced full-stack web development curriculum.
• Stack Overflow — Where most of us actually find the answer.
• GitHub — Host code, learn from others, and make your first contribution.

Further afield: U.S. and global

• Y Combinator Library & Startup School — Free, deep and practical — the best startup library anywhere.
• First Round Review — Tactical, operator-written essays on building companies.
• Techstars — Global accelerator; their toolkit and blog are free.
• Startup Grind — Global community with events, interviews and education.

A note on “free advice”

Be wary of anyone selling tech or startup advice who has never carried the risk of a payroll. Most of the organizations above are publicly funded or community-run. Talk to other people in the room and compare notes. That is the whole point of this community.

Take the next step

Reading is cheap; showing up once and talking to someone is what actually moves it ahead. Come to a meetup and bring whatever you are working on or stuck on. No pitch, no sign-up, no sales — peers over beers.