Red Deer Start Here

Hi Red Deer and Central Alberta Startup fans.

I'm Jeff Horton, formerly of Saskatchewan, with years in Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver. 

Having been involved in businesses, startups and the tech community in several regions I know there is great value in creating a strong local community, share what we know and meetup to talk tech, programming, startups and product. It is easier than ever to work in tech and startups and to create new opportunities from anywhere so why not where you are now.

In summer 2023 I created Red Deer Start Here Meetup because in all my travels what I really learned was that amazing people often believe they need to move into bigger and bigger cities to make ideas happen and when I did the same what I ended up discovering was that nearly every idea can happen anywhere and can definitely be built here. 

I welcome all Founders, UX, Product Managers, Designers, Marketers to come out to connect and help build the community layer of the innovation triangle as we work with the local business community, city, and RDP to create and expand opportunities and ideas in our region.  Think peers over beers and not lead gen.

I can see on LinkedIn and through my chats that there are a lot of you in those roles, and you may have only co-workers or travel to other cities for friendly chats. Please come on out and lets start connecting locally the same way the tech people are enjoying.

This site is to help others find the meetups and us so we can all grow together. I've put up a bunch of resource and learning pages to help you on your journey if you need somewhere to start.

I look forward to hearing from you and seeing you at the meetups.

I ask of you a few guidelines

1. People have all kinds of skill levels, interests, experiences. Accept all, learn where you can and help where you can.
2. Tech and Startups are inclusive. As the old joke says, nobody cares if you are a dog on the internet. Please be open to everyone.
3. This isn't a place about selling things, it is about a community.

This is not a consulting program. This is not a place to trade cards and collect leads. I have nothing to sell. My goals are simple, if you build and grow, the region gets better and we and our children all have more opportunities to enjoy.

Where do you want to start?

You do not have to have it figured out. Pick the line that sounds most like you and start there.

“I’m just curious about startups and tech.”

Read Startup 101, then come to a meetup and listen. Curiosity is a perfectly good reason to show up.

“I think I have an idea.”

Start with the learning path — customers, testing, lean canvas and the smallest version you can build.

“I want to meet people who build things.”

Find the next meetup or join the Meetup group so you get the notifications.

“I need resources, programs or funding.”

The resources list runs from Central Alberta out to national programs — including SR&ED and IRAP.

“I just want the weekly tips.”

Three years of Monday tips are archived here.

What is on this site

• Startup Learning — a plain-language path from “curious” to “running it”.
• Business Resources — Central Alberta first, then Alberta, Canada and beyond.
• Alberta ecosystem — the communities, hubs and programs worth knowing.
• Events — what is happening locally and nearby.
• Weekly Tips — the Monday posts, archived by year.

Smaller places often assume the action is somewhere else. It is not. The wider Alberta ecosystem — Alberta Innovates, Alberta Catalyzer, Technology Alberta, Amii, Platform Calgary and Edmonton Unlimited, plus programs like IRAP and SR&ED — is yours to use from here.