The TELUS Community Safety & Wellness Accelerator (CSW) is a first-of-its-kind accelerator focused on addressing the social and safety challenges facing our communities.

Welcome to Cohort 5! 

March 4 – May 24, 2024
Demo Day – June 5, 2024 in Edmonton, Alberta!

Meet Cohort 5

Join Us: 

Applications Are Open for Cohort 6!

WE ARE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR THE BEST & BRIGHTEST SOCIAL IMPACT ENTREPRENEURS + COMPANIES TO JOIN US

COHORT 5 LAUNCH March 2024

TO STAY IN THE LOOP ON ALL APPLICATION PROCESSES

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Cohort 5 Program Timeline

Cohort 5 Program Launch Date – March 4, 2024

Cohort 5 – In Person Week in Edmonton, Alberta March 11-15, 2024

Demo Day – June 5, 2024

CSW COHORT 4 DEMO DAY LOOK BOOK

In partnership with AlchemistX, the Edmonton Police Foundation, and Alberta Innovates, the TELUS CSW Accelerator is bringing proven Silicon Valley acceleration programming to the social impact space in Edmonton, Alberta.

About the Program

The TELUS Community Safety & Wellness Accelerator (CSW) is a first-of-its-kind accelerator focused on addressing the social and safety challenges facing our communities. In partnership with AlchemistX, the Edmonton Police Foundation, and Alberta Innovates, the CSW Accelerator is bringing proven Silicon Valley acceleration programming to the social impact space in Edmonton, Alberta. 

Successful applicants will have the opportunity to:

  • gain targeted introductions to the CSW Accelerator’s partners across Alberta including community agencies and governmental partners (e.g., the Edmonton Police, non-profit organizations, social sector agencies, academic partners), and
  • receive intensive training to succeed via Alchemist Accelerator’s proven program. 

All participants gain access to Alchemist’s global network of over 30,000 entrepreneurs and mentors and will be supported to connect with investment and partnership opportunities. 

The benefits of this program include:

  • 1:1 Mentorship
  • Access to partnerships
  • Access to global funding and VC network
  • Access to first customers and customers in new locations via our network
  • Access to deep, specialized mentorship
  • Extensive coaching that meets the needs of your start up
  • Proven curriculum
  • Space in Edmonton available for on-site support and connections to explore all that Edmonton and Alberta have to offer
  • Access to resources and information about visas and investment attraction to support your start-up scaling in Canada
  • Access to grants for travel and connection to support to relocate to Canada

There is no fee to attend this program

Our goal is to accelerate startups that can make a difference with our community partners and innovate for social and economic benefit in our communities while promoting Edmonton as a world-class destination for innovation. 

Hybrid Program – Virtual and In-Person Cohort

The program for Cohort 5 will be virtual with 1 week in person,  in Edmonton, Alberta.    

Our Program

This 12 week program blends the programming of Alchemist Accelerator with specific local social impact sessions delivered by the community partners, covering topics that support your venture to succeed in the community to deliver impact for the local context. 

Our program is customized to meet the needs of each cohort around a base of proven curriculum on customer development, IP protection, investment preparation, and other essential startup topics. 

About the Alchemist Accelerator program

Alchemist offers a structured path to mentorship, traction, fundraising and community for founders with ambitious aspirations.

While all founders may participate in our structured program and curriculum, much of the experience is personalized to the needs of your company. 

The structured program anchors on a curriculum of group gatherings. You will check in with your peers to share what you have accomplished and exchange feedback on roadblocks. These sessions are often followed by expert talks and workshops.

Alchemist’s Feedback Summits are day-long gatherings focused on market traction and fundraising, supplemented with shorter gatherings on topics founders identify as particularly relevant to them.

Outside of these group gatherings, your experience is punctuated with individualized mentoring sessions with Alchemist Partners, successful CEOs, and other experts matched specifically to your company for the duration of the program. 

These Alchemist experts are also available to you for one-off consultations on particular questions.

The program concludes with Demo Day, where start-ups have a chance to pitch to a network of invited investors. 

Who we are looking for

We’re looking for technology start-ups that are focused on solutions that address community safety and wellness, particularly those that are actively looking for pilot/POC partners and support to scale their solutions in the social sector

Start-Up Focus Areas

We are targeting ventures that apply technology solutions, especially artificial intelligence, machine learning and advanced analytics, to community safety & wellness. 

Wellness challenges

Housing & homelessness, domestic violence, mental health, food security and safety, nutrition, substance use, and social justice (e.g., Indigenous community supports, anti-racism). In essence, any solution that can improve the wellness of an underserved community/demographic, would benefit from this.

Safety challenges

Solutions that increase safety in the community (e.g., theft reduction, improved road safety, food safety, etc.). Safety in the workplace, at home, in the community would all benefit from this program. Any like solution that could be applied to an underserved community or demographic would be eligible to apply.