Jennifer Friesen

Calgary

Freelance Journalist at Freelance

Journalist, photographer, designer - and generally up to no good.

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Articles

What mesh Calgary 2025 revealed about the future of innovation in Canada

2 days ago | digitaljournal.com | Jennifer Friesen

Kate Carter, PhD Candidate in AI & Healthcare (left), and Joella Almeida, CEO of MedEssist, speak to the crowd at mesh for their panel on rethinking healthcare access and innovation. - Photo by Paulina Ochoa, Digital JournalIf innovation is Canada’s great economic hope, why does it still feel so fragile? That question ran just beneath the surface at the mesh conference in Calgary on April 29 and 30.
How business leaders can turn uncertainty into an advantage

1 week ago | digitaljournal.com | Jennifer Friesen

Image generated by Gemini AdvancedWhen Andreea Vanacker went into brain surgery, she had already prepared her family and business partners for the worst. “I was literally preparing my death before that operation,” she says. The diagnosis blindsided her in 2020, mere months after her new start-up was in the market expansion stage.
Calgary approves $60-million boost to OCIF, setting up its next phase of innovation growth

2 weeks ago | digitaljournal.com | Jennifer Friesen

Parry, president and CEO of Calgary Economic Development (CED) and CEO of the Opportunity Calgary Investment Fund (OCIF). Photo by Paulina Ochoa, Digital JournalWhen Brad Parry walked onstage at the mesh conference on April 30, he had some fresh news to share. The day before, Calgary City Council had voted 12-1 to top-up the Opportunity Calgary Investment Fund (OCIF) with a new $60 million commitment.
We’re stronger together. So why is innovation still a solo sport in Canada?

2 weeks ago | digitaljournal.com | Jennifer Friesen

Photo by Paulina Ochoa, Digital JournalYears ago, in a Saskatchewan gas station, a snack war broke out. Terry Rock remembers the moment clearly. His family ran the gas station in question, and a delivery man from Hostess spotted a towering display of rival Old Dutch chips in the store. “The Hostess guy walked in, elbowed it, knocked it over, stomped on all the boxes, went up and gave my dad 50 bucks or whatever, and said, ‘Sorry about that,’” said Rock, now CEO of Platform Calgary.
How to actually build innovation teams that don't drown in corporate quicksand

2 weeks ago | digitaljournal.com | Jennifer Friesen

Tina Mathas speaking at mesh 2025 in Calgary. Photo by Paulina Ochoa, Digital JournalSticky notes. Funky furniture. Job titles with “innovation” in them. Most corporate innovation efforts look the part — until you try to build something real. At the mesh conference in Calgary, that tension took centre stage.
Tech Thursday goes national, launches new chapters in Ottawa and Edmonton

2 weeks ago | digitaljournal.com | Jennifer Friesen

Tech Thursday panelists speak to a crowd in Calgary. Photo by Jennifer Friesen/Digital JournalOn every single Thursday evening in Calgary and Winnipeg, hundreds of people trickle into their local venues, drinks in hand, ready to listen and ask questions. A panel of tech leaders lead discussions about a bevy of topics, ranging from scaling product teams, new ventures in biotech, or urban planning.
Inside Alberta’s growth in the biotech and health innovation ecosystem

3 weeks ago | digitaljournal.com | Jennifer Friesen

The sector has grown from its early days of molecule discoveries into an ecosystem that includes biotech, medical devices, digital health, and AI-driven innovationAlberta has played a powerful role in treatments for diabetes, cardiac care, and viruses — work that has changed lives around the world. But outside the sector, many don’t know that life sciences is becoming one of the province’s biggest bets for the future.
Are AI agents already making decisions while you're still drafting memos?

1 month ago | digitaljournal.com | Jennifer Friesen

Image generated by Gemini AdvancedAI agents are already sliding into inboxes, spreadsheets, and business ops across Canada. And for many execs, that’s exactly what they’ve been hoping for. A new survey from KPMG Canada finds that agentic AI — a form of artificial intelligence that can reason, make decisions, and act with minimal human input — is already being put to work by Canadian companies.
Calgary leans into innovation to weather economic uncertainty

1 month ago | digitaljournal.com | Jennifer Friesen

Terry Rock (left), Kevin Krausert, Kimberly Van Vliet, Hanif Joshaghani, Ben Graham, and Brad Parry on the stage at the Telus Convention Centre. Photo by Jennifer Friesen, Digital JournalMany industries are flying through fog right now — navigating economic uncertainty without a clear view of what’s ahead. But in Calgary, leaders aren’t waiting for the skies to clear.
How to escape the data swamp and turn AI into business value

2 months ago | digitaljournal.com | Jennifer Friesen

YYC DataCon 2025. – Photo by Paulina Ochoa, Digital JournalMost companies don’t have a data problem. They have a data chaos problem. AI promises game-changing insights, but without a solid data foundation, businesses might find themselves layering automation on top of disorder. The real challenge isn’t collecting more data, it’s making sense of what’s already there. That means cleaning it up, structuring it properly, and ensuring people actually trust it.