Jennifer Friesen

Calgary

Freelance Journalist at Freelance

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

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Articles

Why an ancient Greek food law still matters for your IP strategy today

1 week ago | digitaljournal.com | Jennifer Friesen

Wayne Logan, associate counsel at Miller Thomson LLP (left), and Alissa Ricioppo, associate at Miller Thomson LLP. - Photo by Marc Arumi of MotivWhen it comes to intellectual property (IP), the earliest known protection wasn’t for code or slogans. It was for recipes.
Wunmi Adekanmbi says it’s time to build a tech ecosystem that works for everyone

1 week ago | digitaljournal.com | Jennifer Friesen

Wunmi Adekanmbi, founder and executive director of Immigrant Techies Alberta. - Photo by Jennifer Friesen, Digital JournalOnce Wunmi Adekanmbi found her way into Alberta’s tech ecosystem, she felt welcome. But there was no invitation. She had to find her own way in. Adekanmbi is the founder and executive director of Immigrant Techies Alberta, a nonprofit she describes as her way of offering that invitation to others.
2025 ScaleUP Awards: What scaling companies can teach us about building for the long haul

1 week ago | digitaljournal.com | Jennifer Friesen

Simon Raby, founder of ScaleUP Week, delivers opening remarks at the 2025 ScaleUP Week Awards. Photo courtesy of ScaleUP WeekEvery business owner talks about growth, but not many talk about what it really takes to get there. Yet on June 5 in Calgary, it was all anyone at the Telus Convention Centre could talk about.
Innovation is a national security issue: Benjamin Bergen

1 week ago | digitaljournal.com | Jennifer Friesen

Benjamin Bergen is the president of the Canadian Council of Innovators (CCI). - Photo by Jennifer Friesen, Digital Journal“Imagine if we had allowed foreign entities to control the railroad,” says Benjamin Bergen. “It ultimately wouldn’t allow us to be a sovereign nation.”For Bergen, president of the Canadian Council of Innovators (CCI), the analogy isn’t hypothetical.
How Terry Rock and Tom Viinikka are reshaping Alberta’s innovation future

2 weeks ago | digitaljournal.com | Jennifer Friesen

Tom Viinikka, CEO of Edmonton Unlimited (left), and Terry Rock, president and CEO of Platform Calgary. - Photo by Jennifer Friesen, Digital JournalWhat happens when Alberta’s two largest innovation hubs resist treating each other like rivals and start designing a shared strategy?
Global report shows 11% dip in Edmonton’s startup ecosystem, with sector strengths emerging

2 weeks ago | digitaljournal.com | Jennifer Friesen

Generated by Google AIThe Global Startup Ecosystem Report (GSER) 2025, released today, shows that Edmonton’s startup ecosystem declined by 11 percent over the past two years, with total value remaining well below global averages. While the city has yet to reach scale in startup formation or funding, the report identifies pockets of strength in AI, life sciences, and cleantech.
Vancouver startup ecosystem holds ground in global rankings

2 weeks ago | digitaljournal.com | Jennifer Friesen

Generated by Google AIVancouver’s startup ecosystem is staying the course in a turbulent year for global tech. In the 2025 Global Startup Ecosystem Report (GSER), released today by Startup Genome, the city is ranked 36th in the world. That’s the same position it held last year, which may not sound dramatic, but in the context of a global pullback, holding steady is a sign of relative strength. This year’s report offers a sharp reminder of how much has changed in a short time.
Scaling through people, not pressure

3 weeks ago | digitaljournal.com | Jennifer Friesen

Leo Bottary, author and founder of Peernovation. Photo by Marc Arumi of MotivMidway up Mount Baldy, Leo Bottary’s daughters were ready to call it quits. The air was thin, the summit still looked impossibly far, and their confidence was shot. “Dad, I think the view looks pretty good from here,” one of them said. It was the beginning of the end. But Bottary, author and founder of Peernovation, had a trick up his sleeve.
Why stress, connection, and joy belong in your business strategy

3 weeks ago | digitaljournal.com | Jennifer Friesen

Lindsay Recknell, president and CEO, Paradigm Corporate Wellness. Photo by Marc Arumi of MotivLindsay Recknell didn’t believe in all that talk about self-care at first. The breathing exercises, the talk of burnout, the idea that connection could be a business tool? It all sounded too soft, too unproductive. As a former accountant by trade, she had built her career on logic, efficiency, and pushing through.
Data, discipline and the long game: Inside the inaugural ScaleUP Drivers report

3 weeks ago | digitaljournal.com | Jennifer Friesen

Simon Raby, professor at Mount Royal University and founder of ScaleUP Week. Photo by Marc Arumi of MotivAt a time when business optimism is starting to return (however cautiously), ScaleUP Week 2025 opened with something that’s looking to help Canadian firms turn that optimism into outcomes. That something is a new report called ScaleUP Drivers 2025, which is focused on the strategies, barriers, and conditions that shape whether a company grows or stalls.