The business, the backers and the next big things are coming to Calgary June 6 - 8, 2018.Calgary, Alberta, Canada - Alex Miller, well respected thought leader in the world of geomatics, joins Arlene Dickinson and Guy Kawasaki as an INVENTURE$ keynote. More than 90 speakers have now been announced for this three-day Alberta Innovates experience.INVENTURE$ is designed to create convergence-bringing the business, the backers and the next big things to Calgary as a showcase for innovation and a driver toward greater economic diversification for Alberta.Geomatics technologies have a wide range of applications across sectors, including oil, gas, environment, agriculture, and forestry. In Alberta, there are an estimated 500 geomatics companies employing approximately 7,300 people. The sector is expected to reach more than $5.7 billion by 2017."Alex has incredible vision for what is possible-vision that has evolved over time as our world changes," says Jonathan Neufeld, CEO of TECTERRA. "Throughout his career, Alex has continued to stay at the forefront and push the boundaries of spatial technologies. From developing the first digital maps in Ontario to working with companies on the leading edge of the Internet of Things (IoT), Miller is a renowned visionary and expert on location analytics."Growing up on a farm, Miller has loved the outdoors from a young age, even learning how to survey soil as a teenager. Later, he travelled the globe working as a surveyor, including Africa and the Artic. Upon his return at the beginning of the digital revolution, Miller became the president and founder of Esri Canada, which has provided geographic information system (GIS) solutions to more than 10,000 organizations in the public and private sectors since 1984 by applying information technology to land, natural resource and environmental management. Now, the company has been named one of Canada's Best Managed Companies since 2012."I've always been a very curious person and this curiosity has led me to often ask 'how could I do things better?' These are the types of curious questions I'm excited to watch unfold into conversations at INVENTURE$," said Miller. "Together we can figure out how to sustain this beautiful, yet complicated world we live in."Venture capitalists, angel investors, startups, entrepreneurs, service providers and thought leaders will converge in Calgary for INVENTURE$ June 6-8. More than 150 speakers are expected to contribute expertise in research, innovation, commercialization, capital access, and entrepreneurship.INVENTURE$ 2018INVENTURE$ will bring research, innovation, capital access, commercialization, experiential learning and entrepreneurial communities together. The unique conference experience will attract venture capitalists, angel investors, early adopters, startups, business educators, service providers and more from Alberta and around the world. Themes for INVENTURE$ include: health, clean energy (emissions reductions, water), food and fiber (forestry, agriculture, biotech), sensor technology, artificial intelligence, Internet of Things (IoT), Green building and construction technology, autonomous vehicles, gaming/software/ICT, nanotechnology and omics (genomics, etc.).The Main Stage component will feature high-profile keynotes, executive panel discussions and major announcements. Interactive Break-out Sessions will provide opportunities to connect one-on-one and collaborate with like-minded influencers. An Innovator Showcase will host live pitch events and a Youth Entrepreneurs Showcase will display the best in student innovation, technology and business success.Media inquiries may be directed to:Bruce MarpoleCommunications and MarketingAlberta Innovates780-490-8907bruce.marpole[at]albertainnovates.caALBERTA INNOVATESAlberta Innovates is a provincially-funded Corporation with a mandate to deliver 21st century solutions for the most compelling challenges facing Albertans. We do this by building on our province's research and technology development strengths in the core sectors of health, environment, energy, food and fibre and platforms such as artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, and omics. We are working with our partners to diversify Alberta's economy, improve our environmental performance and enhance our well-being through research and innovation.