One of those businesses is Kind Ice Cream, which opened its first welcoming neighbourhood shop in Highlands. There are now two more—in Ritchie and downtown Edmonton. Others are in the works, thanks to a $289,609 grant from the Edge Fund.
“The Edge Fund will have an enormous positive impact on our growth, allowing us to expand into a new 6,000-square-foot production facility in central Edmonton … giving us the opportunity to bring our community-focused shops to more neighborhoods across Edmonton,” shares Paula Shyba, one of Kind’s three owners.
“Many small businesses, including ours, lack the same access to capital for growth that large retailers have, and the Edge Fund plays a valuable role in filling that gap.”
The Edge Fund addresses barriers for innovative businesses looking to do something transformative in Edmonton that will help drive economic growth, and in many cases, create community. In 2024, $5 million was awarded to 17 businesses and organizations across eight industries to start, scale or grow their initiatives.
Fostering collaboration
Edmontonians know very well how sport, especially hockey, can bring people together. For many, that starts in youth sports. Coaches, teammates, trainers and sports fans are all part of a network of young athletes and share in the joy and hard work of improving skills, strength and strategy.
ZerOne Hockeyology is a new company pushing the envelope in the hockey community, combining training programs with cutting-edge equipment and research to elevate players, innovating the sport for everyone.
“We have been mindful of keeping our eyes fixed on the most important people of all, the kids and the young at heart, who will walk through our doors in an effort to get better, perform better in hockey, in health and in life,” says David Muddle, CEO and co-founder of ZerOne Hockeyology.
“They are our north star, and we create an experience without precedence for them.”