KAST

KAST The Hub for Kootenay Tech. 🚀

The Kootenay Association for Science & Technology (KAST) creates an unexpected regional oasis of opportunity for people who invest, start companies and work in technology.

05/26/2026

.good.phyte is an Invermere-based biotech CEO of , making waves in the fields of autoimmune disease, inflammation, iron deficiency, and fatigue research. Her pioneering work with enzymes is showing clinically significant results in disease remission and health outcomes across several conditions.

Recognized as one of the world’s leading experts in human phytase research, Amy and her team have recently completed a clinical trial involving several autoimmune and inflammatory conditions, with exciting early results set to be published in the coming months. Their product, Goodphyte, is also NSF Certified for Sport and is currently being used by elite and professional athletes at the highest levels of competition.

We are incredibly proud of Amy, a woman in science, founder and CEO, retired elite athlete, and mother of four, whose story is one of resilience, innovation, and determination.

Join us on June 4 in Invermere to hear Amy share her remarkable journey, the science behind her work, and the vision driving this groundbreaking research forward.
Register for the event here- https://shorturl.at/lFkFo

BroadKAST is coming to Invermere on June 4th, telling the stories of entrepreneurs in the Kootenays!

Columbia Valley Community Economic Development -BC (Economic Trust of the Southern Interio@columbiavalleyarts

You're all invited!!Innovate for Impact! Youth Virtual ShowcaseOver the past few months, 100+ passionate youth across th...
05/25/2026

You're all invited!!
Innovate for Impact! Youth Virtual Showcase

Over the past few months, 100+ passionate youth across the Kootenays have been doing something REMARKABLE. On May 28th, select teams will take the virtual stage for the Innovate for Impact Youth Pitch Showcase.

With the support of community mentors, they have been exploring concepts of business and social entrepreneurship, creating thoughtful, community-rooted and purpose-driven business ideas built by young people who care about where they live. Select teams will receive funding to help bring their ideas to their communities!

🗓️ May 28, 2026
⏰ 5:30–7:00 PM MDT
4:30–6:00 PM PT

Register now! https://zoom.us/meeting/register/GXyE1sT4TQ-M_Vew7NANbQ?utm_source=BenchmarkEmail&utm_campaign=April_2026_Newsletter!!_Copy&utm_medium=email #/registration

For more information email [email protected]

Greater Nelson Economic Development Community Futures East Kootenay Impact Toolbox Community Futures South Kootenay See less

Last week, KAST, alongside many incredible economic development and innovation organizations across BC, had the opportun...
05/20/2026

Last week, KAST, alongside many incredible economic development and innovation organizations across BC, had the opportunity to help showcase to investors from around the world what British Columbia has to offer at the Web Summit.

A key part of our pitch was this:
Some of the most interesting opportunities are emerging quietly in places like the Kootenays. And now, something fundamental has changed the equation. AI is changing where the next generation of companies gets built. For the first time, founders in regions like the Kootenays with small teams can now do the work of much larger organizations. They can move faster, scale smarter, and build globally relevant companies from places that were once overlooked.

KAST has been the Kootenays’ technology and innovation hub for nearly three decades.
We have been building the connective tissue of the region’s innovation economy — linking entrepreneurs to mentorship, advisory support, capital pathways, industry partners, and community networks.

Through , we have critical minerals, advanced materials, recycling, and industrial innovation. Through our outdoor recreation economy, - Kootenay Outdoor Recreation Enterprise Initiative, we have world-class conditions for outdoor tech. Where founders can build, test, and validate products in the same place people ski, bike, hike, paddle, and explore. Through tourism and lifestyle, the Kootenay Rockies Tourism Association, we have one of the strongest talent attraction stories available: people want to live here.
So the Kootenays are not just a beautiful place to live in, but a strategic place to build from.

Thank you, Priya Biswas (KAST), Cam Whitehead(Metal Tech Alley), and Riley Wilcox (Imagine Kootenay), for representing Kootenays and all it has to offer to the rest of the world.
Huge thank you to the BC Ministry of Jobs and Economic Growth and theTrade and Invest BC team for organizing the event.

You're all invited!!Innovate for Impact! Youth Virtual ShowcaseOver the past few months, 100+ passionate youth across th...
05/19/2026

You're all invited!!
Innovate for Impact! Youth Virtual Showcase

Over the past few months, 100+ passionate youth across the Kootenays have been doing something REMARKABLE. On May 28th, select teams will take the virtual stage for the Innovate for Impact Youth Pitch Showcase.

With the support of community mentors, they have been exploring concepts of business and social entrepreneurship, creating thoughtful, community-rooted and purpose-driven business ideas built by young people who care about where they live. Select teams will receive funding to help bring their ideas to their communities!

🗓️ May 28, 2026
⏰ 5:30–7:00 PM MDT
4:30–6:00 PM PT

Register now! https://zoom.us/meeting/register/GXyE1sT4TQ-M_Vew7NANbQ?utm_source=BenchmarkEmail&utm_campaign=April_2026_Newsletter!!_Copy&utm_medium=email #/registration

For more information email [email protected]

Greater Nelson Economic Development Community Futures East Kootenay Impact Toolbox Community Futures South Kootenay

May momentum and spring celebrations! 🎉One year of leadership with Priya Biswas as KAST Executive Director.BroadKAST on ...
05/12/2026

May momentum and spring celebrations! 🎉

One year of leadership with Priya Biswas as KAST Executive Director.
BroadKAST on Tour is coming to Invermere on June 4th.
Attend the virtual Youth Innovate for Impact Showcase to support young leaders across the region.
And the Nelson AI Meet-up takes on tough subjects.

Check out these events and more…

Link to the May newsletter here: https://clt1694251.benchurl.com/c/v?e=1B3DBF3&c=19DA2B&t=1&l=13EE52741&email=gNIm%2BKn0Xwu7iEyZbFJHJRaIw4W6c2hcNyIeD9VsXLU%3D

Subscribe to it and get it directly to your inbox:
https://kast.com/newsletter-signup/

Innovation doesn't live in a postal code.Next week, KAST Executive Director Priya Biswas heads to Web Summit Vancouver —...
05/04/2026

Innovation doesn't live in a postal code.

Next week, KAST Executive Director Priya Biswas heads to Web Summit Vancouver — bringing the Kootenays' story with her.

Our founders don't choose between building world-class companies and living in a place they love.
They do both.
Across our region, technologists and entrepreneurs are quietly rewriting where innovation happens, and who gets to shape it.

That's not a trade-off. That's a competitive edge.

We're proud to bring that voice to the table.

04/30/2026

🎉This month marks one year since Priya Biswas stepped into the role of Executive Director at KAST.🎉
- Subscribe to our newsletter
- Follow us on Social Media
- Connect at [email protected]

Wow, Revelstoke… you really showed up! Last week’s BroadKAST at the historic Roxy Theatre was buzzing with energy, curio...
04/27/2026

Wow, Revelstoke… you really showed up!

Last week’s BroadKAST at the historic Roxy Theatre was buzzing with energy, curiosity, and community spirit. The room was full, the conversations were alive, and the support for local entrepreneurs was something special to witness.

What made the evening so powerful was the honesty. Our founders spoke openly about the highs, the lows, the lessons, the uncertainty, the pivots, and the persistence it takes to keep building. They shared the “pain cave” moments, the valleys of death, and the breakthroughs that make the journey worth it.

It takes immense grit, resilience, passion, and real courage to build something from the ground up. That kind of vulnerability helps others see what entrepreneurship truly looks like and reminds people they are not alone in the journey.

These stories do more than inspire. They create possibility, connection, and confidence for the next person sitting in the audience with an idea, wondering if they should take the leap.

THANK YOU to every founder who shared, every partner who helped make it happen, and every person who came out to support what’s being built here.

Revelstoke, you reminded us that when a community backs its entrepreneurs, incredible things can happen. 🚀

Revelstoke Startup Revelstoke City of Revelstoke, BC

04/20/2026

🎬 This Thursday. Revelstoke. Final call.

Meet Isabel from My Market Scout
At BroadKAST, it’s not just about ideas, it’s about the people behind them.

Meet Isabel, founder of My Market Scout. Her journey started right here in Revelstoke, working in local markets and seeing firsthand the challenges small businesses face. That experience turned into building a platform that now helps vendors and organizers connect and grow across Canada.

As we head into summer market season, her story is a powerful reminder of what buying local and supporting local really looks like: real people, real effort, real impact.

đź“Ť Revelstoke
đź“… April 23
🎟️ Free to attend

Come hear the story. Support local. Be part of what’s growing here.
Let’s fill the beautiful Roxy Theatre. See you there!

Startup Revelstoke Cronometer, City of Revelstoke, BC, Revelstoke Chamber of Commerce, Community Futures Revelstoke Roxy Theatre Revelstoke Revelstoke Revelstoke Idea Factory

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91 Baker Street
Nelson, BC
V1L 4G8

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