Ken Bautista

Ken Bautista is a prominent figure in the startup and entrepreneurship ecosystem with over 20 years of experience. He is a founding partner at Flightpath and Makespace, where he focuses on uniting growth leaders and venture builders and developing innovation campuses for technology and creative communities.

Having transitioned from being an educator to an entrepreneur, Ken brings a unique perspective to developing founders, startup communities, and innovation spaces in various cities. His journey started with launching his first venture as a university student and later co-founding Startup Edmonton to mobilize the startup communities.

Ken has been involved in shaping physical innovation hubs like Platform Calgary and Elko Engineering Garage, as well as contributing to national initiatives such as Startup Canada Communities. He actively invests capital into cities through venture and real estate funds, exploring the intersection of technology startups, talent communities, and city building.

A sought-after speaker, Ken has shared his insights with global audiences at events like Startup Phenomenon in Boulder, Canada Creative Cities Summit, and Digital Entertainment Leadership Forum in Hong Kong. He has also been featured in reputable publications like Alberta Venture Magazine's '50 Most Influential People'.

Ken Bautista holds a Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) degree in Educational/Instructional Media Design from the University of Alberta. Throughout his career, he has held various key roles in organizations such as Makespace, Flightpath Ventures, Edmonton Economic Development Corporation, Startup Edmonton, Rocketfuel Games, RED The Agency, Hotrocket Studios Inc., Royal Alberta Museum (RAM), and the City of Edmonton.