# Saskatchewan Startups Adopt AI To Accelerate Growth

> Source: <https://letsdatascience.com/news/saskatchewan-startups-adopt-ai-to-accelerate-growth-9ad237a9>
> Published: 2026-07-03 23:42:35+00:00

Saskatoon startup incubator Co.Labs says all roughly **30** of its resident startups now use AI in some capacity, according to Global News, as realtor-focused app **Rivra** went from idea to a production-grade beta in **nine months** using tools like `ChatGPT`. Co-founder Caroline Gilmore told Global News she "vibe-coded" Rivra's first version herself before pitching it to the incubator, which is now beta-testing the app toward a Q3 2026 launch. Co.Labs program director Graeme Jobe said supported founders range from using OpenAI and Anthropic chat products to coding agents for deeply technical work, and that AI is cutting costs, citing a comparable app interface that would have cost over **$100,000** to build a few years ago. The pattern illustrates how far AI-assisted development has compressed typical startup timelines for small, resource-constrained teams.
