Jérémie Guilbert and Louis-Philippe Dallaire, physics students and founders of the company DéteXion, met on Monday October 7 at the Musée de la civilization. Like dozens of other visionary entrepreneurs, they had the chance to meet investors likely to support the growth of their business, during FresQC, the largest demo day never held in Quebec.
FresQC is the result of a collaboration between Entrepreneuriat ULaval, LE CAMP, 2degrees and Quantino, four Quebec incubators which support young shoots in the technological sectors.
“We, the four incubators, have been dreaming of holding a joint event of this magnitude for a long time. By joining forces, we were able to bring together a critical mass of companies with high development potential and thus increase our attractiveness to encourage investors, often from outside the region, to come and discover all the creativity, innovation and the audacity of innovative companies in Quebec,” declares Simon Chouinard, general director of Entrepreneuriat ULaval (EUL).
It was a successful bet for this unique partnership since the sold-out event welcomed more than 300 participants.
On October 7, at the Musée de la civilization, the FresQC took place, the largest demo day never held in Quebec. This event was organized by four incubators in the region. In the photo: Sébastien Tanguay, general director of CAMP, Simon Chouinard, general director of Entrepreneurship ULaval, Sonia Corriveau, director of Quantino, and Alexandre Guindon, general director of 2degrees.
— Simon Clark
Highlight the most promising tech companies
The first objective of FresQc was of course to introduce investors to the innovative products and services of young start-ups in the region. Seventeen companies, including Corset St-Francis and four others incubated at EUL, were able to make a lightning presentation on stage.
In total, more than 50 start-ups, including 11 supported by EUL, had a booth in the innovation showcase and participated in the networking session.
Fanny Rouleau, from Corset St-Francis, gave a lightning presentation at FresQC.
— Simon Clark
However, according to the general director of Entrepreneurship ULaval, it is not the origin of the companies, that is to say in which incubator the young shoots germinated, which matters in this type of event. “The message conveyed by all the incubators at FresQC is that the event is the result of a collective effort. This is a collective success that highlights all the companies present, companies that are stakeholders in the solid network of technological entrepreneurship in Quebec,” he insists.
More than 50 start-ups participated in the innovation showcase and networking session.
— Simon Clark
Unity is strength
FresQC therefore also had a second objective: to highlight the dynamism and depth of the high-tech entrepreneurial ecosystem in the Capitale-Nationale region.
“There is a real synergy between those involved in entrepreneurial support. Each incubator has its particularity, in terms of sectoral niche and perspective of advancement, and we complement each other. In fact, we can see all incubators as a continuum. Companies will be born in the heads of students at university and grow elsewhere. The main thing is that all the players in technological entrepreneurship in the region work together to leverage the strength of the network,” says Simon Chouinard.
The place of the university in this ecosystem
The general director of Entrepreneurship ULaval would like to add that members of the university community also have a role to play in the entrepreneurial ecosystem of the Quebec region. Moreover, he recalls that a campaign to promote scientific entrepreneurship is currently underway, a project which falls under the transformative Knowledge, Sciences and Society project of the ULaval 2023-2028 institutional plan.
— Simon Chouinard, general director of Entrepreneurship ULaval
“It is important to transfer the knowledge developed at university to society. We must promote such a transfer, which is both beneficial for the well-being of society and for the economic development of the region. In short, we are all called to contribute somewhat to the technological entrepreneurship network, if only by welcoming entrepreneurial initiatives at the university and making the campus a fertile ground for the development of technological innovations,” concludes Simon Chouinard.
