Startup Montréal hosts the 7th annual Grande-messe startup fair| Roadsleeper.com
At the event, National Bank committed $1 million to Startup Montréal.
On October 6, more than 60 startups were showcased at the seventh annual Startup Montréal Grand-messe.
The event was the first edition hosted by the newly merged Startup Montréal, which was formed earlier this year through the combination of Bonjour Startup Montréal and Montréal Inc.
Montreal Inc. has hosted the Grand-messe exhibition since 2018, although this year marks the first time the event has been in person since 2019.
National Bank sponsored the event and announced $1 million over five years in new funding to Startup Montréal. The organization noted that the funding will support events such as the Grand-messe and other networking events for startups in Montreal.
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The event, which attracted 500 people, allowed companies to present and community stakeholders to meet many new start-ups in the area. Subsequently, representatives of Landsbanki and the media gave a “blessing” to a handful of start-up companies. The blessing does not come with a financial reward, but highlights some of the startups that sponsors and media participants found interesting.
National Bank’s Moussa Bala Fofana and Laurence Dubois gave two blessings: the medical science company RxTuteur, which has created chatbots for pharmacies, and Niosense, which uses data to monitor the increasing efficiency of traffic flow.
Other recognized startups include home healthcare provider platform KnowMediQ; staff training startup Nurau; medical imaging technology startup Displid; Medtech startup Kat Innovation; and the launch of vehicle inspection Kiwiz.
With 60 startups participating this year, the event was divided into seven sections: EdTech; Environment and sustainable development; Health/Medtech; Processes and Optimization; Society and hobbies; Talent; and female entrepreneurs (former participant from Startup Montréal’s pre-accelerator, Fondatrices).
Startup Montréal was founded earlier this year with the goal of having a single organization that can support the region in its “next stage of development.” CEO Liette Lamonde noted earlier this year that the merger “was the next logical step to make a bigger impact as we combine our expertise in representing the startup ecosystem and in supporting entrepreneurs.”
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Startup Montréal continues to offer Montréal Inc’s existing services, including Grant+, access to a community of volunteer coaches, networking events and Fondatrices (FoundHers) and Recharge programs for women entrepreneurs. Startup Montréal also runs a second-stage accelerator called Hypercroissance Québec (Hypergrowth Québec), provides various support services for startups and offers grants through various support systems.
The non-profit organization has also undertaken what it calls the first directory dedicated to startups in Montréal. Startup Montréal is supported by the Government of Québec, the City of Montréal, the Government of Canada, as well as private and corporate donors.
Last year, Montréal’s tech sector showed signs of continued growth, with the city breaking its previous record for venture funding in 2021. Last year, total investment in startups in Montréal grew by approx. 33 percent to $1.6 billion, up from $1.2 billion raised in 2020. District-wide, that narrative has changed a bit (as it has for many tech hubs) amid economic changes and recently enacted legislation that has some stakeholders concerned of could hamper investment by the Québec technology sector in the coming quarters.
Regarding the Oct. 6 event, Lamonde said, “the enthusiasm for Montreal innovation is very real.
“The growth of these companies is facilitated by the entire startup community of fuelers, incubators and other trainers as well as early customers who trust them,” she said, calling Grand-Messe an opportunity to “create even more visibility and business opportunities.” for the startups involved.”
Photo courtesy of Startup Montréal.
