impact8: meet the 2019 Acceleration cohort!
2019 marks the 4th Acceleration cohort of our entrepreneurial support program #impact8. For this new edition, the cohort will bring together 5 organizations from Montreal an 4 organizations from Longueuil thanks to a strategic partnership between Esplanade and DEL.
Acceleration is a 6-month program designed to provide personalized support that is adapted to each organization’s growth objectives and activity sector. The goal: working with the entrepreneurs to support the development of their projects using an innovative approach that makes their impact the core of their business model and reconcile social impact with economic viability.
The program is structured around a calendar that includes major events throughout the course (Bootcamp, Town Hall, and DemoDay) as well as individual coaching sessions with a team of social business innovation experts.
➜ Meet the 9 selected organizations:
Architecture sans frontières Québec (ASFQ)
// A solidarity and humanitarian architecture
Matériaux sans frontières (MSF) is an innovative program of Architecture sans frontières Québec (ASFQ) that combines humanitarian action, ecology, and circular economy. The program recovers and redistributes/resells new or used construction assets to communities in need.
Alongside manufacturing surpluses, materials from the dismantling of buildings are important sources of residual materials that can be donated on a tax-deductible basis.
The MSF program is a solution to the ecological and economic problem of CRD-type waste (construction, renovation, demolition) which is both a tax and environmental burden due to their management costs and considerable carbon footprint. Many of these materials are reusable but remain untapped resources. MSF hence seeks to turn this problem into an opportunity through a charitable business model in circular economy. The program will support ASFQ projects, all of which aim to achieve architectural equity and provide an adequate built environment for vulnerable communities.
Representatives:
- Bruno Demers — Executive director, ASFQ
- David Alexandre Calmel — Communications coordinator, ASFQ
- Diane Thode — Architect and project manager, ASFQ
- Philemon Gravel — Planning director, Entremise (program partner)
Website:
Arrivage
// humans + territories + seasons | Redefining professional food supply
Arrivage is developing a platform that centralizes the supply and demand for local products, allowing direct interactions between many sellers (producers and breeders) and buyers (restaurateurs and retailers) in order to facilitate short food supply chain.
The organization’s mission is to strengthen the producers’ ability to market themselves independently without any intermediaries in order to increase access to a greater diversity of local, healthy and sustainable food products or professionals.
The virtues of “local food” are better known and tend to seduce an increasing number of consumers. However, food professionals continue to face significant barriers to allow transparency about the origin and type of production. The Arrivage platform hence provides a one-stop shop for sellers and buyers who are committed to the development of a local food system.
Representatives:
- Félix-Étienne Trépanier — CTO and Co-Founder
- Thibault Renouf — Short food supply chain creators and Co-Founder
Website:
Auticonsult
// Autism is not a bug, it’s another paradigm
Auticonsult is an international company currently exporting its impact model to Quebec. The company specifically employs people with autism spectrum disorders as computer consultants to unleash their full professional potential in an adapted environment. Auticonsult has developed an innovative recruitment structure that promotes the retention and professional development of people with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorders and Asperger’s Syndrome).
Through its years of experience, the company has demonstrated that by creating the conditions for neurodiversity within a team of professionals with and without autism, we can open new perspectives and offer new opportunities for innovation and efficiency. The qualities of people with autism are undeniable and represent a real added value for the professional world, especially in the field of information technology. Based on this premise, Auticonsult offers an innovative response to the inadequacy of employability services, which leads to the waste of significant human potential.
Representatives:
- Dr. Bruno Wicker — PhD., President and Co-Founder
- Martine Kurtzweg — Director, Development
- André Guindon — Director, Operations
Website: https://auticonsult.ca/
Certex
// Collect, enhance, integrate
Certex is a social economy enterprise recognized as one of the largest sorting centres for textile in Quebec.
In order to meet its goal of reducing the volume of textile sent to landfill, the company is currently developing a biotechnology project using non-recoverable textiles to decontaminate polluted soils and waters. Mycofilters, made from a mixture of recycled textile fibers and organic materials, are used to support the spread of fungi that have the ability to “digest” hydrocarbons to decontaminate spill sites, as well as polluted waters and soils.
Representatives:
- Stéphane Guérard — Executive director, Certex
- David Dussault — Prsident, Mycocultures
Website:
Classo
// For a better use of digital educational resources for school success
Classo is developing a bilingual online platform that allows teachers and education professionals to quickly and easily find quality digital learning resources that meet their needs.
By making this platform available, Classo aims to promote a better use of digital resources for academic success.
Representative:
- Isabelle Grégoire — Founder and President
Website:
Dis-moi
// Well-being and mental health for youth aged 12 to 17
Dis-moi is an online platform to discuss the wellness and mental health of youth aged 12 to 17, break their isolation and provide schools with an accurate picture of their students’ well-being.
This solution makes it possible to assess the well-being of secondary school students, to be present throughout their school careers and to act at the right time, before their distress. Dis-Moi reaches out to young people using their favorite means of communication — social networks, video games, and internet.
Representative:
- Annie Nepveu — Executive director
Website:
Domilia
// A tool for people with reduced mobility
Domilia’s mission is to improve the well-being of people with reduced mobility by supporting home care professionals through the development and marketing of innovative products related to their daily tasks.
Domilia develops easy-to-use connected products that prevent falls and wounds while effectively monitoring the work plan of occupational therapists.
Représentatives :
- Vincent Gendreau — President
- Sophie Duval — Director, Operations
- Daniel Matte — Director, Business Development
- Clément Pingaud — Project manager and web designer
Website:
La Transformerie
// The delicious solution for unsold groceries and fruit shops
La Transformerie addresses the issue of food waste in the food retail sector. Using a circular economy approach, the organization proposes effective solutions for managing unsold products in a more sustainable way, such as transforming unsold products into high-quality sweet and savory spreads. In 2 years, La Transformerie aims to reduce food waste in the Rosemont-La-Petite-Patrie’s food retail stores by half by working with 25 businesses.
“At La Transformerie, it’s quite simple, we believe that eliminating food waste is possible.”
Representatives :
- Guillaume Cantin — Co-founder and Executive director
- Marie Gaucher — Coordinator
- Bobby Grégoire — Co-founder and Board member
- Thibault Renouf — Co-founder and Board member
Site web
Solon
// Act collectively. Reinventing our living environments
Solon’s mission is to empower Montrealers to take collective action to address climate change issues.
Solon offers a series of services to support citizens in the mobilization of their “living environment”, the experimentation, and the operationalization of projects in different sectors of activity. The organization is developing its activities following a progressive approach and in close collaboration with the citizens involved.
This approach has led to the implementation of two major projects: Celsius (geothermal project in the alleyways) and LocoMotion (a vehicle-sharing project between neighbors).
Representatives:
- Bertrand Fouss — Co-Founder, President of the Board; Project Director, Coop Carbone
- Gabrielle Van Durme — Co-Founder and coordinator, Solon
Website:
