The MAIN 2026 Summit: What We’ve Learned (and What We Want to Change Together)
Published on February 20, 2026
The MAIN 2026 Summit was a rare space—a place where performance doesn’t overshadow the human experience and where people can talk about pressure, loneliness, and fatigue… without judgment.
We want to keep this spirit alive, so we’ve put together a collection of six highlights that you’ll find below. We invite you to use and share them freely, give us your feedback, and add your own takeaways from the event.
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We often talk about performance, career paths, and “growth.”
At the MAIN Summit, what stood out most was something else entirely: the people behind the innovation.
When we create a safe space, people feel free to speak up. And we realize that mental health isn’t just a side issue; it’s a factor that determines our ability to take action, make decisions, and persevere.
“Even when we talk about the health of teams or companies, it all comes back to people; the foundation is the health of the individual.” This message from Etienne St-Jean and Ismail Elalaoui was brought home to us during the presentation of their research findings on the health of entrepreneurs.
What the Summit highlighted is that we don’t just need good programs—we need a safety net!
"Let go."
That’s the phrase that sticks with us—and that wraps up—the testimonial from Félix-Antoine Huard, co-founder of Rum&Code and Vice President of Digital Services at bakofis.
His point, put simply: the ecosystem makes many things possible… but it doesn’t guarantee success. And at some point, the company has to “stand on its own two feet.”
For us, this raises a question of stance:
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Where is the line between supporting and controlling?
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How can we continue to serve people without taking ownership of the project?
You don't need to travel 835 km to get some perspective. But you do need a setting.
Daniel Valois’s talk at CreativeMornings Trois-Rivières wasn’t focused on growth. It was a story of breaking away, rebuilding, and returning to core values.
Two very useful ideas for support professionals:
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deliberately create a way to step back (this could be going for a walk, meditating, taking on a challenge, or establishing a ritual)
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Distinguish between the entrepreneur and the company: the company must become its own entity (like a child)
What “simple” approach could we use (or recommend) to help an entrepreneur regain clarity?
You don't "manage" an ecosystem the same way you manage an organizational chart.
The MAIN Summit put into words a tension we all experience: in times of uncertainty, we want to be in control. And yet, the more complex the system is, the more control undermines cooperation.
At the Summit, Claudia Loutfi proposed the following:
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Control makes us feel good in a simple system
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But in a complex system (with interdependent variables), trying to control everything mainly leads to… competition and survival.
The conclusion is clear: value increases when we walk away with something “transferable” and a sense of belonging to a community that recognizes and acknowledges itself.
What participants at the MAIN 2026 Summit expect from their community:
more small-group activities
as many answers as there are questions
at least as many examples of best practices as there are instances of failure
more shared and transferable assets
more tools
more "us"
And that is exactly what MAIN is committed to providing for the community of professionals who support entrepreneurs.
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