MAIN and Techaide: an alliance to transform innovation into solidarity
Published December 12, 2024
Entrepreneurship is an act of courage, a bold risk-taking to transform ideas into reality and, even more, to build bridges towards a prosperous collective future.
With this in mind, MAIN has joined forces with Techaidea Montreal-based tech ecosystem dedicated to helping others and reducing social inequalities.
MAIN will take on the financial management of Techaide's activities and provide administrative support to the ambassadors who organize them. In addition, Techaide will be able to take advantage of MAIN's extensive Quebec network and communications channels to broaden its community and increase its impact.
What is Techaide?
Techaide is a vibrant community that unites members of the technology ecosystem around a common goal: to raise funds, mobilize resources and encourage innovative initiatives to eradicate social inequalities in Montreal. Techaide supports Centraide of Greater Montreal for eight years and has donated more than $5M to Centraide raised by the tech community since 2016.
Its actions are supported by a team of committed volunteers who organize a variety of events, including the AI Conference, Product4Good, GGaide, and many other social activities such as the popular soccer and volleyball tournaments.
"Techaide started modestly with a pilot project at Notman House in 2016. We capitalized on the value of networking to connect the startup ecosystem with Centraide's network of inclusive, community-based agencies serving the needs of Greater Montreal. Our vision is for "giving back" to become a ubiquitous and fundamental part of the Montreal startup community's value system. Our partnership with MAIN will enable us to accelerate this vision," says Alan MacIntosh, founding partner of AgeTech Capital.
A shared vision for innovation and community
Since its creation in 2016, the Techaide community has embodied a vision deeply aligned with that of MAIN: that of bringing together people from diverse backgrounds, encouraging innovative approaches and transforming entrepreneurial energy into a powerful lever for sustainable social impact. Through this alliance, we aim to go even further in giving entrepreneurs the courage to commit to their communities as much as they do to their businesses.
"Pledging to support Techaide means supporting the commitment of thousands of people in the tech ecosystem to enrich the social and human fabric that underpins its success. Techaide's activities accelerate collisions between members of the community. It's a multiplier of links that are first and foremost human, and therefore fertile," says Louis-Félix Binette, MAIN's General Manager.
MAIN and Techaide: an alliance to multiply impact
This partnership is based on a shared conviction: moments of encounter outside of regular business and corporate operations form human relationships, and it is these that are at the heart of innovation. These links, born of collective activities, become multipliers of connections - both personal and professional.
For MAIN, it's also an opportunity to better build a social infrastructure that doesn't just accelerate entrepreneurial projects. We also want to support entrepreneurs in their role as community builders, where their actions transcend business to transform society.
As we embark on this new chapter with Techaide, we invite the entire Quebec tech and entrepreneurial ecosystem to join us. Techaide has been working with ambassadors from the Montreal tech community for several years, and we'd love to see more representation from across Quebec.
Give generously this holiday season
Together, we can turn innovation into an engine of sustainable solidarity. Times are tough, especially for the people who need our help.