back to Sommet des accélérateurs 2024

the 5e Sommet des accélérateurs held in February 2024 at the Manoir du Lac Delage, brought together over 200 professionals involved in supporting innovative companies.

The participants, from all 4 corners of Quebec and even France, came to two main conclusions: the importance of taking care (of oneself, of entrepreneurs) and of working together towards a common goal.

The table was already set with opening remarks from Frantz Saintellemy, co-founder of Groupe 3737 and CEO of LeddarTech (recently listed on NASDAQ). 

"But we must avoid the trap of measuring success solely on the quantification of tangible data. it's important to value the intangible aspects. emotional support, in the end, is what makes all the difference."

the importance of taking care

the human element was indeed at the heart of all discussions, from the workshop on managing the mental health of entrepreneurs, led by psychologist Marie-Ève Landry, to the moving fireside chat between Manon Théberge (OSEntreprendre), Louis-Edgar Jean-François (Groupe 37), and thes led by psychologist Marie-Ève Landry, or during the moving fireside chat between Manon Théberge (OSEntreprendre), Louis-Edgar Jean-François (Groupe 3737) and Géraldine Martin (evol), who emphasized the importance of taking care of oneself to better accompany others, and of putting inclusion at the heart of all decisions. and above all, of "differentiating the driver (the human being) from the vehicle (the company)", as Manon Théberge puts it.

Sylvain Carle (Investisseur d'impact), Hélène Olland (Desjardins Entreprises), Louis Delorme (Amplify Capital, member of Espace CDPQ) and Velina Sarafimov (Impak Analytics) emphasized the importance of a complete transition towards a responsible entrepreneurial ecosystem. Financing players play an important role in this transition, and pivoting towards financial support guided exclusively by impact and ESG criteria is becoming much more than a "nice to have".

Richard Chénier (Startup Montréal) spoke of the need to change our perspective of the "entrepreneurial ecosystem".

"the startups don't have to integrate 'into the ecosystem': it's up to the ecosystem to integrate into society, to get back to the tangible."

Isabelle Thibaut, director ofaccelerator l'Esplanade, emphasized the importance of a place that is rooted in its community, and that keeps social and human impact at the heart of all its actions. 

diversity and equity

followed by a touching segment on the importance of diversity as a driving force for our ecosystem. Luis Cisneros (HEC) presented evidence-based data comparing theQuebec Entrepreneurial Index and the Guide sur la santé et le bien-être des entrepreneur(e)s. speaker and businesswoman Danièle Henkel then took the stage, first to recount her difficult entrepreneurial journey, then to invite all those present to take part in a practical workshop to learn how to see each other better and understand the context of inequity in which people can find themselves.

Finally, during the satellite event held on February 16 at Quantino, the high-tech incubator, we discussed collaboration between players in Quebec City. And just what makes collaboration possible in the end? 

In the words of Annie Champagne (Mycelium), "humans who pick up the phone to talk to each other".

as a highlight of the accelerator Summit, MAIN invited everyone to join the Cercle des professionnels.le.s de l'accompagnementto bring together, federate, coordinate and bring to life a close-knit community that aspires to help our entrepreneurs grow, wherever they may be in Quebec.

a circle of support professionals

in line with the findings of the 5e Sommet des accélérateurs in Lac-Delage, the "Innovation Accelerator Movement" is first and foremost a circle of support professionals who believe that:

• it takes a community to grow our entrepreneurs
• there's a place for everyone who puts the interests of entrepreneurs at the top of their priorities
• our diversity is our strength
• everyone's contribution is welcome and appreciated
• the collaborations between us won't always produce the results we'd hoped for, and that's okay. okbecause at the very least, we'll have come a long way together.

At the time of writing, over 160 professionals involved in supporting innovative companies had joined Le Cercle. 

you too can join the circle

we look forward to seeing you on February 12-13 and 14, 2025, for the 6e edition of the Sommet des accélérateurs