Montréal’s Startup Community Awards 2024: Celebrating Innovation with Partage Club and Zeffy

Montréal’s Startup Community Awards 2024: Celebrating Innovation with Partage Club and Zeffy

November 29, 2024 Catherine Williams - Chief Editor World

Last night, the Startup Community Awards (SCA) Gala took place in Montréal. Over 400 attendees gathered at Maison Alcan to celebrate contributions to Québec’s innovation ecosystem. The event was organized by MTL NewTech with Startupfest.

Awards were given in 10 categories, recognized by a jury of 24 stakeholders. They narrowed down from 80 finalists, with over 10,000 public votes to determine the winners. The gala featured performances and a bilingual ceremony to engage all attendees.

Despite the celebratory atmosphere, a sense of caution surrounded the event due to challenges in fundraising and program suspensions in Québec. Louis-Félix Binette, executive director of MAIN, voiced a desire for startups to take center stage in these events.

Luc Sirois, Chief Innovator at the Conseil de l’innovation du Québec, won the Public Sector Ally of the Year Award. He highlighted collaborations and community energy. The event also featured five new award categories, including the Tough Love Mentor Award, which went to investor Isabelle Bettez.

Partage Club, an item-sharing app, won Startup of the Year. Co-founder Anaïs Majidier emphasized balancing impact with profitability. Zeffy, a fundraising platform for nonprofits, won the Born Global Startup of the Year award.

Other winners included Jennifer McDonald and Sylvain Carle as Investor Community Champions. The ceremony honored Xavier-Henri Hervé for his ten years at Concordia’s District 3 Innovation Hub and remembered Abishek Gupta, founder of the Montreal AI Ethics Institute.

At the end of the night, MTL NewTech announced a rebrand to Élan Tech, aiming to support entrepreneurs and expand initiatives beyond Montréal.

Winners List:

  • Investor Community Champion of the Year: Jennifer McDonald and Sylvain Carle
  • Public Sector Ally of the Year: Luc Sirois
  • Tough Love Mentor of the Year: Isabelle Bettez
  • Newcomer Entrepreneur of the Year: Lamia Guelif
  • Ripple Effect Award: Jean-Philippe Sicard and Jiro Kondo
  • Born Global Startup Award: Zeffy
  • Startup of the Year: Partage Club
  • Startup Research Impact Award: BRAININNOV with Polytechnique Montréal and CHUM
  • Impactful Initiative of the Year: Lab Excelles by BDC Capital’s Thrive Lab
  • Startup Program of the Year: Programme de création d’entreprise scientifique et innovante (CESI) by V1 Studio

Feature image courtesy of Eva Blue.