2024 Pierre Péladeau Bursaries Recipients
Announced
MONTRÉAL, June 13,
2024 /CNW/ - Quebecor and asterX are pleased to
announce the winners of the 26th edition of the Pierre Péladeau
Bursaries this morning at Le Sommet, an annual entrepreneurship
gathering. Founded in 1998 to support student entrepreneurship, the
competition granted, again this year, five bursaries totaling
$200,000 to empower business ventures
led by promising young local entrepreneurs. This financial support,
coupled with mentorship, aims to assist university students in
bringing their innovative business ideas to fruition, with a
mission to generate a positive impact on society.
"We are delighted to see young entrepreneurs pursuing ingenious
business projects, that have the potential to contribute to the
transformation of important areas for Québec, such as robotics,
artificial intelligence, the reduction of our ecological footprint,
and the digitization of the service industry. Like the great
builder my father was, this new generation of visionaries wants to
change the world, and it's our duty to propel them!", says Pierre
Karl Péladeau, President and CEO of Quebecor.
"In addition to providing financial support, we want to build
long-term relationships with the Pierre Péladeau Bursaries
recipients, notably by facilitating access to several Quebecor
resources, as well as a network of peers to inspire them along
their journey", added Pelra Azondekon, Managing Director, asterX.
"I would also like to highlight the colossal work carried out by
university entrepreneurship centers and incubators. Together, we
annually deploy efforts towards promoting an even greater and
diverse pool of applicants composed of Québec entrepreneurs from
all horizons".
Congratulations to the 2023 Pierre Péladeau Bursaries
recipients!
Watch the video announcement showcasing the recipients and learn
more about their projects here.
$75,000 bursary - Tessellate
Robotics
Simon-Pierre Deschênes, Dominic
Baril and Pierre-Hugo Vigneux
| Université Laval
Tessellate Robotics brilliantly combines robotics
and autonomous navigation technology to increase productivity in a
variety of niche markets, such as agriculture, defense, and mining.
In particular, the company has developed an automated field
inspection solution enabling farmers to better identify the needs
of their fields, increase yields, and move towards more sustainable
and responsible agriculture.
$50,000 bursary - Encore!
Biomatériaux
Alexandre Savard and
Nicolas Jourdan-Gassin | Université
du Québec à Trois-Rivières
Encore! Biomatériaux develops and markets 100%
compostable packaging made from upcycled agri-food waste. Its
solutions empower businesses to replace single-use plastic
components with packaging with a decomposition rate tailored to the
product's lifespan.
$35,000 bursary - Phoenix
Impact
Fiona Milano and Maxime
Dimidschstein | Polytechnique Montréal
Phoenix Impact's mission is to reduce plastic waste
from the life sciences industry by over 80%. The company has
designed an innovative industrial washer to recondition laboratory
consumables which provides a sustainable alternative to
incineration through reuse.
$25,000 bursary - Armonía
Julia Kolta and Dhandre Weekes
| HEC Montréal
Armonía markets an innovative software solution for
the beauty and hairdressing industry. Its customer-accessible
digital platform offers a simple and convenient way to identify and
book personalized services. At the same time, its business
management software enables companies to reach a wider audience
while optimizing their activities, adding value for both SMEs and
consumers in the sector.
$15,000 bursary -
BoundaryAi
Hippolyte Lapierre, Madeleine
Philardeau, Eric Saikali and Victor
Keroulle | McGill University
BoundaryAi develops a platform leveraging artificial
intelligence to enhance employee engagement and well-being within
an organization and improve the educational experience in academic
environments. The company's solution aims to transform data from
qualitative feedback into decision-making information, through
optimized management and precision analysis.
Beyond the Pierre Péladeau Bursaries: Inspiring and
Supporting the Youngest Generation of Entrepreneurs
Driven by a sincere desire to be a key ally for Québec's next
generation of entrepreneurs, Quebecor, in collaboration with
Éditions CEC, is particularly proud to foster the development of an
entrepreneurial culture among younger students through concrete
gestures since 2023. Last night, through the Défi OSEntreprendre, a
long-standing partner of Quebecor, $35,000 in bursaries were awarded to 13
initiatives carried out by elementary, high school, college, and
university students animated by their nascent entrepreneurial
spirit.
One of the ingenious initiatives rewarded was that of 4th-grade
students from École de la Source in Shawinigan who, after conducting a market
study innovatively developed and commercialized nearly 4,000
affordable compostable bags made from recycled newspapers to
inspire and encourage composting. Quebecor salutes the
determination of these aspiring entrepreneurs and their teachers,
who in their own way demonstrate that it's never too early to dare
and dream.
An Exceptional Jury
Quebecor and asterX would like to highlight the dedication of
the 30 members of the selection committees for each university, who
were called upon to examine a high volume of promising applications
from a wide range of sectors. The finalists' applications were then
submitted to Quebecor's Jury, which had the pleasing duty of
designating five winning business ventures that stood out by virtue
of the high potential and degree of innovation of their solutions,
and their social and environmental impact.
A special thank you to Quebecor's Jury members for the
26th edition:
- Pelra Azondekon, Managing Director, asterX and Director,
Corporate Venture Capital, Quebecor
- Jean B. Péladeau, Vice-President, Operational Convergence,
Quebecor
- Chanel Damphousse, Partner,
MacKinnon Bennett & Co.
(MKB)
- Sylvie Lalande, Chair of the
Board of Quebecor and Groupe TVA, Corporate Director
- Marc Leroux, President, Priorat
Capital Inc.
- Érik Péladeau, President, Publication Alpha Inc.
About Quebecor's Social
Commitment
For more than 70 years, Quebecor has been contributing to the
economic, cultural, and social vitality of Québec, bringing about
change by teaming up with local visionaries, creators, artisans,
and the next generation. Driven by its entrepreneurial roots and a
strong philanthropic commitment to more than 400 partners and
organizations across Québec, Quebecor actively contributes to
numerous initiatives that have an impact on the Québec culture, the
environment, local entrepreneurs, its community and its
employees.
The sum of these efforts gives our community the collective
power to develop a stronger, more innovative economy, a richer,
more diverse culture, and a healthier, more sustainable
society.
Let's continue to build a proud and prosperous Québec. Together,
let's cultivate the possible.
quebecor.com/social-engagementquebecor.com/en/social-engagement
About asterX
asterX is a venture capital fund powered by Quebecor (TSX:
QBR.A) (TSX: QBR.B). With a mission to cultivate boldness and
entrepreneurial spirit, asterX leverages Quebecor's solid and
diversified network and resources to create lasting human
relationships and winning partnerships with like-minded
entrepreneurs. It fosters the development of innovative solutions
with the potential to create tangible value within Quebecor's
business sectors and for our society. Through the asterX Capital
fund, we offer capital and leading-edge expertise to the most
promising start-ups, from seed to post-launch.
To find out more about asterX and the start-ups it supports,
visit https://asterx.vc/en/.
SOURCE Québecor Média inc.