A look back at the 2022 Startup Community Awards

We can’t say it enough : the 2022 Startup Community Awards is an initiative by and for the community. That’s why, rather than simply recap the 4th edition held on December 1st at the Maison Alcan, we present the atmosphere, values, motivations and inspiration behind the Awards with 13 quotes!

Because the words of our partners and winners better express what this celebration is all about than any description could ever do!

Why the Startup Community Awards

The startup community awards, it’s an important activity for the community if we want to cultivate certain values, develop ambitious innovations and mutual support. Because it takes a lot of people to build startups and I think that in Quebec we deserve this ambition.*

-Ilias Benjelloun, Desjardins and MTL NewTech, MC

Let’s continue to collaborate, let’s continue to support our local initiatives because by doing so, we support our entire ecosystem. It’s good to celebrate. It’s good to take this time to celebrate our successes and especially the people. Because we are one big family, one big team behind the startup ecosystem.*

-Naouel Hanani,  Program and Ecosystems Director, Startup Montréal (associate partners of the event)

A Quebec-wide gala

It’s our duty today to help this community, this ecosystem, move forward in order to promote the launch, the progression and the maturity of Quebec companies. I think of the challenges we have as a society, it is absolutely fantastic the opportunities that are created. […]. It can be depressing when you think of climate change, productivity needs, the shortage of labor, when you think of the competition in emerging markets. But in Quebec we have something that others don’t have. We have absolutely fantastic innovation and resilience, and among ourselves in our community, we are able to bring this startup experience to life.*

-Jean-Yves Bourgeois, Executive Vice-President, Desjardins Business Services Group (official presenter of the event)

It’s important for us to make this the gala of the whole Quebec startup community. We worked hard to get nominations from elsewhere in Quebec. Of course, the density is not the same as in Montreal, but it is important. I’m happy to see actors, people from Quebec City who took the bus today, to see people from all over Quebec among the nominees. It’s really important. I often say, the Quebec startup ecosystem will not succeed in the world without the Montreal engine, but the Montreal engine will not win races without the whole strength of Quebec behind it. You’re the link in that chain, so thank you for being here.*

-Louis-Félix, Executive Director of the Mouvement des accélérateurs d’innovation du Québec (MAIN) (associate partner of the event)

 

The power of an involved community

We are here to serve causes. Those who are listening, get involved! What we volunteers can do is to create bridges between sectors. I want to bridge climate with health, I want to bring the skills of Créativité Québec to other areas. So get on board, come and see us, get involved, we are here to work together.*

-Annie Lamontagne, volunteer of the year.

Today, I’m trying to simply give back as much as the community gave me a few years ago, give it back to the next generation. It goes back to the “by the community, for the community” message.*

-Laura Di Costanzo, volunteer of the year

I would like to invite the other four amazing finalists of the ambassador of the year category, so Chloé, François, Jean-Nicolas, Richard: by joining forces, I am convinced that we can do even more, as well as all the finalists of the past years, in short, everyone who wants to get on board, come on board! Because it is together that we make the ecosystem grow!

-Liette Lamonde, ambassador of the year

 

Supporting the entrepreneurs

We often think of entrepreneurship as something that you have to kill yourself, that you have to lose everything, that you have to stop sleeping, stop eating… But there is a very different reality in entrepreneurship. You can build businesses, create companies that will really create value, that don’t need to kill the founders and that are really able to add value to the economy.

-Martin Enault, mentor of the year

For all of you, aspiring entrepreneurs, I would encourage you to keep on even if the economy is kinda doing a funny thing right now. This is the time to get in there, get the MVPs moving, get the tasks, find your new partners, have fun doing it. We hope to see you on the stage in the coming years as well.

-Katy Yam, Partner at Real Ventures (category partner of the event), General Manager at Founder Fuel, producer at TEDxMontréal and connector of the year

 

Connections and collaborations

I’m most proud of the people I was nominated with in the [Young Rising Star of the Year] category, congratulations. Honestly, […]. these are people who are brilliant, skilled, relevant, ambitious, and that are going to be the pillars of the startup community in the future. So honestly, congratulations to everyone who was nominated.*

-Rosalie Simard, young rising star of the year

I’m so happy to say that all of these people [Rising Star nominees] are people we work with. We know the impact that everyone is making. And it’s really this concept of community that I love. For those of you who know me a little bit, I try to build bridges all the time, and I think everyone here is trying to do that and that’s how the community is really going to move forward together.*

-Diana Horqque Ratto, young rising star of the year

We don’t do this work for the accolades. At the end of the day, there are communities that need support, that need help and that are facing challenges. I want to congratulate and thank those ethnoculturally diverse entrepreneurs who do not give up despite these challenges, who continue to push to really develop their projects.

We don’t pretend to do the work we do alone, we do it in collaboration with an ecosystem of support. So I want to thank you, dear entrepreneurial ecosystem, for supporting us in the work we do.*

-Louis-Edgar Jean-François, CEO of Group 3737, diversity champion of the yeah

Collaboration is a very important word, it’s because of the collaboration of the entire ecosystem that we are all here collectively today. The ecosystem has grown incredibly over the last 12 years and everyone here has played a role in that.*

-Jean-Nicolas Delage, Co-leader in technology, media and telecommunications, Fasken (category partner of the event)

*Free translations

Congratulations to all the winners of the 2022 Startup Community Awards!

Volunteer of the year : Annie Lamontagne, Laura Di Costanzo

Diversity champion : Groupe 3737

Corporate Champion : Banque Nationale du Canada

Rising star of the year : Diana Horqque Ratto et Rosalie Simard

Connector of the year : Katy Yam 

Mentor of the year : Martin Enault

Ambassador of the year : Richard Chénier, Liette Lamonde

Rising Startup of the year : Ora Medical

Startup of the year : Puzzle medical devices

Startup-Company collaboration of the year : CAP Solar par la Société du parc Jean-Drapeau (avec le soutien de la Ville de Montréal / le Campus de la transition / L’Esplanade / Cycle momentum)

Community collaboration of the year : 

Coopérathon 2022 Desjardins / Montréal Newtech et 

Collision 2022 – Investissement Québec International / Desjardins Entreprises / Startup Montréal / Le Camp / Laval Économique / 2 Degrés / Bureau du Québec à Toronto / Granby Industriel / LOJIQ / Ville de Montréal / Bureau du Québec à Toronto / Flots / Cilex

Community champion of the decade : Daria Riabinina

 

The 2022 Startup Community Awards are organized by MTL NewTech, in collaboration with OSMO and with the support if Startupfest

Watch the Startup Community Awards here

See the photos of the evening here

Special thanks to the partners and volunteers who made this edition of the Startup 2022 Community Awards possible!