“Disturbed” by the pandemic, the incubator ecosystem is now improving. “We had to adapt. In particular, we reviewed the way we deploy our services and reinvented our support,” explains Ghyslain Goulet, president and CEO of ACET, the accelerator for the creation of technological businesses established in Sherbrooke.
Mr. Goulet notes that today we find specialized incubators all over the province, and that a variety of new ones emerged before the pandemic. At the risk of not making any friends, he confides that there have been “far too many”, according to him.
“Several phenomena, such as the health crisis and the scarcity of labor, have affected the rate of creation of businesses and start-ups. We ended up with incubators without businesses, without customers. »
It is for this reason that Ghyslain Goulet welcomes the government’s decision to support a limited number of more efficient incubators and accelerators. Last year, for example, only around ten were able to benefit from the $25 million envelope coming from the Québécoise Research and Investment in Innovation Strategy, allocated through calls for projects.
“This means that we have been in a new dynamic since this year. There are fewer players in the ecosystem and much better collaboration. We see a synergy between the incubators that were selected as part of this call for proposals,” he rejoices. ACET is also part of the lucky handful. The proximity between the various stakeholders also makes it possible to share initiatives, such as commercial missions.
Ghyslain Goulet believes that incubators have many individual strengths in Quebec. “We have developed very relevant expertise and very specialized service offerings, particularly in support and business development. » ACET, for example, offers a market intelligence service and will soon add a quantum component to its arc.
The common challenge? Commercialization. “We can help our companies find their first customers here, but we need to work together for marketing outside Quebec,” admits the CEO of ACET. Too small, Quebec incubators do not have the toolset necessary to compete with their Ontario or American counterparts, who have a significant international strike force.
The Camp devotes the majority of its efforts to marketing. As of December 31, 2022, the Quebec incubator had supported 507 companies since its founding in 2015, including 122 last year. If the majority comes from the Capitale-Nationale, between 30% and 35% of them come from almost everywhere in Quebec. A few foreign start-ups – who have the ambition to set up an office or relocate to the province – also camp every year in the offices of the Saint-Roch district.
Several things have changed since the creation of the Camp, according to its general director. The stage of supported companies is no longer the same, explains Sébastien Tanguay. “At the very beginning, we were really an incubator. We took companies in their early stages of life. Over time, we specialized in marketing. Our businesses are more advanced. We start with a project, a prototype, and we try to make it a business success. »
The Camp does not stop at one sector. It focuses on technology products, from video games to health.
Sébastien Tanguay compares the young shoot to a rocket, which Le Camp propels by powering three reactors. “The first is access to expertise. Coaches, entrepreneurs in residence and other specialists support the company. The second is access to networks. To be successful, you need to have local, national and international networks to find customers, employees and partners. And the third is access to financing. We may have the best game plan, but if we don’t have gas in the tank, we won’t get to our destination. »
Sébastien Tanguay and his team are now working to develop growth abroad. The Camp has also changed the use of its spaces. “From an incubation model, where companies paid to have a dedicated space, we moved to a more flexible membership formula to meet new needs. » Already 25 companies are benefiting from it.
