Start-ups: an exchange programme between Montreal and Paris

By

Jean-Paul Leroy

Published
Feb 18, 2016

Startupfest, in collaboration with the Table d’action en entrepreneuriat de Montréal (TAEM), the Montreal entrepreneurial action body, and with Paris&Co, Paris' agency for economic development and innovation, has launched a start-up exchange programme between Montreal and Paris.

The exchange programme, in the form of a competition, will allow ten start-ups from each host city to spend three months in one of the programme's incubator partners, from May 2016.

The exchange programme is chiefly targeted to start-ups - young, innovative companies in business for up to 5 years - in the sectors of communications and information technology, and creativity and culture (music, digital publishing, cinema, TV, videogames, audiovisual media, radio, animation, photography, education, the press etc.).

"One of Paris&Co's objectives is to create diversified, high added-value opportunities for start-up companies the world over. Montreal is an international city with a large pool of promising start-ups. We are eager to welcome some of these talented entrepreneurs here in Paris, for three months of intense work," enthused Karine Bidart, joint General Manager at Paris&Co.

"Start-ups are the growth engine of every modern city," stated Philippe Telio, the founder of Startupfest in Montreal. "Creating bridges between two entrepreneurial communities of the calibre of Paris and Montreal is essential for the long-term prosperity of our respective cities. There is a natural connection between Paris and Montreal which we are eager to promote, doing it in a very tangible way through this exchange programme." To apply, start-ups will need to demonstrate a strong potential for international expansion, to offer a product already tested on the market and to have a well-defined business model. They will also need to have enough financial resources to bear the costs connected with their travel and stay abroad.

The start-ups selected will be offered a place in one of the programme's incubator partners for three months, with contacts and networking opportunities.

The companies interested in the exchange programme are invited to apply through the website www.echangestartup.com

Applications can be submitted from 16th February 2016 until 11th March 2016. The winners will be announced in early April, and the programme will start in each host city in the course of May.