The evening opened with a story of a rich learning career presented by the co-founders of IDE3S, a company born at the Centre. Juliana Alvarez and Simon Marino-Fortier spoke about how they practise the art of flexibility in business launches by adapting their business model depending on the market's reaction.

Défi Entrepreneuriat Diversité's final pitches were given after their speech. The four finalist teams delivered remarkable performances:

-        NapTime Technology: a monitor bracelet for children, linked with smartphones.

Project by Jules Thuillier, computer engineering student at Polytechnique; Clément Duffau, software engineering graduate from Polytechnique; Karim Keddam, computer engineering student at Polytechnique; and Tom Guillermin, computer engineering student at Polytech Nice-Sophia. 

-        Falcon Cycles: design and manufacture of high-performance composite bicycle wheels.
Project by Alexandre d'Armancourt, mechanical engineering student, Marie-Ève Noël, industrial engineering student, and Julien Brazeau-Séguin, mechanical engineering student, all at Polytechnique. 

-        Energy Everywhere: recharger for mobile devices using renewable energy sources.
Project by Mohamed Anass Ajhoun, energy engineering student, and Hassani Oussama Saoudi, civil engineering master's student, both at at Polytechnique. 

-        3D TRIP: Technology, Research and Innovation in Printing, processing of 3D post-printed objects.

Project by IIyass Tabiai, mechanical engineering doctoral student, and Rolland Delorme, mechanical engineering doctoral student, both at Polytechnique.

The jury was made up of: Alain Bélanger, Senior Partner at Novacap; Maude Fréchette, lawyer with BDSL; Hélène-Sarah Bécotte, Vice-President, External Affairs, Pléiade Capital; Félix Houde, partnership advisor on the partner relations team with the Ministère de l'Immigration, de la Diversité et de l'Inclusion (the ministry of immigration, diversity and inclusion); and Jean Choquette, Director, Strategic Planning and Government Relations, Polytechnique Montréal. It was facilitated by Lant Rakoto, Co-ordinator, Défi Entrepreneuriat Diversité.

The jury awarded first prize to the 3D TRIP team: a $750 cash bursary from Novacap, a $1,000 services bursary from BDSL, and pre-selection for Pléiade Capital's start-up campus program.

Second prize went to Falcon Cycles: a $500 cash bursary from MIDI and a $250 cash bursary from Novacap.

Each team listed their promising opportunities as they concluded their pitches: pre-sales starting in spring 2015 on Kickstarter, entrance into major technology competitions at the Las Vegas Consumer Electronics Show, the conclusion of first orders, partnerships with research laboratories... all actions that make a company launch concrete.

About the Défi

The Défi Entrepreneuriat Diversité is an initiative funded by the Ministère de l'Immigration, de la Diversité et de l'Inclusion du Québec that aims to provide personalized assistance to students born outside Canada who wish to develop a business idea.

The Centre developed an 11-week program, including a series of topic-specific workshops, networking activities and business coaching, to help the chosen entrepreneurial teams validate and structure their business models. The final pitch on December 4 concluded the process for the fall 2014 cohort.

Coming soon: recruitment of the winter 2015 cohort starts December 17, 2014.

Source: Centre d'entrepreneuriat Poly-UdeM
comm.entrepreneuriat@polymtl.ca