Thanks to the support of 
Are you the head of an innovative healthcare company?
Join our next Accélération cohort!
Deadline: July 16, 2023
Thanks to the support of
Marketing/growth stage
8 workshops
+50 hours of coaching
+6 months
Accelerate your project, maximize your impact!
Esplanade Québec, Quebec’s leading accelerator of social and environmental impact entrepreneurs, is launching a new cohort to support 6 to 8 entrepreneurial teams developing healthcare solutions. These companies will be the 11th cohort of our Acceleration program!
This program aims to maximize the chances of success for young innovative healthcare companies, by offering them specialized coaching on their business, financing and impact strategies.
You will have access to:
A rich support program, with workshops, resources and tools, peer-to-peer support, and personalized guidance from our coaches and experts.
Access to our privileged partners to obtain feedback, validate your solution, or prepare pilot or showcase projects, in particular with the support of our Healthcare Unit partners.
The support of a community of entrepreneurs and players in the healthcare sector, committed to sharing, mentoring and collaborating.
Increased visibility, thanks to our communication platforms and our pitching event Les Chocs de l’innovation!
Who is it for?
Entrepreneurs, entrepreneurial researchers or intrapreneurial professionals in Quebec
carrying out an innovative entrepreneurial project with the mission of solving a social problem related to health…
currently at the marketing or growth stage.
See below for full details.
Targeted themes
We are mainly looking for solutions that address the following health issues:
Mental health
Aging and home care
Prevention, especially among children and young people
Improving patient pathways: access, care trajectories, compliance
See below for full details.
Benefit from the expertise of our experienced coaches
Business coaches will be assigned to you according to your specific needs, model and sector. Among the coaches working with us:
Stratégie, Vente, Marketing, SaaS, AI, Santé numérique
PATRICIA DORNE
Impact investment, Business development, Healthcare
CHRISTOPHE GOFFOZ
Business strategy, digital health, pharmaceuticals
ROGER SIMARD
Sales, business development, strategic planning and marketing
ÉLISE VÉZINA
Connect with key Esplanade partners
You will be able to…
Meet key players in Quebec’s healthcare sector and, depending on your needs and the nature of your project, be put in touch with potential partners for your development
Have the opportunity to carry out a field test or pilot project with a partner establishment or organization
Benefit from the knowledge of experts in your sector, notably at expertise clinics or lunchtime conferences.
The Esplanade’s network of healthcare partners includes: CIUSSS du Centre-Sud-de-l’Île-de-Montréal, CIUSSS de l’Est-de-l’Île-de-Montréal, CIUSSS du Nord-de-l’Île-de-Montréal, Groupe Santé Sedna and many others.
Walk away with…
A validated business model
A marketing plan to make operational
A solid financing strategy
A strategy for scaling your impact
Connections in the ecosystem
FAQ
Who is the Accélération program for?
Accélération is a 6- to 9-month program combining group workshops and individual coaching, developed by Esplanade Québec, Quebec’s leading accelerator for social and environmental impact entrepreneurs.
For this 11th Accélération cohort, we’re looking for 6 to 8 entrepreneurial teams developing solutions to improve the health of Quebecers.
This program is for you if:
You have an entrepreneurial project with high impact potential, and are either:
in a COOP
in a non-profit organization
in a private company
in an intra/entrepreneurial approach, whether you are a researcher or a professional
Your project/solution is at the commercialization or growth stage (i.e. your proof of concept has been validated, you’re launching sales, and/or you’re ready to enter a phase of strong commercial growth and want to anticipate your scale-up)
Your project/solution responds in an innovative, efficient and realistic way to an identified problem or need concerning the health of Quebec populations, either by:
a technological innovation (hardware or software);
organizational innovation (collaboration and changes in practices);
and/or social innovation (new approach, structure, intervention).
Your team is located in Quebec
Your ambition is to make a real positive impact on society, and in particular on improving the healthcare system and our ability to address priority issues and needs (see below).
We encourage any member of a marginalized community to submit a project, including women, members of aboriginal communities, visible minorities, or people living with a disability.
Please feel free to let us know if you belong to any of the above-mentioned groups, and/or if you have any disabilities that require special arrangements, should you be selected for the tour. Rest assured that we will treat this information in the strictest confidence.
What are the specific themes and issues targeted by the call for projects?
For this cohort linked to our Health Innovation Unit, we are particularly looking for projects tackling the following issues:
Improving patient pathways
Access to care (physical access, costs, time, availability of qualified personnel, delays), care trajectories (first line, referral, follow-up and continuum of care and services, compliance, collaboration between players)…
Mental health
Prevention, improved diagnosis, care, access to services, accessibility of resources, better information, improved trajectories, support for caregivers…
Aging and home care
Prevention and detection of disorders, improved living conditions for seniors and family caregivers, home care and services, improved residential care through optimized services, staff support and the use of technology (e.g. monitoring), support for autonomy and rehabilitation (e.g. mobility aids)…
Prevention, especially among young people
Actions on the various risk factors and health determinants, particularly among children and young people, access to information, promotion of health and healthy lifestyle habits, secondary prevention (screening and early action), tertiary prevention (on complications and risks of recidivism)…
These are the main issues targeted by this call for projects, but we invite anyone with a project that has a significant impact on the health of Quebecers to submit an application.
What is the Accélération program?
Personalized support over 6 months
A 2-day launch bootcamp to stimulate cohort spirit and collaboration, meet the speakers, and deepen your reflection on your impact in the ecosystem
More than 8 workshops and group sessions, covering the many challenges facing companies in the acceleration phase
Up to 50 hours of personalized coaching with experienced business people and experts, depending on your most pressing needs
Preparation for pitching, presenting your company and effectively communicating your message to your audience (sales pitch, media pitch, investor pitch)
Networking opportunities and targeted contacts with our partners
We will work with you on the most important aspects of your business development:
Your business model and value proposition
Your marketing strategy and plan
Your impact strategy and the communication around it
Your financing strategy and investment preparation
Your strategic partnerships
Your strategic growth plan
Your legal, intellectual property and governance issues, etc.
For the one-to-one coaching that takes place alongside the workshops, we assign each company a lead coach, who supports them in strengthening their business model and marketing strategy, and call on other expert coaches for support, depending on your most pressing needs in terms of financing, impact management, partnership development, legal aspects, etc.
You’ll also have the opportunity to take part in a pitch event in front of various ecosystem players and investors.
What are the dates to remember?
Call for projects
June 7 to July 16
Information session
June 27Pitch to a jury
July 21
Jury's final decision
August 1st
Bootcamp
September 14-15
The bootcamp will take place in person, in Montreal.
Workshops and group coaching (provisional dates):
October 4
October 18
November 1st
November 15
November 29
December 13
January 10
January 24
February 7
End of coaching: March 31, 2024
Workshops and coaching are approximately 5 hours per week, and take place online, unless otherwise specified. Coaching can be done online or in person.
How are projects selected?
Selection process
Applications must be submitted via the web form (Accelerator App platform) before July 16 at 11:59 pm.
The selection process is divided into 2 phases:
Pre-selection on the basis of application files: a first selection will be made on receipt of the application files. Applications will be analyzed according to the evaluation criteria below, and you will receive confirmation of your pre-selection around July 19.
Selection by pitch to a jury: shortlisted candidates will be invited to appear before a jury on July 21 for a pitch and a question-and-answer session. This jury, made up of ecosystem experts and support professionals, will select the 6 to 8 companies that will make up the next Accélération cohort. You will be notified of the jury’s final decision by August 1 at the latest.
Evaluation criteria
We select projects as much on the quality and potential of their impact as on the team’s ability to carry the project through and help it grow. We pay particular attention to:
Entrepreneurial team expertise (business experience and sector knowledge)
Potential for positive social impact on identified communities
Team commitment, motivation and interpersonal skills
Degree of project innovation, and differentiating and complementary value proposition
Stage of solution development and degree of business model validation
Ability to scale up the project
How much does it cost?
Thanks to its financial partners, the Esplanade covers the vast majority of support costs. Once selected, participating organizations will be required to pay a residual fee of $750 + taxes per project.
Grants offered by LOJIQ
If you’re between the ages of 18 and 35, you may be eligible for financial support from the Offices jeunesse internationaux du Québec (LOJIQ) to cover part of your registration fees and obtain a lump sum for the participation of your team members (several conditions apply).
For further information, visit their website.
Do I have enough time for that?
Devoting around 5 hours a week to this coaching program will bring you benefits that far outweigh this investment.
Entrepreneurship is a lonely and demanding adventure, and you need to surround yourself with people who understand this reality and can guide you. The Esplanade, which has already supported the development of nearly 300 impact companies, has seen it all and knows what you need. The Esplanade will lead you to questions you hadn’t even considered yet, and which will become central to the pursuit of your project.
Among the unsuspected benefits of accompanying someone to the Esplanade:
Be challenged by an experienced outsider who doesn’t know your project and who will ask you the questions that hurt and help you move forward
Benefit from a privileged relationship with the business coach assigned to you, within the framework of personalized coaching that is human, conscientious and adapted to your needs
Meet the entrepreneurs in your cohort and discuss your issues, fears, concerns and obstacles, which promise to be similar
Meet the team behind the Esplanade: open-minded, caring and competent people who will listen to you and bring you unexpected opportunities (interesting partnerships, financing options, advice of all kinds, etc.).
Need more information?
An information session will be held online (mostly in French) on June 27, 2023 at noon.
The program manager
The Accélération program is managed by Marie-Christine Desharnais.
You can write to her at [email protected].
Cohort partners
