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CALL FOR PROJECTS
Are you running a healthcare business and want to accelerate your commercialisation?
Join our next Acceleration cohort!
Deadline for applications : 14th of July 2024
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⚠ This call for projects is now closed. To make sure you don’t miss out on the next ones, and to follow the announcement of the selected entrepreneurs, sign up for our newsletters!
Commercialisation stage
More than 8 workshops
Up to 50 hours of coaching
6 months
Accelerate your commercialisation, maximise your chances of success
Esplanade Québec, Quebec’s leading accelerator for social and environmental impact entrepreneurs, is launching a new healthcare Acceleration cohort! For 6 months, 6 to 8 innovative companies in the commercialisation or growth phase will benefit from specialised coaching on their impact, business and financing strategies.
A free virtual information session is available just here.
View the video.
By joining the Acceleration cohort, you will benefit from:
Up to 50 hours of coaching from our coaches and industry experts
More than 8 group workshops as well as resources and tools
Connections with key players and our preferred partners in the Quebec healthcare sector
Support from a community of entrepreneurs and players in the field
Increased visibility, thanks to our communication platforms and our pitching event: Les Chocs de l’innovation!
Leave with…
A validated business model
A go-to-market plan ready for implementation
A solid financing strategy
A strategy for scaling up your impact
Connections in the healthcare ecosystem
Benefit from individual, personalised support from our expert coaches
Here is an overview of the coaches you are likely to work with during your coaching period.
Business development, Operations management, Marketing and communications, Strategic partnerships, Sales pitch, Marketing strategy, Product development
PATRICIA DORNE
Growth management, Marketing and communications, Strategic partnerships, Sales pitch, Marketing and financing strategy
LOUIS FORTIER
Health innovation, Business development, Business plan, Strategic planning, Strategic partnerships
PAUL L'ARCHEVÊQUE
Business development, Marketing and communications, Strategic partnerships, Media relations, Marketing strategy, Sales pitch
MARIEKE TREMBLAY
Who should apply?
You have an entrepreneurial project with a high potential impact on healthcare.
Your project/solution is at the commercialisation or growth stage.
Your proof of concept is validated, and you have a prototype ready for demonstration if necessary (TRL 7 minimum).
Your company is located in Quebec.
You are either a cooperative, an NPO, or a private company.
Your project/solution is an innovative response to an issue concerning the health of people living in Quebec.
For more details, see the FAQ.
What innovations are we looking for?
Homecare and alternatives to hospitalisation
Improving patient pathways
Mental health
Prevention, particularly among young people
Your project doesn’t fit into one of these boxes, but addresses a health issue in Quebec ? We invite you to submit your application.
Not quite at the commercialisation or growth stage yet?
This summer, we will be launching a call for healthcare projects for the Collision programme, which is aimed for organisations at the start-up and pre-commercialisation stages. Let us know if you’re interested!
They took part in the Acceleration programme
« Esplanade Québec has been crucial in developing our services, initially focused on the mental health of family members, into mental health in the workplace for other organisations. This support transformed our practices, our perception, our community approach and our business model. Without the support of Esplanade Québec and our business coaches, we would not have achieved our current success, with expanding services and a flourishing organisation. »
« Esplanade Québec has played an essential role in the development of my business. Their support not only gave me invaluable expertise and support, but also opened the door to a whole community, which was crucial to the success of my project. Their human, impact-focused approach and their advice tailored to the specific needs of the healthcare sector were a real added value. »
« PhonIA, a company aiming to make a social impact in speech therapy, received invaluable support from Esplanade Québec. Their guidance helped us to clarify our mission and strengthen our strategy, and their support for our submission to MomentumPI was crucial. In addition to the group workshops, the hours of support we received from business coaches enabled us to define concrete actions to achieve our business objectives. In particular, thanks to our coach, Marieke Tremblay, we have a better understanding of the role of the executive and have been able to better operationalise the measurement of our impact. »
FAQ
What is the admission process?
Selection process
Applications must be submitted using the following web form before 11.59 p.m. on 14th of July.
The selection process takes place in 2 phases:
Pre-selection on the basis of applications: an initial selection will be made on receipt of the applications. Applications will be analysed according to the evaluation criteria set out below and you will receive confirmation of your pre-selection around 16th of July.
Pitch selection before a panel of judges: the shortlisted teams will be invited to appear before a panel of judges on 19th of July for an online pitch and a question-and-answer session. The panel, made up of ecosystem experts and support professionals, will select the 6 companies that will make up the next Acceleration cohort.
You will be notified of the jury’s final decision by August 2nd at the latest.
Evaluation criteria
We select projects as much on the quality and potential of their impact as on the ability of the team to support the project and help it grow. We pay particular attention to:
Expertise of the entrepreneurial team (business experience and knowledge of the sector)
Potential for positive social impact on the communities identified
Level of commitment, motivation and interpersonal skills of the team
The project’s degree of innovation, and its differentiating and complementary value proposition
Stage of development of the solution and degree of validation of the business model
Ability to scale up the project
Who is Acceleration for?
Acceleration is a 6-month entrepreneurial support programme combining group workshops and individual coaching, developed by Esplanade Québec, Quebec’s leading accelerator for social and environmental impact entrepreneurs.
For this 13th Acceleration cohort, we are looking for 6 to 8 entrepreneurial teams developing solutions to improve the health of Quebec’s populations.
This programme is for you if:
You have an entrepreneurial project with high impact potential, and are set up as a cooperative, NPO or private company.
Your project/solution is at the commercialisation or growth stage (meaning your proof of concept has been validated, you are launching sales, and/or you are ready to enter a phase of strong commercial growth and wish to anticipate your scale-up).
Your proof of concept is validated, and you have a prototype ready for demonstration if necessary (TRL 7 minimum).
Your project/solution provides an innovative, efficient and realistic response to an identified problem or need concerning the health of people of Quebec, either through :
technological innovation (hardware or software);
organisational innovation (collaboration and changes in practices);
and/or social innovation (new approach, structure, intervention).
Your team is located in Quebec.
Your ambition is to have a real positive impact on society, and in particular on improving the healthcare system and our ability to deal with priority issues and needs.
What are the programme's objectives?
This programme aims to maximise the chances of success of young innovative companies by offering them specialist support with their business, financing and impact strategies. It also seeks to facilitate connections with players in the healthcare ecosystem in order to increase the market penetration of promising innovations designed to provide a better response to the challenges of sustainable health.
The programme will help you to:
Better define your value proposition and how your solution contributes effectively to the problems facing our healthcare systems from a sustainable health perspective.
Strengthen your business model and structure its scaling to maximise its impact.
Accelerate your commercialisation.
Develop your ability to define, measure and optimise your impact.
Consolidate your funding strategy and access healthcare investment networks.
Develop your partnership approach to test/validate your solution with customer-partners.
Develop richer collaborations within a community committed to health.
What does the programme involve?
Personalised support over 6 months
A 2-day launch bootcamp to stimulate the spirit of the cohort and collaboration, meet the speakers, and think more deeply about your impact on the ecosystem
More than 8 workshops and group work and support sessions, covering the many issues facing companies in the acceleration phase
Up to 50 hours of personalised coaching with experienced business people and experts
Increased preparation for pitching, presenting your company and communicating your message effectively to your audience
Networking opportunities and targeted contacts with our partners
Support covers these 7 main areas:
Business model and value proposition
Sales and commercialisation
Impact strategy and communication
Strategic partnerships
Financing and growth management
Intellectual property
Governance and human resources
For the one-to-one coaching that takes place alongside the workshops, we assign each company a lead coach to help them strengthen their business model and marketing strategy, and we 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 will also have the opportunity to take part in a pitching event in front of various players from the ecosystem and investors.
What dates should I keep in mind?
Workshops and coaching (provisional dates)
Workshops will take place in the mornings, from 9am to 12pm, on the following dates:
October 2nd
October 16th
October 30th
November 13th
November 27th
December 11th
January 8th
January 22nd
Closing session: February 5
End of coaching: 31 March 2025
The bootcamp will take place in person, in Montreal.
Workshops and coaching represent a commitment of approximately 5 hours per week, and take place online unless otherwise specified. Coaching can take place online or in person.
Do I have enough time for this?
Devoting around 5 hours a week to this support programme will bring you benefits that far outweigh this investment.
Entrepreneurship is a solitary and demanding adventure, so it’s a good idea to surround yourself with people who understand this reality and can guide you. L’Esplanade Quebec, which has already supported the development of nearly 300 impact businesses, has seen it all and can adapt to your needs. We’ll help you to get to grips with the issues that are, or will become, central to your business.
The benefits of working with Esplanade Quebec include:
Benefit from a privileged relationship with the senior business coach assigned to you, in the context of personalised coaching that is human, conscientious and tailored to your needs.
Be challenged by people with an informed outside view, who will ask you the tough questions that will help you move forward.
Meet the entrepreneurs in your cohort and discuss with them your issues, fears, concerns and obstacles, which are certainly similar.
Meet the Esplanade Québec team, 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.).
Programme manager contact
We invite you to get in touch with Clémence Buisson, programme manager, by writing to her now at [email protected].
Major partner of the cohort
Sectoral partners
