CALL FOR PROJETCS IN ENVIRONMENT, FOOD SYSTEMES AND HEALTH
Join the Collision program!
CALL FOR ENVIRONMENT AND CLIMATE CHANGE PROJECTS
Join the Collision program!
3 months of intensive coaching to validate your business model and structure your project.
Start-up projects
4 workshops
Up to 30h coaching
3 months - from 18/09 to 28/11
95% financed by Esplanade Québec
Structure your project, validate your business model!
Esplanade Québec is launching a new call for projects to form the next Collision cohort dedicated to environment, food systems and health solutions. This program will offer to 8 start-up entrepreneurial teams comprehensive, personalized coaching.
We’re reserving at least 4 spots in the selection bootcamp for social economy enterprises and 4 spots for Montreal-based businesses!
Once you’ve completed the program, you’ll have all the keys you need to start marketing your products with peace of mind!
By joining the Collision cohort, you’ll enjoy a rich 3-month experience, including:
Personalized coaching
Up to 30 hours of coaching tailored to your objectives with our coaches and experts.
Face-to-face bootcamp
Two full days dedicated to clarifying your project, its origins, and its impact.
Expert clinics
On specific topics with industry specialists.
Cohort format
Connect and exchange with other like-minded entrepreneurs.
Interactive workshops
4 workshops with concrete tools developed by impact specialists.
Tailored support
The program manager will be with you every step of the way.
New! To encourage collaboration and break the isolation of entrepreneurs, we’re organizing face-to-face meetings.
Ready to join the adventure?
Want to find out more?
A free virtual information session will be held on August 12!
Access the expertise of our experienced coaches
Business coaches will be assigned to you according to your specific needs and sector. These experts with their in-depth knowledge of the realities of entrepreneurship, will provide you with invaluable support on concrete, operational issues. Among the coaches who work with us:
Business development, pharma
Michel Bernard
1
Business development, Marketing and communication, Strategic partnerships
Marieke Tremblay
Agri-food sales and strategic partnerships
Thibault Joubert
Business development, Commercialization, Marketing,
Digital health
Patricia Dorne
1
Strategy, Business model, Business development
Jean-François Grou
Leave with…
Connections with the ecosystem
A viable business model
An impact strategy
An action plan for your marketing
The sectors targeted by this call for projects
This call for projects targets challenges in environment, food systems, and health that your startup may be able to address (more details in FAQ).
Environment and climate change
Food systems
Health
Your project doesn’t quite fit these categories but addresses an issue related to these sectors? We invite you to submit your application anyway.
Who is the program for?
This program is for you if:
You have an entrepreneurial project (Inc, NPO, CO-OP, or not yet incorporated) or you are a professional or researcher in an intra/entrepreneurial process.
Your project is at the start-up stage (between the post-ideation and pre-commercialization phases).
Technological innovations must be at a TRL 3 to 5 stage of maturity (minimum proof of concept).
Your project/solution is an innovative response to an environmental, food systems or health issue in Quebec.
Your company is based in Québec.
Selection 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.
Project’s degree of innovation and value proposition, differentiating and complementing the ecosystem.
Stage of solution development, degree of proof-of-concept and business model validation.
Potential for positive impact on environmental, food systems or health issues in Quebec.
Relevance and realism of the proposed project.
Expertise of the entrepreneurial team (business experience and knowledge of the sector).
The entrepreneurial team’s level of commitment and motivation, and ability to question itself.
FAQ
Do I have enough time for this?
The selection bootcamp takes place on:
Septemer 18, all day in person at our premises.
September 19, morning only, online.
The workshops take place online every 2 weeks, on Friday mornings from 9:00 AM to 12:30 PM, on the following dates:
October 10th October 31st September 14th November 28
You will also be required to do 2 to 5 hours of personal work between each workshop. You can be assisted by your facilitator to carry out this work.
Finally, coaching hours can be scheduled independently with your coach, depending on your schedule.
What are the target sectors eligible?
We are particularly looking for solutions in the following sectors and themes*:
Environment and climate change
Sustainable mobility
Sustainable buildings and constructions
Urban planning and resilience
Food systems
Local sourcing and short supply chain
Food security
New technologies and practices in food production
Soil regeneration (regenerative farming)
Health
Mental health
Preventive health, especially among youth
Home care and alternatives to hospitalization
Improvement of patient pathways and support for frontline healthcare
What is the Collision program about?
Personalized support over several months
Intensive final selection bootcamp: 2 days where teams are active on the Impact Gaps Canvas.
Up to 30 hours of one-on-one coaching with coaches and experts in impact, innovation, entrepreneurship and business development.
4 workshops on tools developed by our impact entrepreneurship experts, directly applied to your project.
Expert clinics on specific topics led by specialists to equip you to make informed decisions.
You will work on the following aspects in the form of workshops:
Understanding your ecosystem and its stakeholders
Validating your solution with your users
Building your roadmap towards impact
Define your minimum viable product
Following the workshops, your team will be connected with a business coach. You’ll have up to 30 hours of personalized coaching, including individual coaching and facilitation, tailored to your objectives and business sector.
How do I know if I am at the right stage of development?
It can be challenging for a young company to determine how to qualify its stage of development.
Any project in the phase between post-ideation and pre-commercialization can fully benefit from the support offered in Collision..
As part of this call for healthcare projects, we are looking for entrepreneurial projects that are at the structuring and/or validation stage. We are also targeting entrepreneurs who wish to explore or structure their business model.
You are in the structuring or validation phase if:
you have identified a problem and have a solution to offer,
you have assembled your team,
you have defined your target audience,
you want guidance to launch into a go-to market strategy.
If you have a technological innovation project, it must be at TRL 3 à 5 (minimum proof of concept).
How are projects selected?
Selection process
For this call for environment and climate changes projects, the selection process takes place in 2 phases:
Pre-selection based on application: an initial selection will be made upon receipt of applications. Applications will be analysed according to the evaluation criteria mentioned below by the Esplanade Quebec team and, if necessary, by our sectoral partners.
Final selection bootcamp : up to 15 projects will then be invited to participate in the bootcamp. Teams will be active on the Impact Gaps Canvas. Impact experts will be present to assess the teams throughout the exercise. Following the bootcamp, up to 8 projects will be selected by a jury to participate in the entire Collision program.
How much does it cost?
Thanks to its financial partners, l’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.
What are the key dates?
Our entrepreneurs testify
Discover the inspiring stories of those who have gone beyond the start-up phase. Collision is just the beginning of a rich journey, designed to support you at every key stage of your entrepreneurial project. It’s a preview of what you’re capable of, ready to join the adventure?
The program manager
The Collision program is managed by Yolène Rosello.
You can write to her at [email protected]
Convinced?
Don’t forget to submit your application for this call for environment, food systems or health projects by September 1st, 2025!
A major partner for this cohort
