MONTREAL — Quebecor and its corporate venture capital arm asterX announced today the recipients of the 24th edition of the Pierre Péladeau Bursaries, named in honour of Quebecor’s founder.
“This year, Quebecor has awarded bursaries totalling $200,000, empowering the most promising student entrepreneurs across Québec university campuses to take their ideas to the next level. The financial assistance, combined with coaching, will help five innovative companies bring their business projects to fruition,” reads a Quebecor press release.
“We have a collective responsibility to contribute to the creation and growth of local startups that have the potential to shape the Québec of tomorrow and build a more prosperous and more sustainable society,” said Pierre Karl Péladeau, president and CEO of Quebecor, in the release.
“Entrepreneurship and risk-taking have always been part of Quebecor’s values. I am proud to present these bursaries for the 24th consecutive year in honour of the remarkable builder that my father was,” Péladeau added.
The five bursary winners are:
- Désherbex ($75,000 bursary), a project by Simon Michaud of the Université de Montréal to bring to market “a tractor-drawn agricultural machine with interchangeable robotic tools for automated precision weeding of root vegetable fields,” the release explains.
- OuiNut ($50,000 bursary), led by Simon Diallo-Blais and Rutherford Exius of the Université de Montréal, which “aims to launch the first-ever line of safe foods containing a precise dose of peanut protein to help desensitize children to peanut allergies.”
- Juno ($30,000 bursary), an entrepreneurial project by Lynn Doughane, Albert Obeid and Nanette Sene of Polytechnique Montréal, which is developing “a compact, portable device that provides fast and lasting relief from menstrual pain.”
- Acrylic Robotics ($30,000 bursary), led by Chloë Ryan of McGill University, which aims “to democratize access to art through robotics.” It produces “blockchain-authenticated, limited-edition visual art collections designed by artists and painted on canvas by robots, making the works accessible at scale.”
- Hôtel UNIQ ($15,000 bursary), a project by Myriam Corbeil of the Université du Québec à Montréal, which is “an exclusive, eco-friendly pop-up village that travels to Québec’s hidden gems as well as busy tourist spots that are short of accommodations.” Hôtel UNIQ is “the perfect balance between camping, with its close contact with nature, and conventional hotel rooms, with their service, design and comfort.”
“We are glad to welcome these daring young entrepreneurs to asterX’s community of founders and offer them key tools for their development,” said Pelra Azondekon, managing director of asterX, in the release. “We hope to be allies in their progress and success. This is why the bursary is coupled with coaching and access to Quebecor’s networks and resources.”
