Pierre Péladeau Bursaries

The five Pierre Péladeau Bursaries, worth $75,000, $50,000, $35,000, $25,000 and $15,000, are handed out to stimulate business startups in Québec. All Québec university students are eligible. The financial support helps young entrepreneurs start up a business, carry out their business plan, and develop their products and markets, regardless of their field of study or the nature of their venture.
 

(video only available in French)

2024

First Prize – $75,000

• Recipients 
  Simon-Pierre Deschênes, Dominic Baril and Pierre-Hugo Vigneux | Université Laval

• Project
  Tessellate Robotics brilliantly combines robotics and autonomous navigation technology to increase productivity in a variety of niche markets, such as agriculture, defense, and mining. In particular, the company has developed an automated field inspection solution enabling farmers to better identify the needs of their fields, increase yields, and move towards more sustainable and responsible agriculture.

Second Prize – $50,000

• Recipients
  Alexandre Savard and Nicolas Jourdan-Gassin | Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières

• Project
  Encore! Biomatériaux develops and markets 100% compostable packaging made from upcycled agri-food waste. Its solutions empower businesses to replace single-use plastic components with packaging with a decomposition rate tailored to the product’s lifespan.

Third Prize  – $35,000

• Recipients
  Fiona Milano and Maxime Dimidschstein | Polytechnique Montréal

• Project
  Phoenix Impact's mission is to reduce plastic waste from the life sciences industry by over 80%. The company has designed an innovative industrial washer to recondition laboratory consumables which provides a sustainable alternative to incineration through reuse.

Fourth Prize  – $25,000

• Recipients
  Julia Kolta and Dhandre Weekes | HEC Montréal

• Project
  Armonía markets an innovative software solution for the beauty and hairdressing industry. Its customer-accessible digital platform offers a simple and convenient way to identify and book personalized services. At the same time, its business management software enables companies to reach a wider audience while optimizing their activities, adding value for both SMEs and consumers in the sector.

Fifth Prize  – $15,000

• Recipients
  Hippolyte Lapierre, Madeleine Philardeau, Eric Saikali and Victor Keroulle | McGill University

• Project
  BoundaryAi develops a platform leveraging artificial intelligence to enhance employee engagement and well-being within an organization and improve the educational experience in academic environments. The company's solution aims to transform data from qualitative feedback into decision-making information, through optimized management and precision analysis.

• Pelra Azondekon
  Managing Director, asterX and Director, Corporate Venture Capital, Quebecor
• Jean B. Péladeau 
  Vice-President, Operational convergence, Quebecor
• Chanel Damphousse 
  Partner, MacKinnon Bennett & Co. (MKB)
• Sylvie Lalande
  Chair of the Board of Quebecor and Groupe TVA, Corporate director
• Marc Leroux
  President, Priorat Capital inc.
• Érik Péladeau
  President, Publication Alpha inc.