Winners of the University Challenge Leverage Your Idea selected during Entrepreneurial Boot Camp

Promising business ideas generated by 18-to-35 year-old students, foreign students, and graduates of Montréal universities.

MONTRÉAL, Nov. 25, 2016 /CNW Telbec/ - Fondation Montréal Inc. (montréalinc.ca) announced last Saturday at the close of an Entrepreneurial Boot Camp the Big Winners of the University Challenge Leverage Your Idea presented by the National Bank and organized in collaboration with Montréal universities.

• Alexandre Caya - The Nyaki Pillar – A floating pillar that helps prevent shoreline erosion.
• Gabriel Péloquin and Jean-Philippe Bisson Arista Foods – A high protein pasta that contains insect meal.
• Eduardo Orellana and Anthony Gallichaud – Markis 3 - A camera that automatically creates a video based on the rhythm of your music.

"Supporting the next generation of entrepreneurs is a priority for the National Bank. Our association with Fondation Montréal Inc. is based on a shared commitment to helping young entrepreneurs to realize their ideas. During the Entrepreneurial Boot Camp, participants relied on members of the business community and the academic community to help them take their project to the next level. The National Bank is proud to be an active player in this initiative." explains Anabela Neves, Senior Manager, Montréal Business Services at the National Bank.

Almost 100 business ideas were submitted during the University Challenge, which was held in October. The 10 Finalists were selected by a jury composed of Fondation Montréal Inc. business volunteers and representatives of Entrepreneurship Centres, Incubators and Accelerators from Montréal-based Universities. The project with the greatest popularity on Social Media was awarded the Most Liked Prize. The business ideas were submitted in the form of a 3-minute video. These videos can be viewed by clicking on the following link: http://leveragebusinessidea.com/

During the intensive, 24-hour Boot Camp, held on 18 and 19 November, more than 125 students, were given the chance to experience, first-hand, what it's like to be part of an entrepreneurial team and use My Business Model^TM, offered by the National Bank's, to help them turn their business idea into a reality. They were also able to benefit from the expertise of more than 25 Trainers, Coaches, Entrepreneurs and Montréal Inc. Experts prior to presenting their projects to the jury.

According to the Ambassadress for this year's University Challenge and Founder of Geneviève Grandbois Chocolates: "We are witnessing tremendous growth in the generation of startup ideas in Montréal. This contest is thus a wonderful opportunity to introduce students to the essential skills needed for getting a startup off the ground. It will furthermore enable them to transform their ideas into business realities."

The winners were selected by a jury composed of 5 members, all of whom support entrepreneurship: Anabela Neves, Senior Manager, Montréal Business Services at the National Bank; David Lipes Founder and Co-CEO of Budge Studios; Frédérik Marcil President and Founder of Kube Innovation and Winner of 2015 competition; Louis Philippe Maurice, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Busbud; and Lyne Robitaille, President and Publisher of the Journal de Montréal.

The University Challenge Leverage Your Idea was presented by the National Bank and also relied on the active collaboration of the following organizations: Centech ETS; Centre d'entrepreneuriat ESG UQAM; McGill Dobson Centre for Entrepreneurship, Desautels Faculty of Management (McGill); Pôle entrepreneuriat repreneuriat et familles en affaires (HEC); Centre d'entrepreneuriat Poly-UdeM; Junior Consulting Confederation JC3: CCGP from Poly, CCM from HEC, JED Consulting McGill. Our Professional Service Partners are:  EY, Norton Rose Fulbright and La Gare.  Our Media Partner is Groupe TVA - Journal de Montréal.

About Fondation Montréal Inc.

Fondation Montréal Inc. invests in the creation, expansion and ongoing support of promising businesses that contribute to the economic development of Montréal. Since 1996, the Fondation has awarded more than $7 million in grants to help start 902 businesses in Montréal. The Fondation has contributed to investments of over $61 million in Montréal. www.montrealinc.ca

SOURCE Fondation Montréal inc.

Valérie Danger, Director of Communications at Fondation Montréal Inc., [email protected] | 514-872-5768