18 December 2023

PRESS RELEASE – Sherbrooke Innopole is pleased to announce the four Sherbrooke startups to have been awarded the much sought after technology startup grants, following a second call for project submissions. The recipients are Innovation Skinaptiks Inc., MedAssistant, Protection IONShield, and SysNergie.

Each of these young businesses has been awarded non-repayable financial aid in the amount of $15,000 to speed up the development of their innovative technology. The awards were presented to them as part of the Gala du mérite de la Faculté de génie at Université de Sherbrooke.

Launched as a pilot project in 2022, the programme of technology startup grants is one of Sherbrooke Innopole’s economic development tools to support the up-and-coming generation of Sherbrooke student entrepreneurs doing research on innovative technologies in one of Sherbrooke Innopole’s key sectors: Advanced Manufacturing, Quantum and Information Technology, Cleantech, Life Sciences, and Micro-Nanotechnologies.

“Enhancing the value of technological innovations, technological competencies and expertise that we have here in Sherbrooke, notably within our higher education institutions, is at the core of our work and the creation of wealth for our community. Our technology startup grant aims to give university students with great entrepreneurial potential the opportunity to perfect their prototypes, while developing their marketing strategies during their studies. This process also provides them with access to our specialists’ expertise”, explained Sylvain Durocher, Executive Director of Sherbrooke Innopole.

Seven student projects initially qualified following the second call for project submissions. The grant hopefuls then presented their concepts to the selection committee, made up of sector experts at Sherbrooke Innopole.

The 2023 recipients

Innovation Skinaptiks Inc. – Cyril Bounakoff

Has designed an electronic skin, Poly-E-Skin™, which mimics the functions of human skin. The technology, which can be integrated into prostheses, can restore the sense of touch for people who have had a limb amputated. It can also be used with service robots or in the virtual reality gaming sector, providing a tactile human interface. 

MedAssistant – Félix-Antoine Toussaint

Has developed a web platform to assist with patient management, using intelligent clinical questionnaires. The platform can ask patients appropriate questions in preparation for a medical visit, without the need for any human interaction, while simplifying and standardizing information collection. The goal is to support the efficiency of health centres, which are being confronted with ever greater challenges, particularly the lack of manpower and an aging population.

Protection IONShield – Jean-Michel Lambert

Has designed an open electrostatic precipitator that is used to capture solid suspended particles from the air, such as smoke from welding. The main objective is to provide a healthy work environment for personnel working in micropolluted areas, such as underground mines, foundries, and welding businesses. 

SysNergie – Félix-Antoine Lebel

Offers a range of intelligent modular lithium-ion batteries designed for industrial applications. With their electronic and thermal management technologies, SysNergie can achieve optimized energy storage solutions for all types of projects in record time.

“I would like to highlight the perseverance of the student entrepreneurs. The submissions we received were all high calibre, which is why we have decided to award not just one, but four grants this year. The innovations that were presented answer real needs and demonstrate significant market potential. Since the start-up phase is particularly important for kicking off a technology business and there are few financial instruments in Québec for supporting entrepreneurs during that period, this grant is designed to give them a significant boost which, we hope, will help the awardees move forward, all the while promoting the retention of Sherbrooke based innovations“, affirmed Nathalie Saint-Pierre, Director, Business Services, Financing at Sherbrooke Innopole.

Photo:
Félix-Antoine Lebel (SysNergie), Jean-Michel Lambert (Protection IONShield), Cyril Bounakoff (Innovation Skinaptiks Inc.), Nathalie Saint-Pierre (Sherbrooke Innopole), Antoine Giguère (Université de Sherbrooke), and Félix-Antoine Toussaint (MedAssistant)
Credit: Isabelle Jetté

About Sherbrooke Innopole
Sherbrooke Innopole is the paramunicipal economic development organization for the industrial and high-value-added services sector. Its mission is to accelerate the development of companies from the five key sectors – Advanced Manufacturing, Cleantech, Quantum and Information Technologies, Life Sciences and Micro-Nanotechnologies – and ensure that Sherbrooke has an attractive and innovative business environment. It is mainly financed by the City of Sherbrooke through the Bureau de coordination du développement économique. 

Source: Sherbrooke Innopole