Successful entrepreneurs!
Sherbrooke possesses an enormous business and innovation potential. And many entrepreneurs have profited from this situation! Here are some who highlight Sherbrooke’s strength as a dynamic and committed business environment…
“Our intention was to expand our Montreal operations within the province of Quebec. The site selection process reviewed many assets offered across numerous locations in the province. Sherbrooke was ultimately selected because of its wealth of expertise in the life sciences domain and most particularly the availability of highly trained technical and scientific talent. Local and regional government efforts also significantly facilitated our transition to Sherbrooke and we continue to enjoy growing partnerships within the region.”
Michael Broadhurst
Site Director, Sherbrooke (2008 to 2014)
Laboratoires Charles River
“Sherbrooke is a city on a human scale with big city potential all at the same time. We’re blessed with two universities, therefore grey matter is plentiful! In my opinion, Sherbrooke is the best place to develop and develop oneself.
In business, the essential challenge, even if we get other things right, is financing. It comes at critical junctures because we’re at start-up, growing… If you have a good project, the different local and governmental financial aid programs are available and just so happen to be looking for good projects. The first challenge is to be convinced yourself in order to communicate this and convince these program managers that your project is good, and the second challenge is to surround yourself with the right team to manage the project well.”
Mohammed Laaroussi
President and CEO
E2 Metrix
“Our growth project wouldn’t have been as easy without the expertise of Sherbrooke Innopole’s team. They did a tremendous job in making it possible for us to put our energy toward our mission and our activities. Thank you so much!”
Gilles Blais
President
Précigrafik
“In the beginning, I started my business in Sherbrooke because I live here. I quickly realized that Sherbrooke offered much more than being near my work and family. Being a cradle of education with its three Cégeps (professional and vocational college), its two universities and its professional centre, Sherbrooke gives DUAL-ADE access to a highly qualified workforce. As we faced the challenges inherent with important growth, Sherbrooke Innopole played a major role with DUAL-ADE. The resources and programs made available to Sherbrooke businesses enabled DUAL-ADE not only to achieve healthy growth, but to grow while innovating.”
Éric Ducharme
President and CEO
Technologies Dual-ADE
“I think we must start a business when we feel the moment’s right, regardless of age. If we have less business experience, it’s even more important to have a good advisor or mentor that can support us. And even if we have a lot of experience, nonetheless, we must have good people around us. It’s always possible to get experts for a few days, a few hours. It can be very enlightening and make us take giant steps. Sherbrooke has all it takes to generate and support businesses, even in advanced technology. We have very good universities: the Université de Sherbrooke (Sherbrooke University), Bishop University, several cégeps (professional and vocational college).”
Simon Rodrigue
President
Technologies Numétrix
“Starting a company in the field of technology is a risky project. Usually, those companies require an important amount of capital to transform a good idea into a marketable product, and then to have the necessary resources to show the market the relevance of the technology they have developed. Dekko Technologies Inc. was able to count on Sherbrooke Innopole’s financial support. They believed in our ambitious project of a new generation of acoustic microscopy, and supported us first through their Seed Fund, which allowed us to develop the first commercial version of our equipment, then through their Precommercialization Fund, which gave us elbow room to offer this new technological solution to the market. Dekko also wishes to highlight the constant support of Sherbrooke Innopole’s team in facilitating interactions between the various groups involved in innovation and technological development in the Sherbrooke region.”
Guillaume Lachance Gotzmann
President
Dekko Technologies Inc.
“I decided to move to Sherbrooke, and to launch Arkel from Sherbrooke. I’ve always had a soft spot for the city. I come from Drummondville, but I’ve always very much liked the Eastern Townships for the open air, the lakes, the mountains…I go to Sherbrooke Innopole to get information, resources that can help me. We save time, and time is money!”
Paul McKenzie
President
Arkel
“I worked in Montreal for a long time and what impressed me most when I arrived in the Estrie region is the openness of people for clinical research. There are a lot of professionals, qualified workforce, doctors very competent in research. It’s an excellent place for us. What’s more, Sherbrooke Innopole offers much support to entrepreneurs for the growth of all their projects.”
Suzie Talbot
Presidente
Diex Research Sherbrooke
“Sherbrooke Innopole was a great help in implementing our company’s strategy. They provided important resources in the elaboration of a business plan.”
Philipe Bellefeuille
Director of Technology
Menya Solutions Inc.
