Pôle entrepreneuriat – HEC Montréal and Collège Boréal launch new collaboration to support Francophone entrepreneurs

1 May 2025

Toronto

Innovation workshops, mentoring sessions and networking activities are just some of the initiatives launched by the Desjardins Space for Innovation, Research and Incubation (EIRI) at Collège Boréal.

Collège Boréal, in partnership with Pôle entrepreneuriat – HEC Montréal, is pleased to announce the official launch of the “Innovation and Entrepreneurial Financing” project. This initiative is designed to support Francophone entrepreneurs in Ontario and foster collaboration with their counterparts in Quebec. With dignitaries from Ontario’s Ministry of Francophone Affairs and the Secrétariat du Québec aux relations canadiennes in attendance, the event marks the beginning of a three-year initiative funded jointly by the governments of Quebec and Ontario in the amount of $60,000 under Canadian Francophonie support programs.

The partnership between Collège Boréal and Pôle entrepreneuriat – HEC Montréal is structured around four key priorities:

Education and training: offering a variety of courses on innovation and entrepreneurial financing
Entrepreneurial project development: helping entrepreneurs turn their ideas into sustainable businesses
Creation of an entrepreneurial network: building a strong network of entrepreneurs and experts
Program sustainability: ensuring a long-term collaboration between Collège Boréal and Pôle entrepreneuriat – HEC Montréal

Held at Collège Boréal’s Toronto campus, the launch also brought together entrepreneurs, business experts, and representatives from community organizations.

Collège Boréal is delighted by this new collaboration with Pôle entrepreneuriat – HEC Montréal, which provides Toronto’s Francophone business community with new opportunities for growth while encouraging the sharing of expertise and partnerships with Quebec entrepreneurs. We’re also grateful to the governments of Quebec and Ontario who, by supporting our Desjardins Space for Innovation, Research and Incubation, are contributing to the vitality of Franco-Ontarian and Quebec businesses and inspiring the next generation of French-speaking entrepreneurs in our province.

Daniel Giroux

President of Collège Boréal

Pôle entrepreneuriat – HEC Montréal is proud to partner with Collège Boréal to strengthen ties between the Francophone business ecosystems in Quebec and Ontario. This initiative will not only spark innovation and new growth opportunities on both sides but also foster a space for knowledge exchange, networking, and co-creation. We thank the Secrétariat du Québec aux relations canadiennes for its vital support of this promising initiative for the Francophone economic community.

Luis Felipe Martinez Cisneros

Full Professor, HEC Montréal Founder and Co-Director, Pôle entrepreneuriat – HEC Montréal

Quick facts

Announced on November 12, 2022, EIRI Desjardins was made possible by a major $500,000 contribution from the Desjardins GoodSpark Fund.
In 2024–2025, EIRI hosted over 250 events and activities, welcoming more than 1,400 entrepreneurs.
The Innovation and Entrepreneurial Financing project is funded equally by Ontario’s Ministry of Francophone Affairs and the Secrétariat du Québec aux relations canadiennes, for a combined total of $60,000.
Pôle entrepreneuriat – HEC Montréal is ranked among the top 10 incubators and accelerators recognized by Quebec’s Ministry of Economy, Innovation and Energy as part of its provincial Research and Innovation Investment Strategy.
38% of Pôle entrepreneuriat – HEC Montréal’s activities have an international reach, and its graduates have raised over $100 million in funding.

About Pôle entrepreneuriat – HEC Montréal

Also known as La base entrepreneuriale HEC Montréal, Pôle entrepreneuriat – HEC Montréal is an innovation hub with a mission to inspire and propel the next generation of technology and impact-driven entrepreneurs in Quebec and beyond. It offers five entrepreneurial support programs, from pre-incubation to acceleration: Éclosion, Parcours Rémi-Marcoux, EntrePrism, Accélérateur Banque Nationale – HEC Montréal, and Envergure. Since the creation of these programs in 2013, La base has supported more than 750 entrepreneurs – about half of them women – created over 600 jobs, and hosted more than 675 events and activities for the entrepreneurial community.