Carl Viel, President and CEO of Québec International, is proud to announce that Québec City's technology incubator/accelerator, LE CAMP and Héméra, a Bordeaux-based business accelerator, concluded a partnership agreement today at a ceremony attended by Régis Labeaume, Mayor of Québec City; Alain Juppé, Mayor of Bordeaux, President of the Bordeaux Metropolitan Region and former Prime Minister of France; and Virginie Calmels, Assistant to the Mayor of Bordeaux and Vice-President of the Bordeaux Metropolitan Region.
The partnership agreement, known as "Passerelle" (Gateway), will facilitate collaboration in three areas: entrepreneur outreach, the implementation of a business acceleration program and specific training activities in both markets. The business acceleration program will focus on providing practical assistance and developing the European market for Quebec entrepreneurs, who will be in residence at Héméra's facilities in southwest France. In addition, the North American market will be developed for French start-ups in residence at LE CAMP in Québec City. The practical assistance will take the form of 10 weeks of modules designed to familiarize participants with the specific features of both markets, in addition to follow-up activities geared towards entrepreneurs, overseen by experts and specialized mentors. Fundraising training sessions tailored to the realities of both markets will also be offered.
Bordeaux-based companies will take part in the FastTrac TechVenture program (LE CAMP is one of the program's Canadian partners) while drawing on the expertise of the Québec International team, which administers LE CAMP.
The Government of Quebec, through its Digital Economy Action Plan, provides funding for residency/business acceleration programs involving France and Québec. Passerelle Québec City-Bordeaux, a collaboration between LE CAMP and Héméra, stems from discussions between Alain Juppé and Québec Premier Philippe Couillard during the latter's visit to Bordeaux. This initiative attests to the leaders' shared commitment to private and public initiatives fostering entrepreneurship and the development of the digital economy.
The partnership agreement was signed during a trade and economic mission to Bordeaux running from June 22-29 and involving the City of Québec, Québec International and Tourism Québec.
About LE CAMP
A hub for Québec City's entrepreneurial community, LE CAMP is a lively and animated place where ideas grow and business success is born. LE CAMP is a business incubator/accelerator that seeks to foster the growth of technology companies and to provide assistance on start-up projects. Located in the Saint Roch neighbourhood in the heart of Québec City, LE CAMP provides access to business acceleration/incubation programs and professional development/networking activities, as well as leased offices and cooperative workspaces. Québec International will be administering and overseeing LE CAMP thanks to a $2.1 million investment by the City of Québec over a five-year period. For further information, please visit lecampquebec.com.
About Héméra
Héméra was founded by five Bordeaux-based entrepreneurs: Julien Parrou (ConcoursMania), Benoît Droulin (Azendoo), Grégory Lefort (Azendoo), Brice Thébaud (Alienor Partners) and David Ducourneau (Kasual Business). Héméra selects and assists start-ups by providing technical support, negotiated benefits and advice from seasoned entrepreneurs with a view to giving their product/service offers a global dimension and helping them to carry out their first or second round of fundraising (www.hemera.camp).
