Cycle Momentum is pleased to welcome Rémi Fournier, a veteran entrepreneur and investor, to its team as Entrepreneur in Residence. Rémi joins the accelerator with great entrepreneurial know-how. As a seasoned entrepreneur & investor, Rémi has founded, co-founded or invested in over 20 ventures in various industries, including telecommunications, digital advertising, edtech, payment, fintech and software technologies in the past 15 years.

He originally cofounded Fibrenoire, once the largest fiber optic network exclusively dedicated to businesses in Eastern Canada and now proudly part of the Videotron family. As VP of Sales and Engineering, he led a solid sales team that thrusted the company’s exponential growth to over 4000% per year since the company’s inception in 2007.

‘We’re thrilled to count Rémi among our network of skilled mentors. His unique entrepreneurial experience will undoubtedly bring value to startups.’ – Andrée-Lise Méthot, Founder & Managing Partner at Cycle Capital

His expertise includes C-Level selling, organic and M&A growth strategies, hyper growth organizational structures, product commercialization, marketing and digital branding. His engineering background and technical skills give him an in-depth understanding of how stuff works in multiple industries and help him identify the next emerging trends to increase the performance of any given business model.

“With his entrepreneurial experience at Fibrenoire, Rémi brings a wealth of expertise in financing, business development, marketing and sales, critical skills to master early in an entrepreneurial journey. We are very happy to benefit from his accumulated knowledge! – Patrick Gagné, CEO of Cycle Momentum

His expertise includes C-Level selling, organic and M&A growth strategies, hyper growth organizational structures, product commercialization, marketing and digital branding. His engineering background and technical skills give him an in-depth understanding of how stuff works in multiple industries and help him identify the next emerging trends to increase the performance of any given business model.

He is also a proud organic grower with a deep interest in the human connection to nature.

L’Assomption RMC, March 3rd, 2022 – In their continued commitment to boost the commercialization of clean agricultural technologies within the province to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and adapt to climate change, the Zone Agtech and Cycle Momentum today announce the five startups that will undergo an intensive and immersive 16-week long mentoring program as part of the Cycle Momentum Acceleration: Agtech program, powered by the Zone Agtech.

These five companies were selected following the consideration of a panel of experts and major players in the province’s agricultural, agtech and cleantech ecosystem. The jury was mandated to assess the applications based on the advancement and relevance of the proposed technologies to the agriculture and agri-food sector, the leadership abilities of the management team, and the expected outcomes in reducing ESG and agricultural adaptation in a changing climate.

With access to an acceleration program entirely dedicated to the agtech industry, the selected companies will benefit from several services offered by the Zone Agtech, Cycle Momentum and the pan-Canadian Engine network, as well as proximity to the target market, various forms of support and specialized training offered by mentors, experts and leaders in their field of expertise. One of the selected companies may also be entitled to a grant of up to $5,000 to establish itself in the heart of Quebec’s agtech ecosystem : the Zone Agtech.

In addition to reducing GHG emissions and adjusting to climate change, the solutions proposed by the 2nd cohort are innovative, with the potential to increase the agricultural sector’s productivity by improving its access to advanced technologies for controlled environments, precision agriculture and agriculture robotization adapted to remote regions and Quebec’s context.

The companies selected for the 2nd cohort are

• Symphoni (powered by Delight Technologies) : Artificial lighting technology with integrated cooling loop.

• Ground Up Data : Underground and wireless telecommunications technology dedicated to the agricultural sector.

• LBM Agtech : Manufacture of integrated hydroponic farming complexes

• Orisha : Greenhouse climate and irrigation management solution focusing on cost-effectiveness and simplicity
• Muclitech : Climate management solution for a controlled environment.

“The companies selected for this 2nd cohort are robust and demonstrate, yet again, just how fertile a breeding ground Quebec is for innovative agricultural technologies. We are pleased to be able to support these companies dedicated to the transition of the bio-food sector towards clean and sustainable technologies. We will be there to support the 5 finalists in the pursuit of their project, and we are looking forward to welcoming them to the Zone Agtech. ” Marilou Cyr, Executive Director.

” With rising inflation and the impending concerns over climate change, innovation in agriculture is more relevant now than ever. We are proud to welcome five Quebec-based companies actively responding to the environmental and socio-economic challenges we face in the food industry today. Cycle Momentum’s role is to increase their chances of success as they bring an idea to market and secure financing from leading clean technology investors. ” Patrick Gagné, CEO at Cycle Momentum.

The Zone Agtech and Cycle Momentum would like to acknowledge the contribution of its selection committee members: Catherine Lessard of the Association des producteurs maraîchers du Québec, Dieter Valtins of Bioenterprise, Simon Olivier from Cycle Capital, Christine Forget and Morgan Guitton from Cycle Momentum, Jean-Pascal Saucier from Investissement Québec, Yourianne Plante of Lufa Farms, Marcel Gosselin of the Ministère de l’Énergie et des Ressources naturelles, and Bryce Nagels and Marilou Cyr from the Zone Agtech , who did an outstanding analysis of each of the applications received.

This initiative is part of a three-year partnership (2020-2023) between the Zone Agtech Bioentreprise Canada and Cycle Momentum. Through a co-investment of $570,000, this alliance serves to catalyzes the development of innovative agricultural technologies in Quebec in addition to supporting the Zone Agtech’s’s mission.

To learn more about the Cycle Momentum Acceleration Program : Agtech – powered by the Zone Agtech : https://bit.ly/3q4ob3Q

Cycle Capital welcomes Manuelle Côté to the team. As Project Manager, Communications & Marketing, she will lead Communications & Marketing efforts across the Cycle Capital platform.

Prior to joining Cycle Capital, Manuelle worked as a venture manager at the Creative Destruction Lab, a seed-stage program for massively scalable, science-based companies. She worked closely with startups that leverage artificial intelligence and data science to solve problems along supply chains.

Manuelle spent most of her early career dividing her time between Calgary, Vancouver, and Mountain View while working in tech. She worked for McGraw-Hill, a global educational publisher and learning tech company, before joining the leadership team at Filld, a VC-backed fuel startup based in Silicon Valley, in a marketing & partnership role.

“We are excited to welcome Manuelle to the great team at Cycle Capital. Her experience working closely with entrepreneurs will be valuble to our organizations.” – Andrée-Lise Méthot, Founder & Managing Partner at Cycle Capital

Manuelle studied Public Relations at the University of Calgary and Innovation & Entrepreneurship at Stanford University before completing an MBA from HEC Montréal, where she received a leadership scholarship for her work on diversity and sustainability in organizations.

Montreal, January 27, 2022 – Cycle Momentum – a cleantech an accelerator and open innovation platform – announces the appointment of Luc Giguère as Board Member. He will also act as a mentor to some of the companies in the accelerator programmes.

Luc Giguère is a serial entrepreneur, turnaround specialist and executive with 30 years of experience in the technology field. He has started or helped start over 40 companies since launching Absolu Technologies in 1991, the first self-service credit card payment system in Canada. In 1997, the company changed its name to telweb and was subsequently sold for $100 million to Schlumberger Industries (NYSE:SLB) in January 2000.

After obtaining an MBA, a joint degree from the London School of Economics, HEC Paris and New York University, he started Oh! Airlines, an airline that offered first class, non-stop service at business rates from London-Stansted. In parallel, he also managed the Planet 31 Investments Inc. fund, through which he made investments in various companies including Technocap, Lipso (sold to Trans-Continental GTC), T-Rex Motosport and Yotta-Yotta (sold to EMC2, sold to Dell).

In 2016, he joined the team at Centech, ETS’s technology venture incubator, where he participated in its re-launch. Centech is now recognized by UBI-Global as one of the top 10 Accelerators and one of the top 20 University-based Incubators in the world.

In the summer of 2021, Luc joined the Technology and Innovation division of the Nati onal Bank of Canada as Director of Start-Ups where he represents the bank in various accelerators and incubators, and offers the bank’s multiple financial products to growing technology companies.

“My involvement with Cycle Momentum is a natural step in my long career in technology in Quebec and internationally. Cycle Momentum is, and will be, a crucial player in developing solutions and innovations to meet the challenges posed by climate change, the energy transition and the adaptation of our economies to these profound changes. I am optimistic for the future because I deeply believe in the talent and determination of our best entrepreneurs.”

– Luc Giguère

“I am very proud to welcome Luc Giguère, an experienced entrepreneur who, very early in his career, exhibited great success in the development of clean technologies. On behalf of the Board of Directors, we are very pleased to have a world-class technology development pioneer such as Luc on the team”

– Andrée-Lise Méthot, Chair of the Board, Cycle Momentum and Founder and Managing Partner, Cycle Capital

“It is with great pride that Cycle Momentum welcomes a high calibre entrepreneur like Luc Giguère to its Board of Directors. I look forward to Luc’s involvement on the Board to help us develop our strategies and mentor our programs. Cleantech entrepreneurs will benefit greatly from his experience!”

– Patrick Gagné, President and CEO, Cycle Momentum

About Cycle Momentum

Cycle Momentum (formerly Accelerator Ecofuel) offers acceleration and open innovation programs dedicated to the cleantech ecosystem. Founded by Cycle Capital, Cycle Momentum offers entrepreneur training workshops, networking sessions and mentorship, and collaborates with established companies to stimulate technology acquisition and integration. The company facilitates networking between investors and entrepreneurs to promote the development of the most promising cleantech companies.

Cycle Momentum can count on the financial support of Energy Transition Québec, the Green Fund, Cycle Capital, Fasken, the City of Montreal and ScaleAI. Cycle Momentum also benefits from the collaboration with Écotech Quebec, Zone Agtech and Bonjour Startup Montreal. Cycle Momentum is part of the innovative Cycle Capital family.

National Partners Prepare to Launch Canada’s Cleantech Scale-up Program
Training and Support to Create 25 Climate Ventures Valued at $1B by 2030
December 1st 2021. Four partners – Apexe Global (a Startup Genome initiative), Climate Ventures (a joint initiative of the Centre for Social Innovation and Foresight Cleantech
Accelerator Centre), Cycle Momentum, and Foresight – have joined forces to launch a new program that will help emerging cleantech ventures rapidly grow and scale.
Canada’s National Cleantech Scale-up Program will provide coaching and training to address the need for more scale-ups in cleantech – companies that have already launched and are poised for growth through accessing global markets, raising capital, and expanding their teams.
The goal of Canada’s Cleantech Scale-up Program is to enable the creation of 25 problem-driven climate ventures valued at $1 billion each by 2030. Specifically, the program will:

• Accelerate the number of and growth of participating Canadian cleantech
  scale-ups
• Develop senior talent capacity in Canada for international scale-up and market
  building
• Increase sales and exports of Canadian climate technologies, products, and
  services globally
• Foster diversity, equity, and inclusion across all cleantech sectors and industries
• Nurture the next wave of high-potential cleantech ventures

Canada’s National Cleantech Scale-up Program builds on the partners’ respective successes in accelerating the growth and impact of cleantech in Canada. Foresight’s Grow program, which provides tailored support to help ventures address critical challenges so they can scale their business, has led 31 companies to total revenues of $222M, created nearly 500 new jobs, and supported capital raises of $429M in the past two years. Climate Ventures’s accelerator programs have supported cleantech ventures at every stage of their journey through hands-on programming and expert advice. Cycle Momentum’s network of cleantech investors and local mentors with entrepreneurial experience in the sector add additional strength and credibility to this initiative. Apexe’s global network counting 1,200 mentors and track record of increasing the exports of scale-up participants by 235% within 18 months.
Discussions are underway with additional partners across Canada to join this initiative and
provide scale-up support to ventures in their networks.
Applications for Canada’s Cleantech Scale-up Program will be announced soon, subject to
funding.
About Canada’s National Cleantech Scale-up Program partners:

• Apexe Global is the premier hypergrowth and global sales program for late-stage startups, building the skills and global business network of local executives so they can create and sustain accelerated growth towards becoming global category leaders.
• Climate Ventures fast-tracks the success of entrepreneurs and innovators developing and implementing solutions to the climate crisis. A joint initiative of the

Centre for Social Innovation  and Foresight Canada, we collaborate with innovators, investors, industry, government and academia to solve challenges and scale solutions.

• Cycle Momentum, part of the Cycle Capital group, offers entrepreneur training workshops, networking sessions and mentorship, and collaborates with established companies to stimulate technology acquisition and integration through open innovation programs.
• Foresight is Canada’s cleantech accelerator. Foresight supports innovators through strategic relationships with industry, investors, government, and academia to address today’s most pressing climate issues and accelerate the global transition to a green economy.

Media contacts :
Elizabeth Thorsen 604-260-0200
ethorsen@foresightcac.com
Catherine Bérubé 514-629-1022
cberube@cyclecapital.com

Montreal, May 31st, 2021 – Cycle Momentum announces the appointment of  Vincent Lafrenaye Lamontagne as Program Manager in Open Innovation.

Vincent Lafrenaye Lamontagne is a senior project manager with over 15 years of experience in public, private, political, technological, cultural, institutional and social environments. Formerly manager of the Open-Air Laboratory for Smart Living project at Quartier de l’Innovation, he managed relationships with partners such as Vidéotron, Ericsson, ETS, UQAM, Parks Canada, Prével, etc.

In another life, he worked on the production of more than 30 editions of music festivals, film festivals and business and innovation conferences. With an MBA from HEC Montreal and a bachelor’s degree in communications from UQAM, he is skilled in coordination and execution, both in the office and in the field. Vincent is a man of action and achievement!

His greatest wish is to have a real impact on the world and on environmental conservation, and he comes to Cycle Momentum as a Program Manager in Open Innovation to make things happen!

About Cycle Momentum

Cycle Momentum (formerly Accélérateur Ecofuel) offers acceleration and open innovation programs dedicated to the cleantech ecosystem. Founded by Cycle Capital, Cycle Momentum offers entrepreneur training workshops, networking sessions and mentorship, and collaborates with established companies to stimulate technology acquisition and integration. The company facilitates networking between investors and entrepreneurs to promote the development of the most promising cleantech companies.Cycle Momentum can count on the financial support of Energy Transition Québec, the Green Fund, Cycle Capital, Fasken, the City of Montreal and ScaleAI. Cycle Momentum also benefits from the collaboration with Écotech Quebec, Zone Agtech and Bonjour Startup Montreal. Cycle Momentum is part of the innovative Cycle Capital family.

Information
Catherine Berube
Vice-President, Sustainable Development, Investor Relations and Public Affairs
cberube@cyclecapital.com

Montreal, April 21st, 2021 – The Ecofuel Accelerator, a specialized and personalized accelerator in the cleantech sector, announces the five companies of the Sprint 2021 Cohort. Selected amongst thirty applicants, they’re the participants of the thirteenth cohort of the Ecofuel Accelerator. This cohort will take place in addition to the Agtech Acceleration cohort announced last week.

Over the next three months, the entrepreneurs and executive teams from AquaVerti, Enerprox, GM Technologies, RailVision and Unbound Chemicals  will experience an acceleration program tailored to their needs, which was already a success factor for many companies in the past years. They will receive mentorship and advice from about forty experts and mentors who are references in the cleantech sector, business, global markets and entrepreneurship.

• AquaVerti Farms is Quebec’s first commercial vertical farm specialised in the production of high output, locally and sustainably production of leafy greens. AquaVerti also develops robotics, software and hardware for the vertical farming industry. – aquavertifarms.com
• Enerprox : Engineering & Manufacturing company specializing in Solar Energy & HVAC Solution – 100% electric, designs and manufactures exclusive and innovative solutions aimed at replacing fossil fuels for heating institutional, commercial and industrial buildings. – enerprox.com
• GM Technologies produces power converter’s actionable insights to reduce unplanned downtime for the Wind and Solar farm industry. – gmtech.ca
• RailVision : advanced data analytics in the rail industry, for the purpose of maximizing efficiency, performance, and monitoring of rail equipment and its management. – railvision.ca
• Unbound Chemicals develops technology, processes, and equipment to create a circular economy for pharmaceutical waste. – unboundchem.com

About the Ecofuel Accelerator
The Ecofuel Accelerator is a specialized and personalized accelerator dedicated to the cleantech startups. Founded by Cycle Capital, the accelerator works with entrepreneurs that develop and commercialize clean technologies to help build globally competitive companies. The Ecofuel Accelerator offers entrepreneurs a specialized and personalized program of training workshops, networking sessions, experienced mentors and gives access to the investors to some of the most promising Canadian cleantech ventures.
In addition to the funding provided by the Quebec Government, the Ecofuel Accelerator benefits from the collaboration of Transition énergétique Québec, the Green Fund, Écotech Québec, Fasken and the City of Montreal.

Information:
Morgan Guitton
Director of operations
mguitton@ecofuelaccelerate.com
+1 514 409-2173
Web site: ecofuelaccelerate.com
Twitter: @ecofuelstartups
LinkedIn: Ecofuel

Montreal, April 14th, 2021 – The Ecofuel Accelerator, a specialized and personalized accelerator in the cleantech sector, announces the six companies of the very first cohort of the Ecofuel Agtech Acceleration Program – Powered by Zone Agtech in partnership with Bioentreprise Corporation. This intensive and immersive program will help ensure the successful commercialization of agtech companies by focusing on the quality of the innovations, operational deployment with agricultural user-partners, and financing the commercialization of these technologies.

Over the next three months, the entrepreneurs and executive teams from Alliance Solutions, BioIntelligenza, Blanc de gris and Larvatria will experience an acceleration program tailored to their needs, which was already a success factor for many companies in the past years. They will receive mentorship and advice from about forty mentors who are references in the cleantech sector, business, global markets and entrepreneurship.

• Alliance Solutions offers essential technical services for Quebec companies, with an eco-responsible approach. – https://alliance-solutions.ca/
• BioIntelligenza provides smart organic solutions for the food industry.
• Blanc de gris produces top-of-the-range mushrooms produced locally 12 months a year from beer spent. – https://blancdegris.com/
• Larvatria paves the way for the sustainable elimination of greenhouses gases in agriculture. – http://www.larvatria.com/fr/

On top of the companies taking part in our Agtech Acceleration Program, a second initiation cohort takes place this Spring:

• Algomegaconverts the agricultural residues into high-added value products for the agri-food and energy industries.
• Soluna Bioceuticalsproduces a quality organic Superfood product line, to provide the ultimate nutritious food to the market. – https://www.solunabio.com/

About the Ecofuel Accelerator 

The Ecofuel Accelerator is a specialized and personalized accelerator dedicated to the cleantech startups.Founded by Cycle Capital, the accelerator works with entrepreneurs who develop and commercialize clean technologies  to help build globally competitive companies. The Ecofuel Accelerator offers entrepreneurs a specialized and personalized program of training workshops, networking sessions, experienced mentors and gives access to the investors to some of the most promising Canadian cleantech ventures. 

In addition to the funding provided by the Quebec Government, the Ecofuel Accelerator benefits from the collaboration of Cycle Capital, Écotech Québec, Fasken, and the City of Montréal.

For more info: www.ecofuelaccelerate.com

About Zone Agtech

An incubator for know-how, entrepreneurship and innovation, Zone Agtech is located in the regional county municipality of L’Assomption, Quebec. It is a dedicated geolocated zone that brings together the entire local ecosystem to propel new agriculture, enabling both SMEs and large companies associated with it to successfully position themselves and reap unique competitive advantages. Strategically situated on the North Shore of Greater Montréal, the Zone provides direct access to a metropolitan logistics hub with research teams, a business network, advisors, training, research facilities, and visibility platforms all within a single location.

Since its launch by the MRC de L’Assomption in 2020, Zone Agtech has distinguished itself as a key player in the development of the agtech and plant bioproducts industry in Quebec. Zone Agtech has already established several networks, developed international partnerships, created four consortiums, and, through its organized events, reached more than a thousand vital actors in the sector. Some forty companies are also setting up in the geolocated zone. In less than a year, it has brought together more than 175 Quebec companies and organizations within the agtech community, more than 1,600 scientists representing 24 complementary areas of expertise, ten financial partners, and three accelerator partners.

About Bioenterprise Corporation

Bioenterprise is Canada’s Foodtech & Agtech Engine, bringing more than 15 years of industry experience and a national and international network of research institutions, academia, mentors, experts, government, and industry players nationwide to help small and medium-sized businesses in the sector to connect, innovate, and grow. Through its experienced service partner network, Bioenterprise offers a wide range of expertise and support to its clients. In partnerships with other industries we open doors to new technologies and platforms to help food and agri-tech businesses innovate and grow. 

For more info: www.bioenterprise.ca

Contact

Catherine Bérubé

cberube@ecofuelaccelerate.com

514 629-1022