3 April 2024

10:55 – 12:30

Amphi 4

Alex Champagne-Gélinas

Alex Champagne-Gélinas is Director of Strategic Development at InnovÉÉ, the industrial research cluster dedicated to electric power, transportation electrification and intelligent transportation. He holds a master’s degree in transportation geography from the Université de Montréal. He supports Quebec companies in their innovation projects and oversees scientific and industrial intelligence activities. Previously, Alex worked as a researcher at the Centre interuniversitaire de recherche sur les réseaux d’entreprise, la logistique et le transport (CIRRELT) and at the Laboratoire en statistiques spatiales, économie régionale et développement urbain (LADU) at INRS. He has been involved in numerous research projects related to the decarbonization of transportation, the role of industrial clusters in Quebec and the adaptation of transportation systems to climate change. He has collaborated on his research with some of the province’s largest transportation companies, as well as with several Quebec and Canadian government departments.

Debate: How do you finance business development?

Financing start-ups is relatively complex. Generally speaking, funds are available for research and development. There are also traditional venture capitalists willing to support companies as they grow or expand. What happens in between? Where marketing is often regarded as the Valley of Death? It’s a time-consuming period for generating the first productions, organizing promotion and seeking out contracts. It’s also a time when you have to deal with all the red tape involved in certification and homologation, as well as the many and varied facets of sales and after-sales service. How can we support our start-ups through this Valley?