Celebrating Montreal’s innovative vibes – Fifth Annual Startup Community Awards.

The fifth-annual Startup Community Awards (SCA) recognised 15 winners in Montreal’s tech ecosystem hailing from local startups, stakeholders, and leaders. This year, the awards saw 1,670 individual voters cast a total of 8,460 votes. Noteworthy winners included medical tech startup Ora Medical, which won the Pitch Prodigy of the Year award, and Real Ventures’ John Stokes, who took home the Community Builder of the Decade award.

• Ora Medical was awarded the “Pitch Prodigy of the Year”. The startup focuses on developing a gait trainer intended to assist children through physical rehabilitation.
• Real Ventures’ John Stokes won the “Community Builder of the Decade” award. Stokes’ contribution towards supporting the ecosystem of Montreal’s innovation was highly recognized and appreciated.

The winners were determined by community voting and a judging panel consisting of 13 individuals from various sectors of the innovation ecosystem. The process resulted in 105 finalists out of a total of 475 nominees. The event took place at M Telus on December 7 with the winners being announced on stage.

For the “Collaboration of the Year” award, Le Consortium québécois des incubateurs High-Tech along with FounderFuel, ACET, Centech, CTS Santé, and ZU were recognized for their joint demo day. FounderFuel is an accelerator managed by the combined efforts of Inovia Capital, Panache Ventures, and Real Ventures.

MTL NewTech, host of the SCA, celebrated its 15th anniversary this year. The organization started as a volunteer-driven initiative aimed at assisting entrepreneurs to exchange resources and best practices during the financial crisis. Today, it serves as a key catalyst, stimulating ambitious entrepreneurs and innovative corporations to accelerate and advance their combined efforts in innovation.

MTL NewTech General Manager, Simran Kanda, shared plans of potentially broadening the scope of the SCA. “In 2024, we hope that we will keep evolving the categories to be ever more relevant … in the ecosystem, and who knows, maybe do an SCA in Montréal and one in Toronto or Ottawa if the opportunity arises”, Kanda said.

Sadly, the future of the Montréal tech hub, Notman House, is uncertain, as it is at risk of closing down due to unpaid mortgage fees. Efforts are being made by local tech leaders to preserve the hub, reinforcing the importance of community-building within the city.