Cilex, a Gatineau-based organization, recently received a $230,000 non-repayable contribution from Canada Economic Development (CED) for Québec Regions to support the launch and growth of business in the Outaouais area.
Initially launched as a language technology research centre in 2005, Cilex underwent a “reorientation” in 2014 to become an incubator-accelerator that connects entrepreneurs with a network of coaches, mentors, professionals, and potential partners.
Cilex said the federal funding will allow it to develop more local, national, and international partnerships aimed at startups and attract a higher number of projects.
Part of the funding will also support the implementation of new incubation and acceleration services for businesses in the cybersecurity sector. Cilex is the organization leading Connexité, a collaboration space for innovation in cybersecurity, digital identity, and digital health.
Cilex announced plans to develop a new “excubation” program dedicated to cybersecurity in December, backed by a $100,000 investment from the city of Gatineau. The program will enable around 10 startups in their “acceleration phase” to connect with larger businesses in the region with specific needs.
“Our coaching team led by Chloé Martinetti has been working on this innovative program for nearly two years now,” said Martin Roy, general director of Cilex.
Roy was appointed as chief executive officer of the organization in 2020 where he took over from Alan Bernardi. Bernardi had been the head of Cilex since 2014.
Other organizations from Québec have recently been injected with fresh funding to bolster the province’s tech sector.
CED also provided Centre de géomatique du Québec with financial assistance worth over $870,000. The Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean institution holds the status of a college centre for technology transfer and helps businesses with their geomatic research and development activities.
Armed with government funding, Centre de géomatique du Québec was able to purchase the specialized, cutting-edge equipment needed to acquire, manage, and visualize large 3D data sets, in addition to creating two jobs.
Photo by Michel Gauthier via Flickr
