Microsoft Canada announced a partnership Wednesday with Le Camp, a business incubator and accelerator in Québec city, with Microsoft investing $1 million into Québec’s startup ecosystem.
“We will target three sectors in which we already collaborate for success: blockchain, mixed reality (virtual and augmented) and cybersecurity,” said Carl Viel, president and CEO of Québec International. “This will help us grow the region into one of the most innovative in the world.”
“The mentorship provided will offer a solid foundation for the entrepreneurial startups at Le Camp.”
The partnership includes funding to help Le Camp invest in Québec’s startups, access to hardware and cloud-based development tools, and the Microsoft Collaborative Space, outfitted with a Surface Hub.
Microsoft also plans to hold training workshops and mentorship sessions at Le Camp, geared toward business and technical skills. Additionally, select Le Camp startups will get priority application paths to Microsoft for Startups, a program that aims to help accelerators, incubators, and VCs with marketing and tech support, and includes a co-selling program that allows startups to benefit from Microsoft’s existing sales force (disclosure: Microsoft is a proud sponsor of BetaKit’s CTO Interview series).
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Le Camp was founded in 2015 and is an incubator and accelerator focused on helping tech businesses in the Québec ecosystem. It is an entity of economic development agency Québec International, receives financial support from la Ville de Québec.
“It is with great pride that I celebrate this partnership between Microsoft and Le Camp today, it will fuel innovation and the creation of new businesses in Québec City,” said Québec City mayor Régis Labeaume. “The mentorship provided will offer a solid foundation for the entrepreneurial startups at Le Camp. It is not surprising that Microsoft chose Québec City for this partnership. Our city has an abundance of highly skilled tech talent and a critical mass of business in this sector.
Featured image via Pixabay.