Mont X: a new incubator for innovation in sports and outdoor activities
Continuing towards its goal of diversification of the local economy, the Corporation de développement économique de la MRC des Laurentides (CDE) and the City of Mont-Tremblant have decided to create a new hub for innovation in Mont-Tremblant for businesses working in the sports, outdoors and well-being sectors.
Working with a $1.8-million budget for a period of a little over three-and-a-half years, Mont X will cover the Laurentides – a larger area than just the Laurentians – and will be working with businesses in SportTech. The offering will include specialized consulting services for perfecting business plans, training for start-ups, and programs for investment acceleration. Mont X hopes to accommodate between 10 and 20 businesses between now and November 2023.
“It’s about the development of products for sports, outdoors and well-being, such as skis, boots, helmets, poles or intelligent clothing. It could about be about technological well-being products. A few exist around the world, but in Québec, we’ll be the first incubator with these specific orientations,” states Paul Calce, director of the CDE.
Mont X plans to set up operations in the Village district, more specifically, in the Félix-Calvé building facing Lac Mercier. The accessibility of lakes, trails, the linear park and Mont Tremblant plays a central role in this choice of location, says Paul Calce.
“We’re talking about one of the most beautiful regions of Québec in which to develop this kind of investment. We know that tourism is in this area’s DNA. Several businesses have already come to test their products on our trails, in our lakes and on the mountain. The great majority of innovation hubs are in the big cities. Our financial partners have been charmed by our area,” explains Mr. Calce. “That will allow us to offer our developers a quality of life that they will never find in the big cities.”
The next step will be construction of a workshop for the creation of prototypes. Until then, the businesses will be able to rely on the alliances between the CDE and centres for technology transfer in Québec.
To be continued …
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Guillaume Vincent432 Posts
Rédacteur et journaliste de profession, Guillaume Vincent a fait ses armes au sein de l’agence QMI. Il s’est joint au Tremblant Express en 2014. Promu en 2017, il y assume depuis le rôle de rédacteur en chef et directeur de la publication. / A writer and photojournalist by profession, Guillaume Vincent won his stripes in the QMI agency. He joined Tremblant Express in 2014. Promoted in 2017, he has been editor-in-chief and co-publisher since then.
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