NEXT Canada, GRIT Ed.06, Brain Gain vs. Brain Drain - Magazine - Page 18
BONJOUR MONTRÉAL:
CANADA’S STARTUP GEM
Montreal, and Canada at large,
has been rapidly improving on its
reputation as a tech hub with plenty of high-tech and interesting job
opportunities. Personally, I’ve found
Montreal to be the best place to start
a business for three main reasons:
the ecosystem, access to talent, and
supportive work conditions.
ECOSYSTEM OF SUPPORT
New levels of freedom
and flexibility and creating a great workplace
and company culture
will collectively address
some of the common
reasons Canadians might
have previously chosen
to seek out work abroad.
Since founding helloDarwin,
we’ve had the opportunity to participate in three local accelerators
(including NEXT Canada’s AI-focused accelerator in the spring of
last year) and be a part of an incredibly supportive local tech community. The fact that we’ve been able to access such amazing opportunities right here in Montreal—with top-tier
mentors, peers, and proximity to cutting-edge research
in AI—leads me to believe that the “brain drain” concern that has historically plagued Canada will soon be
a thing of the past (if it isn’t already). You don’t need to
go all the way to California anymore to get the education, mentorship, and financing your early-stage business needs; you can get all of that right here in Canada.
ACCESS TO TALENT
Mathieu (left) and his co-founders (including Alexandre Vanier, CTO and Co-founder, picutred right) started
helloDarwin (formerly B2BQuotes) in 2017 after realizing that close to 50% of business partnerships in digital marketing and website projects fail within the first
year, and end without achieving the initial objective.
helloDarwin helps to reduce that 50% failure rate with
their proven matching algorithm and process, a ‘human-in-the-loop’ approach, and by managing expectations on both sides. Their web-based marketplace
is designed to help businesses find the best service
providers for their web and marketing projects. Ultimately, their goal is to become the one-stop shop for
business services.
18
GRIT
Mathieu
Plante
Co-founder &
CEO, helloDarwin;
Next AI - MTL,
2020
W
hen we founded helloDarwin,
the Montreal startup community was already gaining steam—
we were in the right place and
starting our business at the right time.
We had access to an abundance of
resources and funding opportunities
that didn’t exist even just a few years
before (so I’ve been told). In Quebec,
there’s so much assistance available
from the different governments, cities,
etc. and the Canadian tech talent pool
is incredibly high quality. Specifically,
I’m thinking of Montreal’s reputation
as an international hub for gaming, AI,
and tech in general.
We are proudly founded and based in Montreal,
with no plans to relocate the business at any point in
the future (why would we?). We’ve created new jobs
for Canadians—and have actually hired several employees from foreign countries such as France and Belgium
and assisted them with their visa process to work here.
We attract our international talent mostly through referrals, with the quality of life and work/life balance being a huge selling point.
FLEXIBLE WORK CONDITIONS
When COVID-19 first landed in Canada, we switched
to working remotely and weren’t sure if we should put
hiring on hold. But as the pandemic dragged on and
we learned to adapt to the new remote work situation,
we managed to turn the distributed workplace into a positive experience. We continued to hire, and
onboard, multiple new employees
who have proven to be a huge asset to the team. We also made the
decision to continue to allow our
employees to work remotely if they
choose to; with pandemic restrictions beginning to lift and workplaces re-opening, they now have
the option to work: in the office, at
home, a hybrid between the two, or
even abroad. I think that providing
employees with new levels of freedom and flexibility and creating a
great workplace and company culture will collectively address some
of the common reasons Canadians
might have previously chosen to seek out work abroad.
My personal opinion is that Montreal (and Canada
more generally) is one of the best places to start a business right now. If things continue on this path, I predict
that fears about “brain drain” will be a thing of the past,
and conversations moving forward will centre more on
Canada reaping the benefits of “brain gain”.
ADVICE FOR FOUNDERS
“Be patient and use everything that’s available to
you: loans, grants, expertise, mentorship, different
programs and accelerators, the startup ecosystem, etc. Surround yourself with people that have
already done what you want to be doing: mentors,
other entrepreneurs, angel investors, investors, etc.
They bring tremendous value to our local ecosystem and can help you avoid potential pitfalls.
I’d also recommend surrounding yourself with
experts to support your growth: legal, accounting,
grants, loans, etc. You’ll end up saving/making a lot
more than the costs. Those types of investments
go a long way and will help you grow in a more
controlled way.”
GRIT
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