Cooperathon, a platform for the creation of impact entrepreneurs jointly powered by Desjardins and Montreal NewTech, recently unveiled the 4 winners of its Alpha journey dedicated to aspiring entrepreneurs. After two intense weeks of workshops, the jury members had to choose among more than 30 high-potential projects. Of this batch, 41% are initiated or led by women.
Each winning team will soon receive $5,000 from one of the Cooperathon's 4 open innovation partners. All challenges are oriented towards the health of the planet and humans and must rely on data science and artificial intelligence.
- Desjardins Prize to OSS FINDER which offers a comparison of products and services using AI to predict the environmental impact of transactions users are about to make.
- KPMG Prize to GAIA’S GIFT which aims to be an intelligent platform using AI to enable untrained users to assess their infant's respiratory health.
- Microsoft Prize to AQUAPRESERVE which complements the use of a 4K underwater camera with intelligent facial recognition to monitor invasive species in lakes and rivers.
- Zone Agtech / Genome Québec Prize to SIBPAK which proposes a chemical data sensor coupled with AI to analyze the condition of spoiled food, helping to reduce food waste and avoid food poisoning.
What they said about the Alpha journey for aspiring entrepreneurs
- Brian Cann, Regional Director - East Canada, Microsoft: “We were extremely impressed by the quality of the applications and wanted to extend a huge thank you to all the challenge participants. We look forward working with the winner AQUAPRESERVE and unlocking new innovation and opportunities together.”
- Nada Belhadfa, Account Director - KPMG:" We raise our hats to the 14 Alpha Teams that responded to the KPMG challenge. After a long deliberation, we have to admit that several teams stood out and that a gap of a few points separated the first from the second place! Congratulations to the Gaia's Gift team, which stands out because of the user-friendliness of their solution and the use of AI. We look forward to seeing what the Beta teams have in store for us."
- Gildas Poissonnier, Senior Director Sustainable Development and Responsible Finance – Desjardins: "Once again this year, the innovation process of the Cooperathon has allowed us to question our operational issues and challenges. The startup participants managed to surprise us and open our perspectives! Thank you to all the Challenge participants, and we look forward to working with the winner, OSS Finder, to help them take their proof of concept to reality!"
Launch of the Beta Journey for Developing Startups
As of this Wednesday, October 26, more than twenty (20) other teams are embarking on the Cooperathon Beta journey adventure. These startups in development, which already have their functional prototype, benefit from privileged support with KPMG and Microsoft! The winners of this Beta journey will be known in mid-November and will benefit from a 5-month coaching with the experts of these partners.
Closing Gala ceremony
All participants and contributors will meet at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, December 1st at the Maison Alcan located in the heart of the Golden Square Mile.
To learn more about the different journeys (Alpha and Beta), visit the official website of Cooperathon.