Our community

Alex is working to create a commercial AI ecosystem around the Sama platform.

Previously head of partnerships and corporate development at Element AI, he played a key role in the company's rapid growth in Asia. In 2019, he led the team that raised Element AI's C$200 million Series B and secured a global go-to-market partnership with McKinsey & Co. He was also host of Element AI's #1 podcast, "The AI Element".

An active member of the start-up community, he co-founded the Young Founders Circle at the Notman House in Montreal, as well as Product Hunt MTL. He has also been a mentor in the FounderFuel, TechStars, NextAI, Innocité and Hacking Health Accelerator programs, mentoring over forty start-ups.

Alex was recently selected by the Governor General of Canada as one of Canada's 250 Most Promising Leaders, one of the top 4 business development and sales leaders in technology by Floodgates in their annual anchor list, the "Power Player" of 2021 by The Peak and an expert of the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence.

Alexis combines financial expertise, operational management and growth strategy. Formerly CFO of a consumer technology startup, he led a fast-growing SME in the healthcare field and supported several organizations and technology startups as a fractional CFO. Today, as VP Development and Operations at Propulsion Québec, he puts his expertise at the service of the economic development of the transportation electrification sector. Convinced that his work should have a positive impact on society, it was only natural for him to get involved in coaching cleantech startups.

Entrepreneurship and innovation are part of André Beaulieu Blanchette's DNA.

With a wealth of knowledge acquired at the Institut du Leadership, in corporate administration, at MC Gill, and at HEC in entrepreneurial training, André is now at the helm of Solugen, as well as being involved at a technical level.

André is co-founder of 2 degrés.

Carl, who trained as an electrical engineer and holds an MBA, has combined technical expertise and strategic leadership throughout his career. After launching his career building mini hydroelectric power plants, he joined Cascades, where he managed plants in Quebec and Ontario, in both the B2B and B2C sectors. In 2010, he took the reins of innovation at Cascades, where he set up a corporate innovation center responsible for technology watch and the implementation of innovative practices. A visionary, in 2022 he was appointed Vice-President Innovation for Cascades, where he led the Innovation and R&D team in developing eco-responsible products, implementing AI and green technologies to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Carl has also led several open innovation programs involving hundreds of startups around the world to solve the challenges facing Cascades. Carl sits on boards of directors and is a Certified Corporate Director, ASC, C.Dir.

An entrepreneur, Craig has raised over $50 million through various rounds of funding. Co-founder and CEO of Sportlogiq, he has built a leading AI-based sports analytics company. A former Olympic athlete, he represented Canada at the Turin Games in 2006. Today, he is dedicated to carbon capture and utilization, through the development of impact technologies and startups.

Daniel holds a PhD in Maritime Transport from the University of Hong Kong, and has over 20 years' experience in the maritime industry, including more than 12 years in executive positions. During his years as Director of Strategic Intelligence and Innovation at the Port of Montreal, he managed and implemented intelligent multi-partner solutions in industrial environments, some of which won international awards. He has visited and collaborated with some of the world's most innovative ports.

In 2023, he made a career shift to broaden his horizons by entering the blue economy. A disruptive thinker, empathetic manager and mobilizing leader, Daniel is an agent of innovation with a strategic vocation.

Ambitious entrepreneur combining experience in engineering, business management, sales and finance. He draws on a comprehensive set of skills in sustainability, climate risk assessment and GHG management.

Early in his engineering career, David demonstrated strong technical skills in R&D, process design and plant operations, particularly in the field of carbon capture. He then joined a family-owned energy distribution company as a business developer, before pursuing his career as a financial solutions advisor for corporate and capital investment projects that reduce energy use and greenhouse gas emissions.

He now works with various industry leaders, aligning corporate strategy with sustainability best practices.

He is also involved in a number of technology start-ups, either as co-founder or as growth consultant.

David is our first supported entrepreneur to join our community!

For over 10 years, David has been developing innovative energy efficiency and management solutions for the building sector.

Intrigued by the relationship between man and nature, he saw building as the intermediary. Faced with the worrying challenges of climate change, he decided to take a concrete stand in the fight by founding RegenEAU, a company that aims to redefine the use of our resources by establishing a new era of circular water economy in the building industry.

Emilie received her PhD in Cellular and Molecular Biology from Université Laval in 2018.

She trained in graphic design, communications and entrepreneurship, before turning to visual scientific communications and founding the IMPAKT Scientifik agency. Her mission is to help scientists and technology entrepreneurs make their projects shine.

Gaston has worked at the crossroads of economics, the environment, social issues and culture. As CEO of AMBSQ, he initiated the first environmental policy for lumber. He headed SOPFIM and contributed to the Forest Protection Strategy. He stimulated the economy via PÔLE-QCA and promoted sustainable development at Norda Stello and QSL. Recognized with several awards, he now supports startups via 2 Degrés, particularly in the forestry and maritime sectors.

A woman of heart and ambition, Geneviève helps leaders achieve their strategic objectives. With over 20 years' experience in the fields of engineering, management consulting and ESG, Geneviève is recognized for her ability to rally stakeholders around common objectives, to develop a mobilizing and inclusive strategic narrative, and to stimulate accelerated action. With her critical and creative mind, Geneviève works with openness, rigor and benevolence, while daring to position innovative perspectives, with the development of a just and healthy society for future generations as her motivating force.

Guillaume is an entrepreneur, investor and catalyst in the field of renewable energy and sustainable development.

He founded and managed Solexium, one of the largest solar companies in Eastern Ontario, with a total of 3 MW across 70 customers. The company diversified by developing its own assets and providing up to $1 million in financing per project. He is an early investor in Canada's largest kombucha (fermented tea) brewery, and was instrumental in launching Hilo, a cleantech subsidiary of Canada's largest electric utility.

He was first exposed to the Rwandan solar market in 2020 during a market study for East African Power. He has advised a cleantech fund, as well as companies in the electric mobility and renewable energy sectors.

Passionate about the success and growth of entrepreneurs, Isabelle Foisy is president and founder of Point Cardinal, a governance, innovation and strategy consulting firm. She is Innovator in Residence at the new Conseil de l'Innovation du Québec. In recent years, she has been CEO of QuébecInnove, an organization mandated to accelerate business innovation in Quebec.

With a bachelor's degree in automated production engineering, Jean-Philippe developed a passion for entrepreneurship and business growth. After five years as an automation engineer, he turned to sales and business development. In 2015, he became VP sales and marketing at Tekinno Corporation. In 2017, he co-founded Ton Équipier, specializing in technology commercialization. Since 2022, he has taught technological entrepreneurship at the Université de Sherbrooke.

Jeff is a serial entrepreneur and leader committed to building a more sustainable and inclusive future for our communities. He has founded and led several major companies in the transportation and cleantech sectors, with a mission to combat the climate crisis and improve the quality of urban life.

Today, through the Arthur Rowan Group, he helps companies structure their business models, accelerate their time-to-market and optimize their operations. Actively involved in Quebec's startup and innovation ecosystem, he works closely with gas pedals such as 2 Degrés and Cycle Momentum, as well as with investment funds, to support the growth of emerging companies.

Passionate about innovation and entrepreneurship, Louis-Philippe is a major asset to our team of experts. Drawing on his years of experience in technology product development, he shares invaluable knowledge. What he appreciates most about 2 Degrés is seeing entrepreneurs go from idea to impact!

A serial entrepreneur, Marc-Antoine knows how to mobilize communities around innovative or disruptive projects. After stints at Xerox, Canon and Umen (now Relation1), Marc-Antoine founded and was CEO of Amilia between 2003 et 2011, and co-founded Netlift and Avvy.

Marie-Hélène founded the company in 2020 with the desire to make natural, safe products accessible for the family and the planet. The idea came to her the day she realized her sink pipe had been punctured by toxic fumes from her cleaning products. At that point, she began to investigate the nature of the ingredients used in our cleaning products. The conclusion was clear: most cleaning products are harmful to our family's health, as well as that of our beautiful planet. That's why MYNI was created, with the mission of reducing the environmental impact of the household and body products we use, while offering a safe product for the whole family.

Martin has been working for several years on the development of new, innovative, sustainable and low-cost green phytotechnologies for the restoration, remediation, revegetation and rapid reforestation of degraded land. His professional interests focus mainly on agroforestry, forestry, ecological restoration, phytoremediation, forest and agroforestry landscape restoration on sites disturbed by human activities. He is a registered forest engineer with the Ordre des ingénieurs forestiers du Québec in Canada, and a member of the Board of Directors of the Canadian Brownfields Rehabilitation Association - Quebec Chapter. He is now founder and CEO of Viridis Terra International and co-president of SymbioTech Research.

Over the past few years, Mr. Lemonde has been fully involved in the field of biomethanization, from research and development to the design and manufacture of pilot units, as well as the development of major biomethanization projects in Quebec.

Since April 2015, Mr. Lemonde has been developing BiogasWorld.com to increase content and tools to bring together the various players in the global biogas industry. In addition to his knowledge of the market and plant purchasing cycles, Mr. Lemonde has a direct link to the industry enabling him to bring the BiogasWorld project to fruition.

An expert in developing go-to-market strategies and leading marketing teams for the past 15 years, Nathalie has worked in a wide range of sectors, from bootstrapped SaaS startups to venture-capital-backed North American electric vehicle technology giants to financial services. As founder of Couët Conseils Stratégiques, she is now called upon by start-ups and scale-ups to position their products and build brand awareness, develop and deploy their go-to-market strategies, create and coach teams, and lead marketing operations teams.

Ms. Riverin's passion is centered on avant-garde entrepreneurial projects. In 2000, she began her career as a "serial social entrepreneur", initiating a succession of projects and businesses: GEM Canada, the Centre de vigie et de recherche sur la culture entrepreneuriale, the Indice entrepreneurial québécois and entrepreneurial communities. From 2004 to 2010, she held the position of VP Research and Development at the Fondation de l'entrepreneurship. At the same time, from 2007 to 2015, she created and directed the École d'entrepreneurship de Beauce (EEB). A distinct school and pedagogy based on the transfer of experience from entrepreneurs to entrepreneurs was born. In 7 years, EEB has become the benchmark in training. From 2015 to 2017, she took up the challenge of propelling women in business by assuming the position of CEO of Femmessor. In the spring of 2013, Ms. Riverin was awarded the Mérite Promotion de l'entrepreneuriat by the Fédération des chambres de commerces du Québec, named a Women of Influence by Monique Leroux and one of eight Women of Influence in Entrepreneurship in Quebec by Premières en affaires. In 2017, Université Laval recognized her as one of 1,000 influential graduates.

Nina is passionate about solving complex problems that result in positive impacts for people and the planet. As founder and CEO of Lantinga Vita, a B Corp-certified fashion brand specializing in the development of high-performance garments and bags, she strives to continually accelerate circular supply chain solutions, without sacrificing performance and style.

Through consulting projects with companies in various sectors, it implements circular systems that meet the highest standards of overall social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability, while promoting business growth.

As a proud agent of change and Canadian delegate to the G20 YEA, she continually strives to strengthen Canada's impact on international trade relations and the UN's sustainable development goals.

Nivatha Balendra is CEO and founder of Dispersa, a cleantech startup dedicated to creating natural, microbe-derived alternatives to synthetic chemicals on the market.

Convinced that innovation is essential to meet the challenges of climate change, Pascal puts his expertise in climate action and decarbonization at the service of startups incubated at 2degrés. With a unique background combining engineering and the environment, he supports entrepreneurs in developing solutions adapted to the climate emergency and taking advantage of an ever-changing political and regulatory context. He is proud to contribute to the mission of 2degrés, a key player in Quebec's climate innovation ecosystem.

Philippe founded and led Wilder Harrier, a certified B Corp impact company, with over $5 million raised. Motivated by conscious entrepreneurship and the environmental cause, Philippe sees Quebec as a key player in the energy transition.

Richard has been president and founder of public and private companies for over 35 years. His academic background in science, combined with his innate business acumen, has enabled many university technologies to be brought to market. Technologies Kourant inc (Kourant) is the most recent of Richard's companies. Kourant commercializes an innovative, patented wastewater treatment technology resulting from over 10 years of research and development by Concordia and Manitoba universities. He has been involved in the cleantech ecosystem for many years, and this participation as an expert for 2 Degrees fits in perfectly with that commitment.

Sébastien Bibeau is co-founder of Ton Équipier, a consulting firm specializing in the commercialization of innovations. With a bachelor's degree in information technology engineering and a master's in innovation management, he combines solid technical understanding with strategic business expertise.

Since 2017, Sébastien has piloted over 350 projects with technology startups and supported more than 200 customers across Quebec. His expertise is recognized by the ecosystem: he has also participated in the creation of a dozen companies and organizations, many of them technology-based.

At 2 Degrés, Sébastien strives to support science and technology entrepreneurs who are looking to solve important problems and create businesses that are both profitable and relevant.

Its role is to provide entrepreneurs with the tools and strategies they need to turn a promising innovation into a lasting commercial success.

Specialist in waste management, agronomy and environmental issues management. A highly motivated entrepreneur who has created, managed and propelled several businesses in different sectors. Committed citizen with extensive involvement in Boards of Directors, public organizations, government, and anywhere else he can have a significant impact.

Gathering and enthusiastic, Valérie has an atypical 20-year background in marketing communications, strategic consulting and outdoor guiding. She excels at accompanying individuals and organizations in their quest for alignment and coherence. Valérie firmly believes in the transformative power of nature-based experiences.

Her ability to stimulate creativity and foster mobilization enables her to inspire and guide teams towards innovative solutions. Drawing on her leadership experience, notably as Brand Director at Miralis, Valérie is passionate about creating opportunities to transform organizations and the people within them into positive agents of change.

An entrepreneur, Valérie has raised over $50 million and is dedicated to catalyzing impactful projects in the cleantech field. With a strong background in business creation and expansion, Valérie is passionate about bringing transformative ideas to life. She prioritizes collaboration, bold thinking and tangible results to make a significant impact.

With 8 years' experience in innovative project management, particularly in social and environmental aid, Xavier deploys sustainable solutions. His expertise helps organizations transform field analysis into concrete impact for beneficiaries and the planet.