Défi PME MTL : Launching

PRESS RELEASE
For immediate release

CALLING TO ALL NEW ENTREPRENEURS:

The Défi PME MTL entrepreneurial competition gets under way
Registration until March 14 at 4 p.m.

Montréal, February 6, 2017 — PME MTL, the network of experts in business financing, training and support, is issuing a challenge to Montréal entrepreneurs: register your business initiative by March 14 at 4 p.m. at defipmemtl.com to win local and regional steps in the entrepreneurial competition. You could win $70, 000 in grants, not to mention the chance to talk about your business to high-profile business people and get incredible visibility. Registering is the springboard to the national podium, the Défi OSEntreprendre. Bastien Poulain, the entrepreneur behind 1642 Sodas, is the honorary chairman for this challenge that reflects the spirit of Montréal.

The PME MTL network is lending its name to an entrepreneurship competition designed to promote new Montréal businesses on the national scene. “With its six service centres around the island, PME MTL is the first point of contact for anyone starting a business," said Marc-André Perron, executive director of PME MTL Centre Ouest and the man responsible for regional coordination for the competition this year. “The Défi PME MTL is an annual opportunity to encourage new entrepreneurs to make their business initiative a reality and promote it."

For Montréal’s 375th anniversary, there could be no better choice for honorary chairman and spokesperson for the competition: Bastien Poulain, who founded 1642 Sodas in 2015. His locally made drinks, which bear the likeness of Jeanne Mance and Paul de Chomedey de Maisonneuve, have captured attention. “Registering for Défi PME MTL is the first door – and one that is easy to open – that can make all the difference, because you get noticed and you can quickly refine your business idea with the support of juries and experts," he said. “Plenty of opportunities are created this way." Before getting his business off the ground, Bastien benefitted from the advice of PME MTL. He was a finalist and winner in a number of competitions, which gave him visibility and resulted in him taking part in international trade missions. Today his business has major partners. And he is now encouraging other young people to become entrepreneurs.

Register by March 14 at 4 p.m.

Register for the Défi PME MTL online: defipmemtl.com. You will also find details on the terms and major steps. The local PME MTL team that delivers services to entrepreneurs can also provide information and help you put together your application. The Défi PME MTL is on Facebook: facebook.com/DefiPMEMTL.

The entrepreneurial community mobilizes

The entire SME support ecosystem is mobilizing to make the Défi PME MTL a success. The Jeune chambre de commerce de Montréal, the SAJE and the École des entrepreneurs | Mtl, as well as Réseau M, are offering their invaluable assistance. The Défi PME MTL is supported by the Ville de Montréal and the Government of Québec. Last year, Montréal generated 194 business development projects, including some 10 that went on to the national finals of Défi OSEntreprendre (for the list of businesses: defipmemtl.com/laureats-de-2016).

About PME MTL
The PME MTL network fosters local economic activity by promoting entrepreneurship and employment throughout Montréal. Our experts, in six service hubs, offer support and financial assistance for entrepreneurs and business leaders, to help them launch and grow their business. PME MTL runs the local and regional entrepreneurship competition Défi PME MTL. pmemtl.com

About the Défi OSEntreprendre
The Défi OSEntreprendre provides visibility to entrepreneurial initiatives to inspire the desire to run a business and help build a proud, innovative, engaged and prosperous Québec. With its Business Creation stream, which supports new entrepreneurs, and its Student Entrepreneurship stream, which is for students from primary school to university, it attracts over 40,000 participants annually in Québec. In Montréal, the Défi PME MTL is a springboard to the national finals of Défi OSEntreprendre. osentreprendre.com

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Source:
PME MTL Centre Ouest
defi@pmemtl.com

For information or an interview with honorary chair Bastien Poulain:

Isabel Massey
514 912-0329
isa@isabelmassey.com