NEXT Canada announced that the first cohort of its Next AI program in Montreal will begin in February 2019.
NEXT Canada said Next AI - Montreal will be delivered in partnership with HEC MontrĂ©al. Both Next AI - Montreal and Executive Education HEC MontrĂ©al are partners in the Montreal-based SCALE.AI AI-Powered Supply Chain Supercluster, one of the superclusters receiving part of $950 million from the governmentâs supercluster initiative.
While applications are not officially opening until September 20, Next AI announced that it will award an advanced spot in the Montreal cohort to the strong team pitching an AI-enabled venture idea at AI Fest, which is part of Montrealâs Startupfest taking place this week.
Companies selected to participate in Next AI - Montrealâs first cohort will receive up to $200,000 in seed funding for their businesses. The program will select approximately 50 founders to build 20 AI startups.
âWe are thrilled to kick off our first expansion outside of Ontario at Canadaâs largest annual technology and startup festival, here in Montreal,â said Sheldon Levy, who was appointed as CEO of NEXT Canada in 2016. âWe are forging special relationships with HEC MontrĂ©al as well as with HĂ©lĂšne Desmarais and her colleagues at SCALE.AI, who have built a consortium of incredible partners. We intend to make Next AI an integral part of MontrĂ©alâs robust AI ecosystem.â
To implement Next AI - Montreal, program director Julien Billot will work towards building a core team and a network of top faculty, scientists, researchers, and entrepreneurs to deliver a structured founder-development curriculum. Next AI is also going to establish a second cohort in Montreal as it looks to collaborate with organizations such as Quebecâs Institute for Data Valorization (IVADO), MontrĂ©al Institute for Learning Algorithms (MILA), Ontarioâs Vector Institute for Artificial Intelligence, and the Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute (Amii).
âNext AI is different from traditional accelerator models because it provides high potential founders with entrepreneurial training through exposure to leading experts in their field,â said Billot. âOur program will be delivered at HEC MontrĂ©al, and will leverage the immense talent at other universities and research labs in Montreal and beyond, building on HEC MontrĂ©al Executive Educationâs experience running multiple AI programs to date.â
Next AI - Montreal will run concurrently with Next AI - Toronto, which runs from February to September and will be soon be celebrating the graduation of its second cohort.
NEXT Canada announced the 22 companies accepted into the 2018 cohort of its Next Founderâs program in May. In November 2017, the organization received a $3.57 million investment from FedDev Ontario.
HEC MontrĂ©al et lâorganisation nationale sans but lucratif NEXT Canada ont annoncĂ© leur partenariat dans le lancement au QuĂ©bec de Next AI, un programme dâaccĂ©lĂ©rateur de classe mondiale pour entreprises en dĂ©marrage (startups) dans le domaine de lâintelligence artificielle (IA).
Lâannonce en a Ă©tĂ© faite le 13 juillet, durant le StartupFest de MontrĂ©al, par Sheldon Levy, PDG de NEXT Canada, HĂ©lĂšne Desmarais, prĂ©sidente du conseil dâadministration de HEC MontrĂ©al et coprĂ©sidente du projet de supergrappe de chaĂźnes dâapprovisionnement SCALE.AI, ainsi que Julien Billot, directeur du programme Next AI â MontrĂ©al, Ăcole des dirigeants HEC MontrĂ©al et ancien prĂ©sident et chef de la direction de Pages Jaunes LimitĂ©e.
« Nous sommes ravis dâoffrir notre premier programme Ă lâextĂ©rieur de lâOntario, ici Ă MontrĂ©al, Ă lâoccasion du plus grand festival annuel des domaines de la technologie et du dĂ©marrage dâentreprises au Canada, a dĂ©clarĂ© monsieur Levy. Nous nouons des relations privilĂ©giĂ©es avec HEC MontrĂ©al et HĂ©lĂšne Desmarais, de mĂȘme quâavec ses collĂšgues de SCALE.AI, qui ont rĂ©uni un consortium de partenaires hors du commun. Nous avons lâintention dâintĂ©grer pleinement le programme Next AI au milieu dynamique de lâIA de MontrĂ©al. »
DĂS FĂVRIER 2019
La premiĂšre cohorte montrĂ©alaise de Next AI de quelque 50 entrepreneurs sera accueillie Ă compter de fĂ©vrier 2019. Le programme sera donnĂ© Ă HEC MontrĂ©al et bĂ©nĂ©ficiera de lâexpertise particuliĂšre de lâĂcole des dirigeants HEC MontrĂ©al, qui a offert Ă ce jour, de nombreux programmes en IA.
« Next AI se distingue des modĂšles dâaccĂ©lĂ©rateurs traditionnels, car il offre aux entrepreneurs Ă potentiel Ă©levĂ© une formation entrepreneuriale de pointe, donnĂ©e par des experts reconnus de leur domaine », a fait valoir Julien Billot.
Ă titre de directeur du programme, Julien Billot sera responsable de former une Ă©quipe centrale et un rĂ©seau composĂ© des meilleurs professeurs, scientifiques, chercheurs et entrepreneurs Ă succĂšs, afin dâoffrir Ă MontrĂ©al une formation structurĂ©e de perfectionnement, propre Ă tous les programmes de NEXT Canada.
Bien que lâappel de candidatures sera officiellement lancĂ© le 20 septembre 2018, une place exclusive est dĂ©jĂ accordĂ©e Ă lâĂ©quipe qui a remportĂ© le concours de la meilleure prĂ©sentation dâun projet en IA, lors du StartupFest de cette annĂ©e.
FAIRE CROĂTRE LâĂCOSYSTĂME MONTRĂALAIS EN IA
Tous les participants de l'accĂ©lĂ©rateur recevront un financement initial pouvant atteindre 200 000 dollars. Lâobjectif sera de permettre, quelques mois plus t**d, de lancer une vingtaine de nouvelles entreprises en intelligence artificielle.
Le programme mettra Ă contribution tout lâĂ©cosystĂšme montrĂ©alais de lâIA, incluant plusieurs universitĂ©s et laboratoires de recherche de la mĂ©tropole, dont lâInstitut de valorisation des donnĂ©es (IVADO) et lâInstitut des algorithmes dâapprentissage de MontrĂ©al (MILA). Il y aura Ă©galement des occasions de collaborer avec Next AI Ă Toronto, oĂč le programme, qui en sera Ă sa 3e cohorte en 2019, sera donnĂ© simultanĂ©ment. Des universitĂ©s dâailleurs au QuĂ©bec, au Canada et dans le monde seront aussi appelĂ©es Ă participer.
Next AI attire gĂ©nĂ©ralement des professionnels trĂšs scolarisĂ©s et convoitĂ©s de partout sur la planĂšte; les deux tiers des entrepreneurs sĂ©lectionnĂ©s dĂ©tiennent un diplĂŽme dâĂ©tudes supĂ©rieures; plus du tiers des participants dĂ©mĂ©nagent au Canada en provenance d'un autre pays.