ACET: A pillar of technological innovation in Sherbrooke
Since it was founded in 2011, the organization has played a frontline role in the emergence of start-ups mainly from the Université de Sherbrooke and elsewhere. By focusing on personalized mentoring and targeted financing, ACET has quickly asserted itself as a key player in technological innovation in Quebec.
Summary
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Organization : ACET (Accélérateur de
création d’entreprises technologiques) |
True to its mission, ACET has mentored over 200 start-ups, while also creating three investment funds to boost their growth. In addition to the ACET Capital 1 and 2 funds, in 2023 the organization launched Quantacet, the very first Canadian investment fund reserved exclusively for quantum technology. This bold initiative positions ACET as a pioneer in a booming sector.
“The quantum field is not just a technological breakthrough, it is a revolution,” states Ghyslain Goulet, ACET President and CEO. “By working with the laws of physics, it opens the way for supercomputers, high-precision sensors, and ultra-secure communications. The spin-offs will be massive in sectors such as IT, health, telecommunications and finance.”
Through its personalized mentoring, network of experts, market intelligence service and investment funds, ACET helps entrepreneurs reach their full potential and grow their business.
A fertile ecosystem for innovative ideas
ACET’s success is also rooted in its integration in a dynamic regional ecosystem. Thanks to the Université de Sherbrooke and DistriQ, a well-established quantum innovation zone, the region is attracting researchers, entrepreneurs and investors.
At the heart of this zone, ACET works closely with DistriQ and the Université de Sherbrooke. These partnerships, strengthened by support from donors and departments such as CED, enable ACET to provide young entrepreneurs with preferred access to high-level resources and a committed business network.
This innovation zone offers cutting-edge infrastructure that fosters the creation of start-ups and attracts foreign businesses given, among other things, its proximity to the U.S., facilitating access to North American markets.
“CED has been our partner from the very beginning, since 2011, by supporting the creation of ACET. This is a relationship that has lasted and that constitutes a strategic lever for the growth of technology start-ups in Quebec,” highlights Ghyslain Goulet.
A winning entrepreneurial continuum
CED’s support for incubator-accelerators such as ACET aligns with the logic of an entrepreneurial continuum, generating significant impacts for the entire Quebec ecosystem.
While CED funds already established SMEs and NPOs, ACET intervenes upstream, targeting innovative technological projects with strong potential right from their earliest steps. This early intervention makes it possible to structure and propel businesses towards maturity.
The complementary nature of these two players creates a fluid way forward for start-ups. Businesses such as Nord Quantique, Boréas Technologies, Synode and Calogy Solutions illustrate this path well. First incubated by ACET, they have also been able to benefit from CED funding to pursue their growth.
These successes demonstrate the effectiveness of ACET’s mentoring model and the relevance of CED’s approach, which maximizes its economic impact by relying on key partners.
A promising future
Carried by a committed team, ACET intends to pursue its role as an engine of innovation. It plans to create new funds and to share its expertise with other incubators in Canada and abroad. For example, in the fall of 2025, ACET will provide on-site guidance to entrepreneurs in the Technum Québec innovation zone in Bromont.
Its target is clear: To enable the technology jewels of tomorrow to emerge by providing the entrepreneurs of today with the best conditions for success, while also strengthening the visibility of Quebec’s entrepreneurial ecosystem across the globe.
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