Capsana
Capsana is a Montreal-based social enterprise, founded 1988 and owned by foundations linked to the Montreal Heart Institute, that designs and delivers public health campaigns, workplace wellness programs, and clinical patient-communication tools across Quebec, targeting chronic disease prevention and healthier lifestyle habits.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1988
- HeadquartersMontréal, Canada
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Capsana does
Capsana is a Montreal-based social enterprise founded in 1988 (originally as ACTI-MENU) and owned by two nonprofit foundations linked to the Montreal Heart Institute — Fondation ÉPIC and Fondation PSI. The organization designs and delivers public health promotion campaigns, workplace wellness programs, and clinical patient-communication tools, all centered on chronic disease prevention and adoption of healthier lifestyle habits across the Quebec population.
Its core product portfolio spans six societal campaigns — TOUGO (general healthy living), Défi J'arrête j'y gagne! (smoking/vaping cessation, 500,000+ registrations since 2000), Famille sans fumée (second-hand smoke awareness), PAUSE (screen-time balance), Nous parents (parenting support, launched 2025), and Actif à votre façon (seniors 65+ physical activity, launched 2024) — each anchored on a dedicated web platform built with clinical and academic partners. The technology stack is conventional: web-based content platforms, Dialog Insight for email, Google Analytics 4 for measurement, with no documented AI/ML, API, or proprietary algorithmic components. The workplace health segment offers Planisan preventive assessments, structured wellness tools, and (as of June 2025) accompaniment toward the Bien au travail certification via a partnership with cœsion SP. The clinical segment delivers the DiscutonsSante.ca / jemeprepare.ca patient-professional communication platform and a library of patient education publications on diabetes, heart disease, osteoarthritis, and mental health.
Capsana's business model is a hybrid: societal campaigns are provided free to Quebec residents and primarily funded through Quebec Ministry of Health (MSSS), Secrétariat à la jeunesse, and pharmaceutical/retail co-sponsorship (AstraZeneca, Novartis, McNeil/J&J, Jean Coutu, Uniprix); the workplace health segment generates commercial revenue through direct sales to employers; and the clinical segment distributes paid publications and tools into the Quebec healthcare network. All operations are concentrated in Quebec, with indirect international reach through a former French partner (DeuxPointCinq, now under Psya) in France, Spain, and Italy.
Capsana firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Capsana
- Legal name
- Capsana Inc.
- Website
- https://capsana.ca
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1988
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Capsana is a Montreal-based social enterprise, founded 1988 and owned by foundations linked to the Montreal Heart Institute, that designs and delivers public health campaigns, workplace wellness programs, and clinical patient-communication tools across Quebec, targeting chronic disease prevention and healthier lifestyle habits.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Capsana industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Public Health Promotion Services
- NAICS
- Social Assistance (624)
- SIC
- Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090), Services-Health Services (8000)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Health Promotion, Prevention & Community Health Programs (BPAIAJAC)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Health Promotion & Public Health Education (Community Workshops) (EDAAAFAG)
Keywords
Where Capsana is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Montréal
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Capsana business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Operations
Revenue model
- Government-funded public health campaigns: Capsana's societal campaigns (TOUGO, Défi J'arrête, Famille sans fumée, PAUSE) are funded through partnerships with the Quebec Ministry of Health (Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux du Québec), the Secrétariat à la jeunesse, and public health agencies. This constitutes the primary funding model.
- Workplace health services and certifications: Capsana offers organizations a suite of tools (conferences, workshops, video capsules, health questionnaires) and accompaniment toward the Bien au travail certification. Revenue is generated through direct commercial relationships with employers and organizations seeking workplace health programs.
- Clinical setting patient publications and tools: Capsana produces and distributes patient education publications and tools for the clinical healthcare network (hospitals, clinics), including materials for chronic disease management (diabetes, heart disease, osteoarthritis, anxiety/depression).
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels9 records
Capsana product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Capsana designs, delivers, and operates public health campaigns and digital health-promotion platforms (TOUGO, Défi J'arrête j'y gagne!, Famille sans fumée, PAUSE, Nous parents, Actif à votre façon) aimed at helping Quebec residents adopt healthier lifestyles. It also sells workplace wellness programs and preventive health assessments (Planisan, Bien au travail) directly to employers, and produces clinical patient-communication tools (DiscutonsSante.ca, patient publications) for the Quebec healthcare network.
Product overview
Capsana operates as a social enterprise offering a portfolio of public health campaigns, digital platforms, workplace wellness programs, and clinical tools. Its core public-facing digital platform is TOUGO (formerly Défi Santé), which provides themed health content and programs for the general population. The campaign portfolio includes smoking cessation (Défi J'arrête, j'y gagne!), second-hand smoke awareness (Famille sans fumée), screen time reduction (PAUSE), senior fitness (Actif à votre façon), and parenting support (Nous, parents). In the workplace segment, Capsana offers Planisan preventive assessments and structured health programs via its santeentreprise.ca platform, now also guiding organizations toward the Bien au travail certification through its partnership with cœsion SP. The clinical segment includes the DiscutonsSante.ca / Let's Discuss Health tool (now transitioning to jemeprepare.ca) for patient-professional communication, and a range of patient information publications covering chronic diseases.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- TOUGO: A 100% Quebec platform that encourages people to take care of themselves with kindness, promoting simple actions for healthier living habits.
- Défi J'arrête, j'y gagne!
- Famille sans fumée
- PAUSE
- Nous, parents
- Actif à votre façon
- Planisan
- DiscutonsSante.ca / Let's Discuss Health
Products and services
- TOUGO A Quebec digital health-promotion platform that inspires people to take simple actions for healthier living through the 'small steps' theory, offering themed content, walking programs, exercise content from kinesiologists, nutritious snack recipes, and mindfulness audio. Available free to the Quebec public.
- Défi J'arrête, j'y gagne! (Quit to Win! Challenge) Annual 6-week smoking and vaping cessation challenge inviting participants to quit, with free support tools (mobile app, encouragement emails, online forum, Jean Coutu support kit), prizes including a $5,000 grand prize, and an average 75% completion rate. Open to Quebec smokers and (since 2023) vapers.
- Famille sans fumée (Smoke-Free Family) Public awareness campaign alerting parents to the dangers of second-hand smoke for children and encouraging smoke-free homes, cars, and outdoor environments. Provides information on second-hand smoke myths and advice for taking action. Free to the Quebec public.
- PAUSE Society-wide campaign promoting balanced Internet use and preventing hyperconnectivity risks among youth. Includes the annual 24h PAUSE unplugging event where participants go without screens for leisure for a full day, plus a family edition. Supported by Secrétariat à la jeunesse du Québec and Cogeco.
- Nous, parents Parenting support platform providing inspiration, advice, and reliable resources to help Quebec parents in their family life. Features a directory of free services and reliable resources for parents.
- Actif à votre façon Physical activity campaign targeting people 65 years and older, encouraging daily movement to age healthily. Supported by MSSS, FADOQ, and Luci.
- Capsana Santé en entreprise (Planisan) Comprehensive workplace health and wellness offering providing conferences, workshops, video capsules, health questionnaires, and Planisan preventive health assessments for organizations. In 2025, partnered with cœsion SP to guide organizations toward Bien au travail certification. Sold directly to employers and organizations.
- DiscutonsSante.ca / Let's Discuss Health (now jemeprepare.ca) Online clinical program promoting effective cooperation between patients and front-line healthcare professionals. Uses the PACE approach (Prepare, Ask, Check, Express) for patients and the CASE approach (Convince, Activate, Support, Empower) for professionals, with online training module offering continuing education credits. Developed with CISSS de Laval.
Quantifiable outcome
- 75% of Défi J'arrête participants successfully complete the 6-week cessation challenge
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Capsana
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Capsana technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Capsana partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
16 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.
- coesion SP (formerly Groupe entreprises en santé)coreA new partnership announced in June 2025 enables Capsana to accompany organizations toward the Bien au travail (formerly Entreprise en santé) workplace health certification. Capsana contributes its tools and expertise while coesion SP provides the certification framework, creating a complementary service offering for organizational clients.
- Fédération des médecins omnipraticiens du Québec (FMOQ)majorThe FMOQ partnership enables Quebec family doctors to integrate the TOUGO health questionnaire into their clinical practice, recommending it to patients as a tool for health self-assessment. This creates a healthcare professional referral channel to the TOUGO platform and validates the content within the medical community.
- Fondation ÉPIC (ÉPIC Foundation)coreFondation ÉPIC is one of two founding organizations that own Capsana. ÉPIC is linked to the Institut de Cardiologie de Montréal. As a social enterprise owned by Fondation ÉPIC and Fondation PSI, Capsana benefits from institutional credibility and health expertise from one of Canada's leading cardiology research institutions.
- Fondation PSIcoreFondation PSI is one of two founding organizations that own Capsana and is associated with the Montreal Heart Institute (Institut de Cardiologie de Montréal). Together with Fondation ÉPIC, these foundations constitute Capsana's ownership structure and provide health sector legitimacy and expertise.
- CISSS de Laval (Centre intégré de santé et de services sociaux de Laval)majorCISSS de Laval collaborated with Capsana on the development of the Let's Discuss Health (DiscutonsSante.ca) clinical program, providing primary care expertise and input on patient-professional communication needs.
- Société canadienne du cancer (Canadian Cancer Society)majorA long-standing public health partner collaborating on Capsana's smoking cessation (Défi J'arrête) and smoke-free family campaigns. The partnership leverages the Society's cancer prevention mandate with Capsana's campaign delivery infrastructure.
- Observatoire de la prévention de l'Institut de Cardiologie de MontréalmajorA health expert body collaborating with Capsana on the TOUGO platform, contributing scientific and medical expertise to health content. This partnership reinforces the credibility of TOUGO's health information.
- Mouvement Santé mentale QuébecminorA partner organization collaborating on the TOUGO platform, contributing mental health expertise to the content library and campaign resources.
- Jean CoutuminorA pharmacy retail partner providing the 'Jean Coutu à la rescousse' (to the rescue) support kit distributed to Défi J'arrête participants. Jean Coutu locations serve as a distribution point for cessation support materials, and the partnership brings retail-level visibility to the campaign.
- FADOQminorA partner in the Actif à votre façon campaign targeting seniors (65+), bringing expertise in seniors' issues and access to the FADOQ membership network.
- PsyaminorPsya, a French organization specializing in psychosocial risk management and workplace quality of life, acquired Capsana's French partner DeuxPointCinq, enabling Capsana's workplace health offerings to be deployed in France, Spain, and Italy.
- SSQ Groupe financier (now SSQ Insurance)minorSSQ provided Capsana's workplace health services to its corporate clients, with Capsana supporting employee health programs for thousands of Canadians insured through SSQ.
- Léger (marketing research firm)minorCapsana engages Léger to conduct post-campaign awareness and appreciation surveys (e.g., Smoke-Free Family campaign survey), providing data to measure and optimize campaign effectiveness.
- Cossette MediaminorOne of two advertising agencies engaged by Capsana to optimize and place advertising campaigns across media channels.
- Jungle (advertising agency)minorOne of two advertising agencies engaged by Capsana to optimize and place advertising campaigns across media channels.
- UniprixminorPharmacy chain partner collaborating on the Smoke-Free Family (Famille sans fumée) campaign to distribute cessation resources through its retail network.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Capsana competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- ParticipACTION: Canadian non-profit foundation that runs nationwide physical-activity and healthy-living public campaigns. Closely mirrors Capsana's TOUGO and Actif à votre façon model in a larger cross-Canada footprint.
- Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada: Canada's leading cardiovascular-health charity running prevention campaigns and funding research. Shares Capsana's cardiovascular prevention focus and its foundation/research-institute linkage (Montreal Heart Institute).
- Canadian Lung Association: National charity focused on lung health, tobacco control, and smoking cessation advocacy. Directly overlaps with Capsana's Défi J'arrête j'y gagne! cessation and Famille sans fumée campaigns.
- Diabetes Canada: Charity delivering diabetes prevention, education, and chronic disease self-management programs. Comparable to Capsana's clinical patient publications (e.g., 'Le diabète de type 2: j'agis!') and chronic disease mission.
- Société canadienne du cancer / Canadian Cancer Society: Long-standing Capsana partner and Canada-wide cancer prevention charity running public awareness campaigns. Operates the same societal-campaign-funding model that underpins Capsana's tobacco and smoke-free work.
- Mouvement Santé mentale Québec: Quebec mental health promotion organization and Capsana partner. Comparable as a provincial health-promotion non-profit delivering awareness campaigns and clinical tools to Quebec residents.
- Association pulmonaire du Québec: Quebec-focused lung health and tobacco-control organization whose smoking prevention mandate directly competes with Capsana's Défi J'arrête and Famille sans fumée campaigns within the same province.
- Sprout: Canadian workplace wellness social platform partnered with Capsana. Direct competitor-and-partner in delivering digital engagement tools to Quebec employers under the Bien au travail umbrella.
Broad incumbents
- Limeade: Publicly listed workplace wellness and employee experience platform serving large North American employers. Operates as a broader incumbent offering continuous engagement analytics that Capsana's campaign-based model does not match.
- Virgin Pulse: Global workplace wellbeing and health engagement platform used by large employers. Provides the integrated SaaS model against which Capsana's Planisan and Bien au travail offerings are evaluated during enterprise procurement.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Capsana social profiles
Digital presenceCapsana compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Capsana financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Capsana leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Capsana funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Capsana M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Capsana
What does Capsana do?
Capsana designs, delivers, and operates public health campaigns and digital health-promotion platforms (TOUGO, Défi J'arrête j'y gagne!, Famille sans fumée, PAUSE, Nous parents, Actif à votre façon) aimed at helping Quebec residents adopt healthier lifestyles. It also sells workplace wellness programs and preventive health assessments (Planisan, Bien au travail) directly to employers, and produces clinical patient-communication tools (DiscutonsSante.ca, patient publications) for the Quebec healthcare network.
Is Capsana a public or private company?
Capsana is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Capsana founded?
Capsana was founded in 1988. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Capsana based?
Capsana is headquartered in Montréal, Canada, in the North America region.
How does Capsana make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Government-funded public health campaigns are the primary driver. The others are workplace health services and certifications and clinical setting patient publications and tools.
Who are Capsana's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are ParticipACTION, Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada, Canadian Lung Association, Diabetes Canada, Société canadienne du cancer / Canadian Cancer Society, Mouvement Santé mentale Québec, Association pulmonaire du Québec and Sprout. Broad incumbents are Limeade and Virgin Pulse.
Does Capsana have an API?
No public API is recorded for Capsana.
What industry is Capsana in?
Capsana's product category is Public Health Promotion Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAIAJAC, Health Promotion, Prevention & Community Health Programs, with a secondary code of EDAAAFAG, Health Promotion & Public Health Education (Community Workshops). Its NAICS code is 624 and its SIC code is 8090.