Montreal International

What Montreal International does

Montréal International is a non-profit economic development agency founded in 1996 under a public-private partnership model and headquartered at 380 Saint-Antoine Street West in Montréal, Quebec. It is funded by the Government of Canada, the Government of Quebec, the Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal (CMM), the City of Montréal, and private-sector partners, and operates with a team of approximately 80 specialists. Its mandate is to attract foreign direct investment, international organizations, and qualified international talent to Greater Montréal by providing free, personalized, and confidential advisory services that span market intelligence, regulatory guidance, immigration support, site selection, and ecosystem introductions.

The agency's core services include Investment Attraction Services for foreign companies, an International Organization Support Program, Immigration Consulting Services (work permits, permanent residency, visas), International Talent Recruitment supported by the Talent Montréal platform, and the International Enterprise Network for post-establishment engagement. It also publishes sector profiles and annual activity reports covering AI, aerospace, video games, life sciences, clean technology, and defence, and distributes content through a multi-channel footprint spanning its website, newsletter, LinkedIn, trade missions, and Journées Québec recruitment events. Technology used internally is standard digital infrastructure (Google Analytics, ClickDimensions, AWS, Microsoft cloud, Axeptio consent management) — there is no proprietary technology platform or AI product.

Since 2013 the organization has facilitated approximately CAD $24 billion in foreign direct investment, supported the creation or maintenance of roughly 86,000 jobs, contributed to half of Montréal's ~70 international organizations, and assisted the recruitment and retention of more than 13,000 strategic international workers. Annual results have softened from a 2021 peak (100 projects, CAD $3.765B) to 2025 (54 projects, CAD $2.6B), reflecting tariff-related economic pressure. In 2026 the agency received a CAD $7M federal grant and CAD $6.1M from the City of Montréal, signed MOUs with Hanwha Ocean and MDA Space in defence/space, and supported high-profile AI wins (Mistral AI, BrainBox AI, G+D). Governance is led by President and CEO Stéphane Paquet and Board Chairman Éric Bédard.

Name

Montreal International

Legal name

MONTRÉAL INTERNATIONAL

Website

https://montrealinternational.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Montréal International is a non-profit economic development agency funded by federal, provincial, municipal, and private-sector partners that provides free advisory services to attract foreign direct investment, international organizations, and qualified international talent to Greater Montréal.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Economic Development Services

NAICS

Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139), All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (54199)

SIC

International Affairs (9721), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Economic Growth, Trade & Private Sector Development Programs (BPADABAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Development Cooperation & Foreign Aid Administration (BPAIAIAG), Program & Project Implementation (TA Delivery) (BPADAEAA)

Keywords

• Foreign direct investment services
• Talent attraction services
• International organization support
• Economic development advisory
• Investment promotion services

Headquarters

HQ city

Montréal

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Government and Private Sector Funding: Montréal International is a non-profit organization funded by the private sector, the Government of Canada, the Government of Quebec, the Metropolitan Community of Montreal (CMM), and the City of Montreal. Services to clients are provided free of charge.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels12 records

Core offering

Montréal International is a non-profit economic development agency headquartered in Montreal, Canada that provides free, confidential advisory services to three client groups: foreign companies seeking to establish operations in Greater Montreal; international organizations seeking a host city; and skilled talent (with the employers seeking them) seeking to relocate to the region. The agency is staffed by approximately 80 specialists who act as a single coordinating intermediary with public and private partners across the Greater Montreal territory, and it is funded jointly by the Government of Canada, the Government of Quebec, the Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal (CMM), the City of Montreal, and private-sector contributors.

Product overview

Montréal International operates as an economic development agency for Greater Montréal, offering a unified suite of services centered on attracting foreign direct investment, international organizations, and qualified talent. The organization functions as a single integrated service platform rather than a modular product architecture, providing investment attraction advisory, immigration consulting, talent recruitment, and sector intelligence through approximately 80 specialists. Key service offerings include investment support for foreign companies, a comprehensive program for international organizations, immigration consulting for temporary work permits and permanent residency, international talent recruitment services, and the Talent Montréal platform for foreign workers. The organization also publishes sector profiles and annual activity reports documenting economic impact across strategic sectors including artificial intelligence, aerospace, video games, life sciences, clean technology, and defense.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Foreign Investment Advisory Services Free, confidential advisory services that help foreign companies establish or expand operations in Greater Montreal. For foreign corporate clients evaluating the Greater Montreal region as a North American location.
• International Organization Support Services Free, confidential advisory services that help international organizations select Greater Montreal as a host city and establish their offices or headquarters in the region. For multilateral bodies, NGOs, and other international organizations considering host-city decisions.
• Talent Attraction and Settlement Services Free, confidential advisory services that assist skilled foreign talent and Montreal-area employers with international recruitment and settlement in the region. For skilled immigrant candidates and local employers seeking international talent.

Quantifiable outcome

• Since 2013, attracted approximately $24 billion in foreign direct investment, creating or maintaining approximately 86,000 jobs
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Aéroports de MontréalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization supporting Montreal's economic development ecosystem.
• Banque NationaleminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor financial institution partner supporting Montreal's economic development.
• DesjardinsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor Quebec financial cooperative partner supporting economic development initiatives.
• Hydro-QuébecminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerQuebec government-owned electricity utility partner supporting economic development.
• BombardierminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor aerospace and rail manufacturer based in Montreal, partner in economic development.
• Ubisoft MontrealminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor video game developer and key player in Montreal's creative technology ecosystem.
• Air CanadaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational airline carrier partner supporting Montreal's connectivity and economic development.
• FaskenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor law firm partner supporting business development activities.
• MDA SpacecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMontreal-based space technology company with MOU signing for satellite communications and defence space cooperation, connected to Hanwha Ocean CPSP supply chain discussions.
• Hanwha OceancoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSouth Korean shipbuilder with MOU for advanced manufacturing cooperation. Exploring industrial cooperation opportunities tied to Canada's Canadian Patrol Submarine Project, with Quebec's shipbuilding and defence industrial base integration.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• World Trade Center Montréal: A Montréal-based trade and investment facilitation organization with overlapping services for international businesses, sharing the same Greater Montréal mandate and ecosystem of corporate partners.

Direct peers

• Invest Alberta: Alberta's provincial inward investment agency providing free, confidential advisory services to foreign investors, with a comparable mandate to attract FDI, international organizations, and skilled talent to the province.
• Greater Zurich Area: Switzerland's lead agency for attracting foreign investment, international organizations, and skilled talent to the Greater Zurich Area, with a directly analogous mandate and free advisory service model.
• London & Partners: The official promotional agency for London, attracting FDI, talent, and major events; a structurally similar non-profit/public-private agency with comparable service portfolio and immigration/talent focus.
• Business France: France's national agency supporting French companies abroad and attracting foreign investment into France; directly comparable in mandate, free advisory model, and government-backed structure.
• Toronto Global: Toronto's regional investment attraction agency, offering free advisory services to foreign companies establishing operations in the Toronto Region, with a similar public-private funding model and focus on FDI, talent, and international organizations.
• Choose Paris Region: Paris Region's FDI and talent attraction agency offering free advisory services to foreign companies; particularly comparable for the AI-cluster overlap given Mistral AI's French origin and MI's success capturing its Canadian entry.

Broad incumbents

• Invest in Canada: Canada's federal inward investment agency, acting as both a partner and a higher-tier funnel for MI; provides national-level FDI promotion, talent attraction, and international organization services that overlap with MI's mandate.
• Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB): Singapore's government-led investment promotion agency; comparable in function at a global scale, with a track record of attracting foreign multinationals, international organizations, and skilled talent comparable in scale to MI's cumulative FDI results.
• Investissement Québec (IQ): Quebec's provincial investment agency with a much broader mandate including direct financing and incentives; overlaps directly with MI on FDI attraction within the same geography, making it both a partner and a competing channel for inbound investors.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/MTLINTL

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Montreal International