Ceumontreal
CEuMontréal is a non-profit university entrepreneurship center at Université de Montréal, founded in 1996, that provides free coaching, workshops, and themed programs (Innovinc. RBC, Datapreneur, Technopreneur) and coworking space to students, graduates, researchers, and employees.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1996
- HeadquartersMontréal, Canada
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Ceumontreal does
CEuMontréal is a non-profit university entrepreneurship center founded in 1996 and embedded within the Université de Montréal. It supports student, graduate, researcher, and employee founders through free coaching, workshops, themed programs (Innovinc. RBC, Datapreneur, Technopreneur), and a coworking space. Since 1998 it has supported more than 4,000 students across its programs and is the only university-based incubator in Quebec to join the UBI Global network.
The center's core "products" are its structured programs and physical coworking space rather than a software platform. Innovinc. RBC is a general startup coaching and pitch-training program; Datapreneur, run in partnership with IVADO, focuses on AI and data-driven entrepreneurship; and Technopreneur targets research commercialization and laboratory spin-offs. The organization reported approximately 10 team members and is funded through donations and grants, with notable support from Québecor, Fondation Chopin-Péladeau, and RBC.
The business model is grant- and donation-funded, with services offered free of charge to the university community. Recent strategic moves include the 2022 CAD 40 million donation to Université de Montréal earmarked for the Millennium project, a 2020 rebrand to CEuMontréal, the 2019 appointment of Nada Zogheib as General Director, and the 2019 launch of the Datapreneur program in partnership with IVADO. The center plays a community-building role within Quebec's startup ecosystem rather than pursuing commercial revenue.
Ceumontreal firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Ceumontreal
- Legal name
- Centre d'entrepreneuriat de l'Université de Montréal
- Website
- https://ceumontreal.ca
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1996
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- CEuMontréal is a non-profit university entrepreneurship center at Université de Montréal, founded in 1996, that provides free coaching, workshops, and themed programs (Innovinc. RBC, Datapreneur, Technopreneur) and coworking space to students, graduates, researchers, and employees.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Ceumontreal industry classification
Industry- Product category
- University Entrepreneurship Support Services
- NAICS
- Educational Support Services (61171), Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Professional Organizations (81392), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Youth Business Incubators & Accelerators (EDAMAHAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Technical Universities with Entrepreneurship & Incubation Focus (EDAHAEAH), Entrepreneurship Foundations & Startup Basics (EDAMAHAA), Entrepreneurship & Small Business Workforce Programs (EDAAAOAM), STEM, Digital Literacy & Maker Education Nonprofits (BPAGADAG), Leadership, Management & Teamwork for Business (EDAMAHAI)
Keywords
Where Ceumontreal is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Montréal
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Ceumontreal business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Philanthropic donations and grants: Ceumontreal operates as a nonprofit organization funded primarily through donations from private donors (e.g., RBC as exceptional donor, Québecor and Fondation Chopin-Péladeau with a $40M historical gift) and institutional partners. Revenue is used to fund free services for entrepreneurs and program prize money.
- Free entrepreneurship services (core offering): All core services — coaching, workshops, and program participation — are provided free of charge to students, graduates, professors, researchers, and employees of Université de Montréal. No revenue is collected from beneficiaries.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Annual | Free tier for all students, graduates, professors, researchers, and employees of Université de Montréal |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels8 records
Ceumontreal product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Ceumontreal is a non-profit university entrepreneurship center that provides free one-on-one coaching, skills workshops, and structured multi-stage entrepreneurship programs (Innovinc. RBC, Datapreneur, Technopreneur) to students, graduates, professors, researchers, and employees of the Université de Montréal. Programs guide aspiring entrepreneurs from idea validation and business model design through to business plan development, with associated competition prizes and coworking space access, all fully funded by philanthropic donors and institutional sponsors.
Product overview
Ceumontreal (Centre d'entrepreneuriat de l'Université de Montréal) is a non-profit organization offering a structured ecosystem of free entrepreneurial support services to the University of Montreal community. The core offering consists of a personalized coaching service combined with the '3, 2, 1... J'entreprends' workshop series for foundational skills. The organization runs three specialized program tracks: Innovinc. RBC (a three-stage competition series: Explorez, Esquissez, and Concrétisez for general entrepreneurship), Datapreneur (AI and data science-focused 8-month program with IVADO partnership), and Technopreneur (10-12 month pre-commercialization program for university research technologies). Additionally, La Cour de Création provides collaborative workspace facilities. Together, these services guide entrepreneurs from idea validation through business plan development to startup launch.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Innovinc. RBC: Series of entrepreneurship competitions including Explorez, Esquissez, and Concrétisez programs for students and graduates
- Datapreneur
- Technopreneur
- 3, 2, 1 ... J'entreprends
- Cour de création
Products and services
- Service de coaching
Companies that use Ceumontreal
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Ceumontreal technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Ceumontreal partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
15 partnerships are on record, tiered founding, minor and core.
- Université de MontréalfoundingUniversité de Montréal is the primary institutional host and founding member of Ceumontreal. The center is embedded in Pavillon J.-Armand-Bombardier on the Université de Montréal campus and exclusively serves the university's community of students, graduates, researchers, and employees. The university provides institutional support, campus infrastructure, and access to academic networks.
- Polytechnique MontréalfoundingPolytechnique Montréal is a founding institutional partner. The center originally served communities from both Polytechnique Montréal and Université de Montréal before refocusing exclusively on Université de Montréal in 2020. Polytechnique Montréal continues to be referenced as a key partner institution and source of student participants and technologies.
- HEC MontréalminorHEC Montréal was a founding member of the original Centre d'entrepreneurship HEC-POLY-UdeM established in 1996. While no longer a formal partner following the center's renaming in 2020, alumni from HEC Montréal continue to participate in Ceumontreal programs and competitions.
- IVADO (Institut de valorisation des données)coreIVADO is the key strategic partner for the Datapreneur program, which focuses on AI and data science startups. IVADO co-funds Datapreneur cohorts and provides access to its network of researchers and industry experts. The partnership has run for multiple cohorts since 2019.
- Yulex Avocats et StratègescoreYulex Avocats et Stratèges is a project partner and legal services sponsor for the Innovinc. RBC competition series. The firm provides legal services packages worth $375+ per winning team to competition participants. Yulex professionals serve as jury members and guest speakers. Partnership active for 8 years.
- Lavery AvocatscoreLavery Avocats is a project partner and legal services sponsor, particularly for the Datapreneur program. The firm provides $500+ in legal services to each finalist team in Datapreneur cohorts and participates in Demo Day juries.
- Scale AIminorScale AI is listed as a project partner, likely contributing to AI-focused entrepreneurship programs and providing access to its network of AI companies and mentors for participants.
- Fondation ArbourminorThe Fondation Arbour is listed as a project partner, contributing to entrepreneurship programs at the center.
- AxelysminorAxelys is a collaborator and nonprofit organization contributing to the development and transfer of high-potential innovations from public research. Listed as a campus resource and collaborator.
- CEIM (Centre d'entreprises et d'innovation de Montréal)minorCEIM is listed as a collaborator, providing additional incubation and acceleration resources in the Montreal startup ecosystem for Ceumontreal alumni.
- District 3 (Concordia University)minorDistrict 3 is a collaborator hub for innovation and entrepreneurship, connected to Concordia University, and works with Ceumontreal as part of the broader Montreal startup ecosystem.
- Réseau McoreRéseau M is a mentorship network of which Ceumontreal is an active member. The center refers volunteer mentors to the Réseau M platform and connects student entrepreneurs with mentors from its network. Réseau M provides access to a broader pool of experienced entrepreneurs for mentorship matching.
- MILA (Montreal Institute for Learning Algorithms)minorMILA is listed as a campus resource available to Ceumontreal entrepreneurs. Its 300+ AI researchers and community provide access to cutting-edge AI expertise for startups in the Datapreneur program.
- OVHcloudminorOVHcloud is listed as a collaborator, providing cloud infrastructure resources or credits for technology startups supported by Ceumontreal.
- UnivalorcoreUnivalor is the university technology transfer and commercialization society linked to Université de Montréal. It partners with Ceumontreal on the Technopreneur program to help students commercialize research-derived technologies. Ceumontreal was originally a partnership between HEC Montréal, Polytechnique Montréal, and Université de Montréal through Univalor's predecessor organizations.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Ceumontreal competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Entrepreneur First: Global talent-first deep-tech startup builder that supports individuals (including graduate researchers) in forming tech ventures from scratch. Comparable in its mission of converting research talent into fundable startups; intersects with Ceumontreal's Technopreneur/Datapreneur alumni pipeline.
- Creative Destruction Lab (CDL): Canada-wide seed-stage accelerator for science- and technology-based startups, with strong AI cohorts in Montreal. Partially comparable as an objective, mentorship-driven program for venture-scale founders; intersects with Ceumontreal's Datapreneur AI cohort as a downstream option for graduates.
- Founder Institute: Global pre-seed startup accelerator and training program operating in multiple cities. Partially comparable as a structured entrepreneur training and cohort program; competes for early-stage founders in the same market segment as Ceumontreal's Innovinc. RBC.
Direct peers
- Centech (École de technologie supérieure): Technology startup accelerator and incubator affiliated with ETS in Montreal, serving science and engineering student-founders with structured programs. Comparable as a Quebec university-based tech entrepreneurship center with multi-stage cohorts and ecosystem partnerships.
- Velocity (University of Waterloo): University of Waterloo's flagship startup incubator providing workspace, mentorship, and programs for student and alumni founders. Directly comparable as a large-scale university entrepreneurship center operating multi-stage incubation pathways for tech ventures.
- District 3 (Concordia University): University-affiliated entrepreneurship hub at Concordia University in Montreal offering incubation, coaching, and programs to student-founders. Directly comparable to Ceumontreal as a competing Montreal university entrepreneurship center with similar services and beneficiary profile.
- HEC Montréal Entrepreneurship Programs: Former founding partner of the Centre d'entrepreneurship HEC-POLY-UdeM and now operates its own entrepreneurship offerings for HEC Montréal students. Closely comparable as a Montreal business-school-affiliated entrepreneurship center targeting graduate and undergraduate founders.
- The DMZ (Toronto Metropolitan University): Top-ranked Canadian university-based startup incubator at Toronto Metropolitan University offering programs, mentorship, and founder support. Comparable in mission, structure, and Canadian university entrepreneurship context to Ceumontreal.
Broad incumbents
- Mitacs: Canadian nonprofit that funds research internships and innovation programs connecting graduate students with industry. Adjacent to Ceumontreal's mission of supporting graduate-student entrepreneurship and commercialization of research through Technopreneur.
Regional players
- CEIM (Centre d'entreprises et d'innovation de Montréal): Montreal-based nonprofit business incubator and accelerator serving SME and startup founders across the Greater Montreal area. Comparable as a Montreal entrepreneurship support organization providing incubation services; the Centre's General Director previously worked there.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Ceumontreal social profiles
Digital presenceCeumontreal financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Ceumontreal leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles14 records
Ceumontreal funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Ceumontreal 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 Ceumontreal
What does Ceumontreal do?
Ceumontreal is a non-profit university entrepreneurship center that provides free one-on-one coaching, skills workshops, and structured multi-stage entrepreneurship programs (Innovinc. RBC, Datapreneur, Technopreneur) to students, graduates, professors, researchers, and employees of the Université de Montréal. Programs guide aspiring entrepreneurs from idea validation and business model design through to business plan development, with associated competition prizes and coworking space access, all fully funded by philanthropic donors and institutional sponsors.
Is Ceumontreal a public or private company?
Ceumontreal is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Ceumontreal founded?
Ceumontreal was founded in 1996. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Ceumontreal based?
Ceumontreal is headquartered in Montréal, Canada, in the North America region.
How does Ceumontreal make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Philanthropic donations and grants are the primary driver. The others are free entrepreneurship services (core offering).
Who are Ceumontreal's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are Entrepreneur First, Creative Destruction Lab (CDL) and Founder Institute. Direct peers are Centech (École de technologie supérieure), Velocity (University of Waterloo), District 3 (Concordia University), HEC Montréal Entrepreneurship Programs and The DMZ (Toronto Metropolitan University). Mitacs is listed as a broad incumbent. CEIM (Centre d'entreprises et d'innovation de Montréal) is listed as a regional player.
Does Ceumontreal have an API?
No public API is recorded for Ceumontreal.
What industry is Ceumontreal in?
Ceumontreal's product category is University Entrepreneurship Support Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAMAHAC, Youth Business Incubators & Accelerators, with a secondary code of EDAHAEAH, Technical Universities with Entrepreneurship & Incubation Focus. Its NAICS code is 61171 and its SIC code is 8200.