Fab Labs Québec

What Fab Labs Québec does

Fab Labs Québec is a Coopérative de solidarité headquartered in Gatineau, Quebec, that operates as a provincial interstructure coordinating approximately 60 Fab Labs and friendly workshops (ateliers amis) across 12+ regions of Quebec. Founded informally in 2011 and formally incorporated on September 30, 2019, the organization serves as the unified voice and coordination layer for the Quebec Fab Lab network, connecting it to the global network of 1,750+ Fab Labs through a formal interlocutor relationship with the Fab Foundation at MIT. Its core offerings are operational infrastructure and coordination services rather than commercial products: a wiki-based collaboration platform at wiki.fablabs.quebec, a co-created card-based facilitation tool for coordination conversations, weekly virtual Wednesday sessions via the open-source Jitsi telepresence platform, and in-person regional meetups.

The organization's products and services are community-coordination artifacts rather than software products. The technology stack is intentionally low-cost and open-source — a wiki, Jitsi video conferencing, Telegram, Facebook, and a WordPress website — with no proprietary AI, data, or platform technology reported. The cooperative model means members (Fab Labs and individuals) are simultaneously the customers, governance participants, and beneficiaries. The organization is supported by founding partners Communautique and Procédurable, and has secured partnerships with the Quebec Library Network (14 planned library Fab Labs), CDROL (governance accompaniment), Art&Fact (facilitation tool co-creation), and the Bas Saint Laurent region (Fab Région designation).

Fab Labs Québec does not generate commercial revenue. Its economic model is membership-based and partnership-funded, with no disclosed pricing, no funding rounds, no venture capital, and no parent company. It is member-owned and member-governed through a board of directors with a co-presidency structure, with services funded through member contributions, host-organization support, and public-sector partnerships. The organization's primary customer segments are its member Fab Labs, maker communities, libraries and educational institutions, and municipalities engaging in Fab City initiatives.

Name

Fab Labs Québec

Legal name

Coopérative de solidarité Fab Labs Québec

Website

https://fablabs.quebec

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Fab Labs Québec is a solidarity cooperative headquartered in Gatineau that coordinates approximately 60 Fab Labs and friendly workshops across 12+ regions of Quebec, connecting them to the global Fab Foundation network through wiki-based knowledge sharing, weekly virtual meetups, and regional community gatherings.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Coordination Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171), Professional Organizations (81392)

SIC

Services-Facilities Support Management Services (8744)

akta.pro primary industry

Makerspaces & Fab Labs (Open Build Studios) (EDAMADAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Makerspace, Innovation Lab & Fab Lab Operations (Tools, Safety, Programming) (EDAEAGAI)

Keywords

• Maker community coordination
• Fab lab network
• Digital fabrication commons
• Cooperative infrastructure
• Workshop collaboration services

Headquarters

HQ city

Quebec

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Fab Labs Québec operates as a solidarity cooperative (Coopérative de solidarité) that serves as the provincial interstructure network connecting approximately 60 Fab Labs and partner ateliers amis across Quebec. The cooperative provides coordination infrastructure, a collaborative wiki platform, facilitation tools for inter-Fab Lab collaboration, weekly virtual meetups, and serves as the unified provincial voice in the international Fab Lab ecosystem.

Product overview

Fab Labs Québec operates as a Coopérative de solidarité serving as the provincial interstructure for approximately 60 Fab Labs and friendly workshops across Quebec. The organization's offerings consist of a coordination network (the interstructure itself), a collaborative wiki platform (wiki.fablabs.quebec), facilitation tools including the FabLabQc coordination card game, and weekly virtual Wednesday sessions. Rather than a traditional software product, Fab Labs Québec provides organizational infrastructure, community coordination, and knowledge-sharing services to its member Fab Labs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Fab Labs Québec Interstructure Network A provincial coordination network and solidarity cooperative (Coopérative de solidarité) connecting approximately 60 Fab Labs and partner workshops across Quebec, facilitating collaboration, knowledge sharing, governance, and collective projects among member fabrication laboratories.
• Fab Labs Québec Wiki Platform A collaborative wiki platform (wiki.fablabs.quebec) serving as the interstructure's living documentation and knowledge-sharing space for Fab Lab members across Quebec.
• Fab Labs Québec Coordination Tools (Card Game) A co-created card-based facilitation tool (Artefact de Collaboration FabLabQc) designed to support coordination conversations, project navigation, and decision-making among Fab Lab managers and member organizations.
• Wednesday Fab Lab Sessions Weekly collaborative sessions held every Wednesday using the JitSi open-source telepresence platform, enabling spontaneous knowledge sharing, community building, and coordination among Quebec Fab Labs.

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Bas Saint Laurent Region (Fab Région)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 October 2020Bas Saint Laurent region officially registered as Fab Région since October 2020, participating in Fab City Distributed global event. Part of movement toward local manufacturing and global connectivity.
• Art&FactminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2019Co-created coordination artifact (card-based collaboration tool) for Fab Labs Quebec. Designed facilitation tools for open space meetings and governance discussions. Work shared under CC BY-SA license.
• CommunautiquecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 September 2019Key founding partner and supporter of Fab Labs Québec. Hosts Fab Labs Québec activities at District Central location in Ahuntsic-Cartierville, Montréal. Runs échofab and is hosting Fab City Summit. Actively supported Fab Labs Quebec's transition to cooperative model.
• CDROL (Coopérative régionale de Développement Outaouais-Laurentides)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 30 September 2019Provided governance support and accompaniment during the establishment of the Coopérative de solidarité Fab Labs Québec. Helped prepare the founding assembly.
• Fab Foundation (MIT)coreTechnology or Integration · 30 September 2019International network hub based at MIT in Boston. Fab Labs Québec connects to the global network of 1750+ Fab Labs across 100+ countries through this relationship. Formal interlocutor relationship.
• ProcédurablecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011Key supporter organization that helped build and maintain the Fab Labs Québec network since 2011. Active in governance and coordination activities.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Fab Foundation: Global umbrella organization based at MIT that coordinates the worldwide Fab Lab network; Fab Labs Québec maintains a formal interlocutor relationship with Fab Foundation, making it the most direct structural peer.

Direct peers

• Communautique: A founding partner and key activity hub of Fab Labs Québec, Communautique operates échofab and hosts Fab City Summit Montréal; it is a directly comparable Quebec-based community Fab Lab with deep operational ties.
• échofab: A Fab Lab operated by Communautique in Montréal; directly comparable as a member Fab Lab within the Fab Labs Québec network, contributing to the cooperative's coordination activities.
• Digihub de Shawinigan / Le Lab du DigiHub: A regional Fab Lab and activity hub in Shawinigan that hosted the November 2022 community gathering; directly comparable as a member Fab Lab and regional digital innovation hub in Quebec.
• La Fabrique Mobile de l'Outaouais: A mobile Fab Lab serving underserved regions of Quebec and a founding member of the cooperative; directly comparable as a member Fab Lab operating in the same network.
• Procédurable: A founding partner of Fab Labs Québec since 2011, Procédurable is a Quebec-based organization supporting digital fabrication and maker culture, with overlapping community and governance functions.

Regional players

• Fab Lab Barcelona: One of the most established Fab Labs globally and a key node in the Fab City movement; comparable as a regional Fab Lab with significant coordination and community engagement activities outside Quebec.
• Toronto Maker Community / Toronto Tool Library: A Canadian makerspace coordination network with library partnerships comparable to Fab Labs Québec's library Fab Lab expansion strategy; operates in a different geography (Ontario) with similar community-mobilization model.

Emerging players

• MakerEd NYC: A US-based nonprofit supporting maker education and makerspaces; adjacent peer with overlapping mission of maker education and network coordination, though less focused on the formal Fab Lab ecosystem.
• Neil Squire Society / Makers Making Change: Canadian nonprofit focused on assistive technology through maker communities; comparable in mission (community-driven fabrication, Canada-wide coordination) but with a specialized assistive-tech focus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/fabfndn/playlists
• Facebookfacebook.com/FabLabsQuebec
• Xx.com/FabLabsQuebec
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gcoulombe

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Fab Labs Québec