Living Lab in Montreal

What Living Lab in Montreal does

Living Lab de Montréal is a non-profit open-innovation and co-creation center founded in 2010 by Louise Guay, Claude Faribault, and Kim Davis, with roots in the MIT Media Lab's Responsive City research program. The organization convenes citizens, researchers, entrepreneurs, and public and private decision-makers to address complex urban challenges through participatory methodologies, living-lab field experiments, and collaborative research projects. Its core technical asset is the Réseau Interlieux, a blockchain-based interoperability platform that allows independent coworking and flexwork operators to register their proprietary access-control systems and expose secure APIs, enabling users to reserve seats and meeting rooms across heterogeneous networks in real time. Supporting tools include the Calculateur d'économies and Comparateur de trajets (commute and CO2 comparison utilities), Le Quartier de la Gare (an interactive 3D urban-planning consultation tool built on Google Earth and SketchUp), and legacy projects such as BixiWiki 2.0 and the TranspoCamp Montréal open forum.

The organization operates as a non-profit (organisme à but non lucratif), not a commercial SaaS vendor. Revenue is generated through framework agreements (ententes-cadres) with sponsoring enterprises and public bodies, partnership memberships, and co-funded research projects; pricing is custom and not publicly disclosed. It is a member of the European Network of Living Labs (ENoLL) and serves a hybrid customer base spanning municipal governments (Ville de Montréal, Ville de Longueuil, Ville de Sherbrooke, Ville de Plessisville), public transit agencies (STM, AMT/Bixi), academic institutions (ESG-UQÀM, MIT Media Lab, TELUQ), and large enterprises (BNP Paribas Real Estate, Michelin/Movin'On, Ivanhoé Cambridge, Deloitte Canada, Orange, EDF). Distribution is direct and event-driven: TranspoCamp Montréal, roundtables, hackathons, conferences, and thought-leadership media appearances by the founder rather than conventional sales channels.

Name

Living Lab in Montreal

Legal name

Living Lab de Montréal

Website

https://livinglabmontreal.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Living Lab de Montréal is a non-profit open-innovation center that convenes citizens, researchers, governments, and enterprises to co-create solutions for urban mobility, flexwork, and participatory planning, anchored by its blockchain-based Réseau Interlieux coworking platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Open Innovation Consulting

NAICS

Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Digital Nomad & Remote-Work Monthly Stays (THAMAFAI), Virtual/Hybrid Conference Production & Platform Management (THAHACAM)

Keywords

• Open innovation research
• Coworking interoperability platform
• Urban mobility consulting
• Participatory urban planning
• Flexwork platform development

Headquarters

HQ city

Montreal

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Research Sponsorship and Co-Funding: Living Lab de Montréal operates through framework agreements (ententes-cadres) where enterprises and organizations define and co-sponsor specific research work. The organization assembles its ecosystem of researchers, experts, startups, and entrepreneurs to address complex problems identified by the sponsoring organization. Projects are tailored to the needs of the enterprise or organization.
2. Partnership Membership and Ecosystem Collaboration: Partners (corporate, public, university, and social organizations) join the Living Lab ecosystem, contributing to collaborative projects. Partners include BNP Paribas Real Estate, Michelin, MIT Media Lab, Ville de Montréal, Ivanhoé Cambridge, and others who participate in co-creation and innovation projects.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Living Lab de Montréal operates as a non-profit open innovation center that convenes citizens, researchers, creators, entrepreneurs, and public/private decision-makers to co-create urban solutions in sustainable mobility, flexwork, and citizen participation. Its flagship product is Réseau Interlieux, a blockchain-based platform enabling independent coworking and telework centers to interoperate their access control systems and offer real-time workspace reservations, complemented by participatory research projects, workshops, and 3D public consultation tools.

Product overview

Living Lab de Montréal operates as a unified co-creation and open innovation center founded in 2010, offering a portfolio of interconnected products and services focused on sustainable urban mobility, flexible workspace, and citizen participation. The core offering is the Réseau Interlieux—a blockchain-based platform for coworking and telework space sharing—supplemented by specialized tools including the Calculateur d'économies (savings calculator), Comparateur de trajets (trip comparator), and Le Quartier de la Gare (3D public consultation tool). Supporting services include innovation workshops, participatory surveys, and media presence facilitation. The organization also maintains legacy projects like BixiWiki 2.0 and TranspoCamp Montréal that demonstrate their participatory research methodology.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Réseau Interlieux: A Blockchain-based platform developed by Living Lab de Montréal that enables interoperability between different workspace access control systems, allowing independent coworking centers to share available spaces with the general population through a dynamic, real-time reservation service.

Products and services

• Réseau Interlieux (Interlieux Network) Blockchain-based platform that enables independent coworking and telework centers to offer their available spaces to the general population through a dynamic, real-time shared reservation service, by registering proprietary access control systems in a distributed ledger and exposing secure APIs for cross-operator booking.
• Ateliers et forums ouverts (Innovation Workshops and Open Forums) Facilitation services for innovation workshops and open forums (e.g., TranspoCamp Montréal, Nature et Culture, Media Workshops, tables rondes on collective intelligence) run with partners such as SAT, CIRANO, Société Générale, AMT, STL, C2MTL, and Société Radio-Canada to bring together transportation stakeholders, citizens, and researchers.
• Enquêtes participatives (Participatory Surveys) Collaborative research methodology engaging end users in defining needs and testing solutions, including co-creation projects to scope requirements for mobile and web services around bike-sharing, workspace access, and other urban systems.
• Présence médiatique (Media Presence Services) Communications and visibility services for open innovation projects, including conference presentations, panel discussions, interviews, and media appearances by Living Lab leadership aimed at gathering high-level participants and promoting project outcomes.

Quantifiable outcome

• Replacing commute-to-downtown with near-home coworking can reduce annual mileage by 83% (5/6), reducing commute time, fuel consumption, and GHG emissions proportionally.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

22 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• MIT Media LabcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010Foundational partner. The Living Lab de Montréal was born from the international Responsive City research project at MIT Media Lab. The organization's methodology is directly derived from the work of Bill Mitchell and MIT researchers. Living Lab collaborates with MIT Media Lab on urban technology, smart customization, and responsive city research. Finnish partner Spacent (also MIT Media Lab-affiliated) joined in 2019 for the Interlieux flexwork platform. Louise Guay worked closely with Jarmo Suominen (MIT Media Lab scientist and architect).
• European Network of Living Labs (ENoLL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial member of ENoLL, connecting the Living Lab de Montréal to a European ecosystem of living labs focused on open innovation in real-world settings.
• BNP Paribas Real EstateflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey partner and co-organizer of the November 2021 videoconference 'La Plateformisation de la ville, de l'immobilier et du télétravail'. Laurent Pavillon (Global Head of Business Services) and Christine Serra (Dir. régionale Centre-Ouest, BNP Paribas) served as co-animators. BNP Paribas Real Estate is also listed as a general partner of the Living Lab.
• Michelin (Movin'On)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partner collaborating since early Living Lab projects on sustainable mobility. Movin'On Labs (Michelin's global mobility think-and-action tank) has worked with Living Lab on the Interlieux–Smart Bus initiative and multiple Movin'On summits. Alexis Offergeld (Dir. Movin'On Lab) participated in Living Lab's 2021 conference.
• New CitiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organizer of three roundtables on 'Intelligence collective du territoire' (Collective Intelligence of the Territory) held in 2016–2017, bringing together Montreal's leading actors in urban innovation. Topics included Building Collective Intelligence, Attractiveness of Montréal, and City as a Laboratory.
• Ivanhoé CambridgeflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerVP Innovation François Lacoursière participated in Living Lab's November 2021 conference on real estate platformization. Ivanhoé Cambridge is investing in PropTech powerhouse Fifth Wall and transforming its portfolio, collaborating with Living Lab on the future of flexwork and commercial real estate platformization.
• Ville de MontréalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunicipal government partner, collaborating on urban mobility projects, open data initiatives, and the city's smart city strategy. Stéphane Guidoin (Dir. du Laboratoire d'innovation urbaine de Montréal) has participated in Living Lab events. The city provides open data through donnees.ville.montreal.qc.ca.
• SpacentcoreTechnology or IntegrationFinnish partner collaborating since 2019 on the Interlieux flexwork platform. Spacent has developed a platform and application enabling employers to share space inventories across a network of participating workspaces. Operates in Helsinki, Stockholm, Shanghai, Toronto, and coming to Montréal. Founded by Jarmo Suominen (MIT Media Lab-affiliated).
• ESG-UQÀMcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner — École des sciences de la gestion of Université du Québec à Montréal. Contributes to Living Lab's research ecosystem and collaborative projects.
• Groupe Custeau (Espace Centro)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerQuebec real estate developer and partner, with Charles Custeau (President) participating in the 2021 conference on real estate platformization. Groupe Custeau works across real estate, financing, and private investment, developing millions of square feet of residential and commercial land.
• Ville de SherbrookeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunicipal partner in Quebec. Philippe Cadieux (Dir., Développement économique) participated in the November 2021 conference on platformization. Sherbrooke is among the growing number of Quebec cities developing flexwork and smart city initiatives.
• Club Immobilier Nantes Atlantique (CINA)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerNantes-based real estate club. Christine Serra (Dir. régionale Centre-Ouest, BNP Paribas) is President of CINA. CINA co-organized the November 2021 France-Québec videoconference with Living Lab and BNP Paribas Real Estate.
• Smart Buildings Alliance for Smart CitiesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational organization focused on smart buildings and smart cities. Living Lab participates in SBA's summer universities (e.g., Lyon 2018) and contributes to discussions on smart building, urban innovation, and digital transformation.
• Living Lab d'innovation ouverte (LLio)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerQuebec living lab network partner. LLio du Cégep de Rivière-du-Loup received visits from Living Lab de Montréal, including Louise Guay and architect Pierre Thibault. The organizations share best practices in open innovation and collaborative urban research.
• Magog TechnopoleminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional economic development organization in the Eastern Townships. Collaborated with Living Lab on sustainable mobility projects and flexwork initiatives in the region.
• Atelier Pierre ThibaultminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerQuebec architectural firm led by architect Pierre Thibault. Contributes to Living Lab projects on participatory urban planning and architectural co-creation.
• KHEOPSminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch or knowledge partner contributing to Living Lab's ecosystem of experts and collaborators in complex urban systems research.
• MRC de MemphrémagogminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunicipal regional county in the Eastern Townships, contributing to regional innovation and flexwork projects in collaboration with Magog Technopole and Living Lab.
• PME-Montréal (Centre-Est)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSME support organization for the Centre-Est borough of Montreal. Contributes to the local innovation ecosystem accessible through the Living Lab network.
• Relais-Entreprises.frminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFrench business networking platform partner, expanding the Interlieux Network's reach to France-based coworking spaces and flexwork operators.
• Réseau d'investissement social du Québec (RISQ)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSocial investment network in Quebec, contributing to the Living Lab's social economy and cooperative model research alongside organizations like Desjardins.
• Ville de PlessisvilleminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSmall Quebec municipality participating in regional flexwork and smart city experiments with Living Lab.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Arup: Global engineering and urban innovation consultancy that runs its own Living Lab / Foresight practice. Comparable in methodology (open innovation, prototype urban systems) and in serving municipal and real estate clients across Europe and North America.

Direct peers

• Deskpass: Workspace pass platform offering day-pass and meeting-room access across a network of independent coworking operators. Closely aligned with Interlieux's product model: aggregated access to fragmented flexwork inventory rather than owned real estate.
• Liquidspace: US-based on-demand workspace marketplace connecting enterprises, landlords and coworking operators. Comparable to Living Lab's Interlieux as a third-party broker/scheduling layer over fragmented coworking inventory.
• Coworker.com: Global coworking directory and marketplace for on-demand workspace reservations. Targets the same user pain point as Interlieux (discovering and booking nearby flexwork) but without the blockchain access-control layer.
• TRACTR: French workplace-sharing platform listed as an explicit Living Lab integration partner for real estate owners and end users. Operates in the same flexwork-distribution space and pursues a comparable multi-operator, multi-employer model.
• Spacent: Finnish flexwork platform and Living Lab's named technology partner since 2019, operating a workplace-sharing marketplace across Helsinki, Stockholm, Shanghai and Toronto. Directly comparable as a near-home coworking distributor addressing the same interoperability and employer-sharing problem Living Lab's Interlieux targets.

Broad incumbents

• Industrious: Premium enterprise flex office operator with a national network in North America. Relevant incumbent offering overlap with the broader Living Lab flexwork thesis, though it owns inventory rather than enabling multi-operator interoperability.
• WeWork: Largest global coworking brand and the dominant incumbent shaping how employers and policy makers think about flexwork. Provides the competitive backdrop against which Interlieux's multi-operator model must differentiate.
• IWG (Regus / Spaces): World's largest flex office operator via Regus, Spaces and HQ brands. The scale incumbent whose platformization moves directly affect Living Lab partners BNP Paribas Real Estate and Ivanhoé Cambridge.

Emerging players

• New Commons: Canadian coworking and flexwork platform with overlap in the Canadian market context. Smaller scale than IWG/WeWork, but pursues a similar multi-operator community model to Interlieux.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/livinglabmtl

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Living Lab in Montreal