What CDEC Québec does

CDEC Québec (Corporation de développement économique communautaire de Québec) is a non-profit organization founded in 1994 that supports collective entrepreneurship and social economy enterprises in the Québec City region. Operating under the brand 'Fabrique d'impacts collectifs' (rebranded 2024), the organization provides free personalized accompaniment services to collective entrepreneurs (non-profits and cooperatives) covering business launch support, financing search, governance improvement, and sustainable development integration. It also maintains a strategic role as mandator and analyst for Réseau d'investissement social du Québec (RISQ) in the Capitale-Nationale region, channeling patient capital up to $1.5 million per project through Fiducie du Chantier de l'économie sociale.

The organization's product surface includes PLUSinclusif.quebec, a free self-diagnosis platform for equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) practices launched in 2025 and targeted at entrepreneurship support organizations; L'Activateur.ca, a sustainable development assessment tool offered through partnership with Centre Québécois de Développement Durable; and La Boussole entrepreneuriale, a 14-question reflection tool for prospective collective entrepreneurs. These digital tools complement in-person accompaniment delivered through workshops, webinars, information sessions, and free consultations. Content assets include the 'Accompagnement inclusif: Guide de bonnes pratiques' published in 2024.

Revenue derives from three streams: modest membership fees from organizations ($95-255/year) and individuals ($40-90/year); donations from supporters; and core government and partner funding from Développement économique Canada, Ville de Québec, Caisse d'économie solidaire Desjardins, and program-specific funders such as Femmes et Égalité des genres Canada. The team comprises approximately 10-11 staff including advisors, coordinators, and administrative personnel. Headquartered at 155 boulevard Charest Est in Québec City, CDEC operates exclusively in the regional social economy ecosystem with no commercial technology aspirations.

Name

CDEC Québec

Legal name

Corporation de développement économique communautaire

Website

https://cdec.quebec

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

CDEC Québec is a Québec City non-profit founded in 1994 that provides free accompaniment, financing guidance, and governance support to social economy enterprises and cooperatives, plus EDI and sustainable development tools, funded by government grants and financial partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Clarke City

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. Membership Fees: CDEC generates revenue through annual membership fees from organizations ($95-255/year depending on term) and individuals ($40-90/year depending on term). Members receive discounted rates on activities and events.
2. Donations: CDEC accepts donations from individuals and organizations to support their mission of strengthening collective entrepreneurship and developing innovative projects.
3. Government and Partner Funding: Core operations are funded by government programs and major financial partners including Canada Economic Development, Ville de Québec, and Caisse d'économie solidaire Desjardins.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

CDEC Québec is a non-profit community economic development corporation that supports collective entrepreneurship and social economy enterprises — including cooperatives, OBNLs (non-profit organizations), and social-purpose businesses — primarily in the Québec City region. It delivers accompaniment/mentoring, financing search support, governance and associative-life advisory, social-economy information sessions, and inclusion-focused resources, with services offered free of charge to entrepreneurs.

Product overview

CDEC Québec operates as a collective impact factory (Fabrique d'impacts collectifs) offering a portfolio of services for collective entrepreneurship support. The core offering includes PLUSinclusif.quebec, a self-diagnosis platform for EDI assessment; personalized accompaniment services for collective entrepreneurship (startup support, financing search, governance); and access to partner tools including L'Activateur.ca© for sustainable development and Bankeo for accounting services. These services are provided free to collective enterprises and supported by main financial partners including Développement économique Canada, Ville de Québec, and Caisse d'économie solidaire Desjardins.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• PLUSinclusif.quebec: A self-diagnosis and planning platform for more inclusive organizations, designed for entrepreneurship support organizations, economic development organizations, and financing institutions.
• L'Activateur.ca

Products and services

• Accompagnement en entrepreneuriat collectif Direct accompaniment and mentoring service for founders and leaders of cooperatives, OBNLs, and social-economy enterprises, covering project structuring, business model validation, and operational support.
• Recherche de financement Support service that helps cooperatives, OBNLs, and social-economy enterprises identify, apply for, and secure financing from government programs, grants, and partner funders.
• Gouvernance et vie associative Advisory and training service supporting boards and members of cooperatives and non-profits on governance, associative life, decision-making processes, and member engagement.
• Séances d'information sur l'économie sociale Group information sessions introducing entrepreneurs to the social economy model, covering how cooperatives and OBNLs operate, available support, and pathways to launching a collective enterprise.
• L'Activateur.ca Online web application providing entrepreneurs with self-serve resources, tools, and pathways to support the launch and development of their collective enterprise projects.
• La Boussole entrepreneuriale Online directory/compass tool that guides collective entrepreneurs to relevant support services, programs, and resources tailored to their stage and needs.
• PLUSinclusif.quebec Inclusion-focused program and platform that helps non-profits, cooperatives, and social-economy enterprises strengthen their equity, diversity, and inclusion practices through structured frameworks and certification training.
• Service de comptabilité (Bankeo) Accounting services offered to member organizations through a partnership with Bankeo, connecting cooperatives and OBNLs with certified accounting specialists for financial management.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100+ collective enterprises accompanied annually for free
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• BankeominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBankeo is a partner providing accounting services referral. CDEC directs entrepreneurs to Bankeo's network of certified accounting specialists for financial management support.
• Réseau d'investissement social du Québec (RISQ)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCDEC serves as mandator and analyst for RISQ in the Capitale-Nationale region, helping entrepreneurs access RISQ's financial products including funds for technical aid, emergence, capitalization, amplification, and innovation.
• L'Activateur.ca (Centre Québécois de Développement Durable)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCDEC is a support partner for the Activateur.ca web application, offering free access to 30 organizations in the Capitale-Nationale region for sustainable development assessment and planning.
• Coop CarboneminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization whose General Manager (Pauline Robert) serves as CDEC's Board President. CDEC is involved in the Community of Practice on circular economy led by Coop Carbone.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• PME MTL: Montreal-region network of PME (small business) support organizations offering accompaniment, financing, and training to entrepreneurs. Similar business model (free accompaniment, member ecosystem, government-supported) but serves a different geography and broader SMB segment beyond social economy.

Others

• Coop Carbone: Quebec cooperative supporting transition to a low-carbon economy through collective projects. CDEC's board president is Coop Carbone's GM, and both collaborate on circular-economy communities of practice, making it a strong ecosystem peer on sustainable development initiatives like L'Activateur.ca.

Broad incumbents

• Réseau M: Quebec-wide mentorship network for entrepreneurs offering one-on-one advisory support. Comparable to CDEC's accompaniment model for business creation, with a broader geographic footprint but narrower social-economy specialization.
• Futurpreneur Canada: National non-profit providing financing, mentorship, and business resources to young entrepreneurs across Canada. Comparable in offering free accompaniment and advisory services to a target entrepreneur population, though focused on youth-led businesses rather than collective enterprises.
• Chantier de l'économie sociale: Quebec-wide social economy umbrella organization that coordinates and advocates for collective enterprises and social economy actors. Overlaps with CDEC Québec on accompaniment and ecosystem-building for OBNLs and cooperatives, but at a provincial rather than regional scale.

Direct peers

• Pôle d'économie sociale de la Capitale-Nationale: Regional social economy pole covering the same Capitale-Nationale territory as CDEC Québec. Provides collective entrepreneurship support, networking, and representation for social economy enterprises, creating direct overlap in geography and target beneficiaries.
• CDEC Montréal: Direct counterpart serving Montreal with the same Community Economic Development Corporation (CDEC) model: collective entrepreneurship accompaniment, financing search, governance, and EDI support for OBNLs and cooperatives. Operates in a different region but with an identical mandate and service portfolio.
• TIESS (Territoires d'innovation sociale et d'économie sociale): Quebec-based organization that supports social economy enterprises through innovation, R&D, and impact measurement services. Comparable mission of strengthening social economy and collective enterprises with similar advisory and capacity-building offerings.

Emerging players

• Réseau d'investissement social du Québec (RISQ): Quebec social investment network providing patient capital and technical assistance to collective enterprises. CDEC serves as RISQ's mandator/analyst in Capitale-Nationale, making RISQ a natural partner and adjacent peer in the financing-search value chain.
• Fiducie du Chantier de l'économie sociale: Quebec trust providing patient capital up to $1.5M for major social economy projects, accessed through CDEC's accompaniment. A peer ecosystem participant financing the same collective-enterprise clients CDEC serves.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/cdecdequebec
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cdecqc
• Instagraminstagram.com/cdec.quebec

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 CDEC Québec