New competition held by the Rémi Marcoux Entrepreneurial Track: congratulations to the winning students!
October 6, 2015
On September 25 and 26, over 70 students from HEC Montréal, Polytechnique Montréal and the Université de Montréal turned out for the “Bâtissez votre opportunité d’affaires” (“build your own business opportunity”) competition organized by the Rémi Marcoux Entrepreneurial Track. Divided into 12 teams, they had to use the entrepreneurial approach to solve a challenge facing a community of individuals and come up with a possible solution. The jury, experts in the field of innovation and entrepreneurship, awarded three prizes.
The first-place team of five HEC Montréal students – Guillaume Campeau (BBA), Khalil Driss (MSc), Felipe Gomez (BBA), Samuel Grondin (BBA) and Jean-Philippe Michaud (MBA) – and Me Nada Belhadfa (MSc) , received a $1,000 prize, an offer of specialized coaching in its business start-up project, and access to a newly created community work space. Their proposal, designed for nursing staff on the night shift, is to use the latest technology and knowledge in the field of sleep science to offer them a relaxation space that can be quickly put up and taken down. The judges appreciated the potential of their idea, noting that it could be applied in a number of other areas.
Second place went to the team of Marie-Ève Cédras (MSc), Théo Corboliou (BBA), Nicolas Dufresne (BBA), Minhal Goulmaly (Polytechnique, chemical engineering), Noémie Lessard (BBA) and Arthur Maroquene Froissart (BBA), for their proposal, aimed at better integrating aboriginal individuals into the Montreal economy by creating a non-profit organization allowing them to collect returnable bottles. The judges were convinced when they learned that 27 million returnable bottles are thrown in the trash every year, in Quebec alone. The team will receive specialized coaching to help with its start-up, as well as access to a community work space.
The Jury's Choice award went to the team of Simon Bardy (BBA), Kevyn Bele-Binda (Polytechnique, mining engineering), Camille Crueghe (BBA), Derly Tatiana Godoy Santiago (BBA), Karim Mansouri (MSc) and Elias Andres Michelena (graduate diploma). Their chosen community was street artists and emerging artists not represented by production firms. Their solution is to create a platform for matching these artists with stores and firms so that they can become known more rapidly. The six students will also be given access to a community work space.
Congratulations to everyone!
The winning team, along with leading players in the Rémi Marcoux Entrepreneurial Track. Back row: Khalil Driss, Jean-Philippe Michaud, Samuel Grondin, Nada Belhadfa, Marie-Ange Masson (Institute for Entrepreneurship National Bank | HEC Montréal), Felipe Gomez, Catherine S. Beaucage (Entrepreneurship centre, business relaunches and business families), Guillaume Campeau and Nathalie Marcoux (Rémi Marcoux Entrepreneurial Track). Front row: Nicolas Libedinsky (BBA 2014, graduate of the Rémi Marcoux Entrepreneurial Track), baby Nathanaël and Luis Cisneros (Institute for Entrepreneurship National Bank | HEC Montréal and Rémi Marcoux Entrepreneurial Track).
Back row, Nicolas Libedinsky and the second-place team: Nathalie Marcoux, Théo Corboliou, Nicolas Dufresne, Arthur Maroquene Froissart, Marie-Ève Cédras and Noémie Lessard (absent: Minhal Goulmaly). Front row: Colette Vanasse and Marie-Ange Masson (Institute for Entrepreneurship National Bank | HEC Montréal).
Back row, part of the Jury's Choice award-winning team: Elias Andres Michelena, Camille Crueghe, Simon Bardy and Kevyn Bele-Binda (absent: Karim Mansouri and Derly Tatiana Godoy Santiago). Front row: Nicolas Libedinsky, Colette Vanasse and Marie-Ange Masson.
Photos: Jérôme Gonthier, National Bank | HEC Montréal Institute for Entrepreneurship.