Quebecor donates $1 million to HEC Montréal:
The School’s Research Chair in User Experience will help start-ups with digital strategy

Thursday July 7, 2022

Montréal, July 7, 2022 – Quebecor and its asterX innovative entrepreneurship unit today announced a partnership with HEC Montréal to help Québec start-ups refine their digital strategies. Quebecor is making a $1 million donation to enable HEC Montréal’s Research Chair in User Experience (UX Chair) to support a hundred entrepreneurs over a 10-year period under the Quebecor asterX Digital Entrepreneurship Program.

Testing and improving user experience

The new program will be administered by the UX Chair, which is powered by HEC Montréal’s Tech3Lab. Every year, it will provide around ten local start-ups with support, at no charge, with testing and enhancing the user experience offered by the digital products and/or services they develop and market.

From left to right: Michel Patry, President and CEO of the HEC Montréal Foundation, Pelra Azondekon, Managing Director of asterX, Sylvain Sénécal, codirector of Tech3Lab and full professor in the Marketing Department, Pierre Laurin, former director of HEC Montréal, Pierre-Majorique Léger, holder of the UX Chair at HEC Montréal and full professor in the Information Technology Department, Sylvie Cordeau, Vice President Philanthropy and Sponsorships Quebecor and Pierre Karl Péladeau, President and CEO of Quebecor. Credits: Dominic Gouin.

"Thanks to Quebecor’s gift, we will be able to share with local entrepreneurs recent scientific advances in the field developed by the UX Chair in collaboration with organizations such as Videotron. We will make good use of our state-of-the-art research infrastructure, including new equipment installed at HEC Montréal’s new downtown building, which opens in the fall of 2022."

"We are very grateful to Quebecor for its support, which enables HEC Montréal to pursue its mission of supporting a wide mix of entrepreneurs and creating wealth in Québec."

"Entrepreneurship is part of HEC Montréal’s DNA. Our School has a solid ecosystem that brings together young talent, experts and numerous partners. It offers an array of services related to inclusive entrepreneurship, artificial intelligence and digital technology."

From left to right: Pierre-Majorique Léger, holder of the UX Chair at HEC Montréal and full professor in the Information Technology Department, Pierre Karl Péladeau, President and CEO of Quebecor and Michel Patry, President and CEO of the HEC Montréal Foundation. Credits: Dominic Gouin.

"True to our entrepreneurial roots, we want to give entrepreneurs a springboard and the means to drive innovation in the industries that will move our society forward, such as digital. This partnership between Quebecor and HEC Montréal strengthens our ties with the UX Chair, of which Videotron is already a member. It is a natural alliance for us, one that will help local businesses succeed and extend their reach beyond Quebec."

"This collaboration with HEC Montreal’s UX Chair is perfectly aligned with asterX’s mission of providing start-ups with financing and also tangible tools to guarantee their success. User experience is a key aspect of product-market fit for a start-up. So giving young businesses access to the expertise of a world-class laboratory through this new program will definitely be a valuable asset for them."

Call for applications

The Quebecor asterX Digital Entrepreneurship Program will welcome its first cohort in the fall of 2022. Companies interested in applying can visit programme-entrepreneuriat-numerique.hec.ca for more details.

About the Research Chair in User Experience

The Chair is powered by the research infrastructure of HEC Montréal’s Tech3Lab, the most important UX lab in North America. The mission of the Chair is to gain a thorough understanding, to compile accurate UX measurements as well as to create the technological innovations needed to accelerate and enrich UX research in order to help Canadian companies compete on a global scale.

Learn more about HEC Montréal's Tech3Lab

About Quebecor’s social engagement

For more than 70 years, Quebecor has been contributing to Québec’s economic, cultural and social vitality and driving change by joining forces with visionaries, creators, cultural workers and the next generation.

Quebecor has deep entrepreneurial roots and a strong philanthropic commitment to more than 400 partners and organizations across Québec. It actively supports many impactful initiatives for Québec culture, the environment, local entrepreneurs, the community and its employees.

Together, these efforts help empower the community to build a stronger and more innovative economy, a richer and more diverse culture, and a healthier and more sustainable society.

For more information on Quebecor’s social engagement

About asterX

asterX is the corporate venture capital arm of Quebecor (TSX: QBR.A, QBR.B). With a mission to promote a culture of boldness and entrepreneurial spirit, asterX leverages Quebecor’s long-standing network and resources to build meaningful relationships and lasting partnerships with entrepreneurs who share its values. asterX furthers the development of innovative solutions that have the potential to create value both within Quebecor’s core business segments as well as for our society as a whole. Through the asterX Capital Fund, it supports the most promising start-ups from seed to growth stage, providing them access to capital and leading-edge expertise.

For more information on asterX and the start-ups it supports

Information

HEC Montréal

Émilie Novales, APR
Senior media relations advisor
438 520-3536
emilie.novales@hec.ca

Quebecor
514 380-4572
medias@quebecor.com