Introducing our FounderFuel 2018 Sponsors

April 19th, 2018

Introducing our FounderFuel 2018 Sponsors

FounderFuel 2018 kicks off this week! We’re excited to be back helping another group of high potential young companies push forward on the venture path. At Real we believe accelerators play a unique and valuable role in the financing chain. Acceleration has been core to our model since FounderFuel kicked off in 2011. In the past year we’ve redoubled our commitment by partnering with Techstars on accelerators in Toronto and Montreal.

While we are bullish on acceleration, we are also acutely aware of its challenges especially in terms of costs. Accelerators are expensive! On that note, as we gear up for another cohort, we’d like to give a shout out to our sponsors, without whom the program would not be possible. Our sponsors provide the financial support we need to deliver a high-quality accelerator that serves our companies and brings the community together. They also act as mentors and partners, helping our teams navigate the challenges of building a company. We have an incredible group of sponsors this year — some have been with us since the beginning, others are new this year. Each one has a proven commitment to supporting startups and the ecosystems in which they thrive. We are proud to work with them and truly thankful for their support.

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Fasken has been helping entrepreneurs scale their business by providing legal expertise and programs tailored to their needs for nearly twenty years. Fasken is a long-time supporter of Founderfuel, with Christian Jacques and Jean-Nicolas Delage even helping out backstage at Demo Day in the early years!

BDO provides personalized accounting and tax services to emerging companies, with a focus on the long-term relationship. Led by Matt Harrison, BDO’s National Emerging Technology leader, BDO have been a stalwart partner to FounderFuel and Real Ventures since their inception, and a positive force within the startup ecosystem for over a decade.

EY helps companies from the seed stage to expansion with a range of accounting services. Their technology team under Francis Guimond works hand-in-hand with some of Montreal’s best known startups. Nassim Bennacer from his team has been a committed and connected member of our ecosystem for years.

Microsoft has shown their commitment to Montreal’s startup ecosystem in numerous ways, from direct investment to cloud credits. In recent cohorts, their hands-on work with our teams has been especially appreciated. We’re happy to be working again with Adarsha Datta, Sarah Muma and the team from Microsoft for Startups.

RBC is a new partner this year and we are thrilled to have them. RBC’s recent investments in AI and startup support have impressed us, and we are excited to work with Guillaume de Tilly Dion who leads the technology practice and the broader commercial services team under Anne No.

Espresso Capital, Canada’s most active venture debt firm in 2017, is joining us alongside RBC. The partnership is led by Will Hutchins. We are excited to be able to connect our companies to the full range of financing options and look forward to helping Espresso to better connect to the Montreal startup ecosystem.