Press release

Port de Québec Enters into a Major Open Innovation Partnership with MT Lab 

Montréal, October 25, 2023 – MT Lab, the first business accelerator and incubator (BAI) dedicated to North American tourism, culture, and entertainment, eagerly welcomes the Port of Québec as a major partner in open innovation. This collaboration is a significant turning point in the development of the Capitale-Nationale region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

MT Lab, established in Montréal with a hub in Québec City, is positioned as a startup incubator and accelerator, an open innovation and networking platform, a space for experimentation and monitoring, as well as coworking and entrepreneurial coaching. Since its creation in 2017 by UQAM and Tourisme Montréal, MT Lab has been working closely with more than fifteen major business partners to stimulate innovation and accelerate opportunities in the field of tourism, culture, and entertainment.

By becoming a key player within MT Lab, the Port of Québec shows its commitment to work hand in hand with startups and innovative companies to draw on their energy and creativity.

MTLAB Mario et Président

Martin Lessard, MT Lab Managing Director and Mario Girard, Port de Québec President and CEO

“The Port of Québec is very pleased to become a major partner of MT Lab in open innovation. Offering our port facilities as a laboratory to develop, promote and showcase the expertise of our companies throughout the world is perfectly in keeping with our Vision 2035, one of whose four pillars is innovation. With the Port’s cruise activities providing significant tourist and economic benefits for Québec City and its neighbouring regions, this partnership is ideal for propelling Québec businesses that have innovative ideas for the tourism sector, both here and internationally,” said Port of Québec President and CEO, Mario Girard.

“We are proud such prominent players of the entrepreneurial and tourism community join MT Lab in its quest for innovative solutions! We are especially proud that the Port of Québec, a major economic figure in the Capitale-Nationale, joins us to share its leadership and desire for innovation,” added MT Lab President, Carl Frédéric De Celles.

“The Port of Québec’s partnership in open innovation unlocks a whole range of opportunities for recreational activities and tourism. Innovators will see it as a testing ground where their solutions can provide new experiences and services to tourists and visitors,” said MT Lab Managing Director, Martin Lessard.

The Port of Québec joins a prestigious list of partners within MT Lab, which is actively working to stimulate innovation, promote inter-business collaboration, and propel tourism, culture and entertainment to new horizons.

 MTLAB partenaires
Major MT Lab partners as of October 25, 2023

About Port of Québec
The Port of Québec is among Canada’s five largest ports in terms of tonnage handled and economic spinoffs. It is strategically located to serve North America’s industrial and agricultural heartland. Each year, cargo ships from or to some fifty countries call at the Port of Québec to connect the Great Lakes and Midwestern U.S. markets to the rest of the world. Twenty percent of the port’s territory, which extends from Beauport to the South Shore, is dedicated to recreational activities and tourism.

About MT Lab
The first BAI dedicated to North American tourism, culture and entertainment, MT Lab is a startup incubator and accelerator, an open innovation and networking platform, a space for experimentation and monitoring, as well as coworking and entrepreneurial coaching. Since its creation in 2017 by UQAM and Tourisme Montréal, MT Lab has been working closely with more than fifteen major business partners to stimulate innovation and accelerate opportunities in the field of tourism, culture, and entertainment.

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For information:
Frédéric Lagacé
Communications Director – Port of Québec
418 929-5031
[email protected]

Faustine Lozes
Communications Coordinator – MT Lab
[email protected]