Startupfest 2026: Connecting the Right Startups with the Right Investors

From July 8 to 10, the MAIN team attended Startupfest 2026 with one mission: to facilitate meaningful connections between innovative entrepreneurs and investors whose interests were truly aligned*.

This networking effort directly reflects MAIN’s mission: connecting entrepreneurs with the resources most relevant to their growth. In this context, the right connection at the right time can sometimes open the door to a crucial next step.

In total, nearly 17 investors attended the 96 meetings that took place.

This initiative also served as an initial test for MAIN. We wanted to explore a new way to bring entrepreneurs and investors together in order to create more business opportunities (meaningful meetings). The lessons learned from this experience will allow us to assess the potential of this type of initiative and to explore new avenues for facilitating access to equity investment for innovative companies.

During the three-day event, entrepreneurs came to our space according to their schedules to meet with the investors who were the best fit for their projects. When time slots opened up and new opportunities arose, we were also able to arrange additional meetings right there on site.

Far beyond our on-site mission, this edition of Startupfest particularly stood out to us because of its format. The entrepreneurship fair encouraged interaction among the startups and support organizations—incubators, accelerators, and other ecosystem players—offering entrepreneurs the opportunity to discover resources that can support their growth.

The second part focused more on investors and financing issues, creating an environment conducive to business discussions and targeted meetings. This synergy between support and investment clearly reflects the different stages of the entrepreneurial journey, naturally fostering progress along each individual’s journey.

As in previous years, the conferences also featured high-quality content, addressing current and practical topics for growing entrepreneurs.

We would like to thank the Startupfest team, as well as all the investors and entrepreneurs who participated in the match-ups. We are proud to have helped forge connections that we hope will lead to future collaborations and the growth of many innovative Quebec-based companies!