Although Silicon Valley gets the bulk of the tech world’s attention, as ReadWriteWeb’s Never Mind the Valley series likes to highlight, there are actually thriving startup hubs all over the place. And arguably one of the most vibrant in North America is in Montreal, Quebec. So it’s good news for the entrepreneurial community that there’s a new accelerator program in town: FounderFuel.
FounderFuel is backed by the team behind Montreal Startup and Real Ventures (a $50 million seed-stage fund).
FounderFuel will launch with a $2 million committment, with Ian Jeffrey, former VP at Tiny Pictures and Director of Marketing at Shutterfly at the helm as General Manager.
Jeffrey proclaims that “Montreal’s startup scene is alive and kicking,” and the proximity of the city to New York City and Boston let it tap into US-based mentors as well as the strong local entrepreneurial community.
FounderFuel boasts over 85 entrepreneurs and investors who will act as mentors for the accelerator program. Teams selected to participate will receive $10,000 in funding, with an additional $5000 per co-founder. The program says that 8 teams will be chosen for this first round.
Applications for the inaugural class will close July 1. The program will begin August 15 and will run for 12 weeks, culminating in a demo day on November 7.
The website mentions something about cold Montreal winters as the rationale for the summer kick off for the accelerator program. But don’t let that dissuade you. Word is, Montreal is hot.
