Ubisoft believes it is important to support Québec start-ups—as they are engines of innovation—and to encourage big companies to work with them. To help foster this connection, the innovative company decided to join forces with the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal to launch the InnoBahn Ubisoft series. Francis Baillet, Vice President of Corporate Affairs, and Jean-Philippe Grou, Director of Communications, discuss the origins of the event and its advantages for both start-ups and large companies.
Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal (CCMM) – What led to the creation of InnoBahn Ubisoft?
Francis Baillet (F.B.) – At times, it’s difficult for start-ups to approach big businesses. Why? Because sometimes, economic prerogatives make large companies somewhat reluctant to take risks and give mandates to companies that are not yet established. This is why we created the “InnoBahn Ubisoft” series with the Chamber.
Supporting start-ups means supporting economic development in Québec. We want well-established companies to use start-ups, allowing them to blossom without diluting their share capital, and giving them a great calling card for future projects.
CCMM – What can a company gain from taking part in InnoBahn Ubisoft?
F.B. – By entering into a process of co-creation—which the event fosters—, big companies get an opportunity to stand alongside dynamic start-ups and take a fresh look at the challenges they are facing. The start-ups’ strength lies in the innovative responses they propose to meet a market need.
CCMM – You’re speaking from experience because you took part in the first edition. Your challenge was to resolve your employees’ mobility and transportation issues. After hearing pitches from several start-ups, you chose Netlift. What was it about the company that won you over?
Jean-Philippe Grou (J-P.G.) – Netlift had already put a huge amount of work into truly understanding the workings of multimodal transportation and its related habits, which met our needs perfectly. Thanks to their work, we were able to take action right away and offer our employees a solution to test.
CCMM – What progress have you made towards implementing this solution?
J-P.G. – At the moment, over 75 people are signed up to Netlift and an almost equal number of rides have been reserved on the platform. The pilot project runs until mid-February. These first few winter months will be instrumental in determining how employees use the application.
CCMM – What struck you most during the last edition of InnoBahn Ubisoft in December 2016?
F.B. – We were very impressed with the quality of the start-ups’ solutions to the highly complex problems presented by the Port of Montréal and Aéroports de Montréal, and with how at ease they were making their pitches to a full house.
CCMM – What advice would you give to any start-up looking to land its first contract or attract some investments?
F.B. – Work on your pitch and tailor it to the person you are addressing. Be authentic and show your passion for your company.
CCMM – A tip for big companies initiating an open innovation project?
F.B. – Open innovation and co-creation require an extremely open mind. The start-up you will be working with is not necessarily familiar with your field; you must therefore take some time to brief those involved. Next, you should expect your preconceived notions of your organization to get jostled, and you must have confidence in the start-up, while at the same time keeping your objectives in sight. In short, you should work hand-in-hand to tackle the challenge, using creative and unexpected methods to reach your goal.