Anges Québec awards three prizes during its 2021 Annual Rendez-vous
Montréal, June 7, 2021 – Last Thursday, Anges Québec held its most important event: The Annual Rendez-vous, presented by RBC. United virtually under the theme Ready for tomorrow, the 251 participants, members, portfolio businesses and partners of the Canadian startup ecosystem, attended conferences and discussed current issues in venture capital. The highly diversified program was led by special and internationally renowned guests, in addition to private and institutional investment funds, with offices in the rest of Canada, the United States and Europe, thus opening the doors of the world to the many guests.
Anges Québec awards three prizes during its
2021 Annual Rendez-vous
Montréal, June 7, 2021 – Last Thursday, Anges Québec held its most important event: The Annual Rendez-vous, presented by RBC. United virtually under the theme Ready for tomorrow, the 251 participants, members, portfolio businesses and partners of the Canadian startup ecosystem, attended conferences and discussed current issues in venture capital.
The highly diversified program was led by special and internationally renowned guests, in addition to private and institutional investment funds, with offices in the rest of Canada, the United States and Europe, thus opening the doors of the world to the many guests.
Anges Québec awards gala
The meeting was also an opportunity to celebrate the Anges Québec Gala, presented by Mercer & Marsh, during which two businesses and an angel were given honours.
Investment of the year
The investment of the year prize was awarded to Zilia, an Anges Québec portfolio business. Zilia is in the health sector, more specifically the medical technology sector. It has developed a revolutionary technology which is destined to redefine how we prevent, diagnose and treat various ocular, neurological and systemic afflictions.
The Québec business stood out for having convinced more than 29 angels to invest in its project. In total, the angels invested $1.11 million in a round that closed at over $2.16 million.
“We are very honoured to have been awarded the investment of the year prize. This is the crowning achievement of an important phase in the evolution of Zilia. At Zilia, we have been working for many years on the development of a potentially revolutionary medical technology. This technology is the fruit of hard labour, long years of studies, creativity, sleepless nights, very short and frequent trips, tips picked up here and there, meetings, criticisms, refusals, persistence, audacity, support, collaborations and, above all, the result of an entire team’s devotion,” said Patrick Sauvageau, President and CEO and cofounder of Zilia.
Business of the year
The Business of the year prize was awarded to MIMs, an Anges Québec portfolio business, for its significant development and its stand out performance in the last year. Based in Montréal, MIMs is a first-class company in artificial intelligence applied to life sciences.
In addition to having raised financing and remaining active while growing in a pandemic, the business was one of the 12 startups selected to participate in the first Canada-United States accelerator reserved for women founders, launched by Google for Startups, in the fall of 2020.
Then, last spring, MIMs announced that it concluded a $5 million round of financing with various Canadian private and institutional VCs, to support the business’s expansion on the Canadian, European and American markets, and the hiring of talent to carry out key projects for the main pharmaceutical companies and hospitals.
“It is with a great deal of pride and even emotion that we are receiving this award. First, I would like to sincerely thank our 40 employees who work assiduously. Thanks also to the 14 angels who had faith in MIMs in 2019 and who have since renewed the experience. We are pleased that you gave us the opportunity to show you what we are made of. Apart from innovation, at MIMs, we are one of the very rare companies primarily composed of female employees. Female leadership is very important to us. Did you know that just 5% of IT businesses in Silicon Valley are managed by women? I would like to see this number increase to 50%. Thank you again for this great award,” said Sarah Jenna, Cofounder and President and CEO of MIMs, accompanied by the other two cofounders, Abdoulaye Baniré Diallo and Mickaël Camus.
Angel of the year
The coveted Angel of the year prize was awarded to an Anges Québec member who stood out in the last year through his significant involvement and the added value he brought to the organization and to the businesses in his portfolio. The prized was awarded to Donald Clarke, an Anges Québec member since 2019.
The investment team especially appreciated Mr. Clarke’s strong added value on numerous investment projects and his considerable professional experience. His leadership and his intellectual rigor have also been very beneficial for the organization and its members. For Anges Québec, Mr. Clarke perfectly fits the definition of a true angel investor.
“When I received that call that I had been selected to receive the 2021 Angel of the year prize, I was both surprised and honoured to be selected from the long list of deserving members,” said Mr. Clarke. “I have met a range of bright entrepreneurs and Angel investors through Anges Québec. I am constantly amazed at the innovation that is happening here in Quebec and the opportunity to help make a difference, he added.
Anges Québec is made up of seasoned entrepreneurs, influential leaders and qualified investors who, together, make up the largest network of angel investors in Canada. Anges Québec’s mission is to boost private investment in order to support innovative entrepreneurs to build the businesses of the future. Anges Québec’s over 230 members have invested more than $117 million in over 157 highly promising Québec businesses.
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Source:
Marie-Eve Poirier
Director, Membership and Partnerships
514 627-1653