The government of Québec recently launched a call for applications with a view of selecting 100 upstarts (high-growth companies) and 200 promising businesses likely to become upstarts in the coming years (links are in French only).
The program aims at selecting companies in full growth mode and applying preferential treatment to accelerate their development and enable them to reach their full potential rapidly. The target is set at a 20% average increase in annual sales over a five-year period.
The 100 selected upstarts will receive a government service offer and will obtain customized coaching from the ministère des Finances et de l’Économie and its partners. The service offering includes coaching–strategic advice, a customized financing package, leading edge training, preferential access to a network of expert advisors and fast-track processing of files.
The 200 promising enterprises will benefit from special coaching with a view of instilling momentum and achieving eventually the status of an upstart.
The following selection criteria will apply: the company’s economic outreach; productivity improvement; performance and financial capacity; as well as management’s dynamism and the company’s predisposition for growth.
Interested companies wishing to apply must first fill out the pre-qualification form that will determine if they meet the eligibility requirements, namely if they belong to the manufacturing sector or the high-value tertiary sector.
If applicable, the qualification form must be filled out on line before March 28, 2014, 4 p.m. Then, the complete file (signed qualification form, Revenu Québec attestation and independent assurer report, if required), must be forwarded by mail and received by the regional ministry office by April 4, 2014, at the latest.
For more information and to access the relevant documents on line, please consult the following link.
Contact your FBL expert to help you through the process.