Entrepreneurship: A Key Component of the ÉTS Model
ÉTS is a pillar of innovation and entrepreneurship in Québec. By creating a unique ecosystem where students can find support for innovation and entrepreneurship, the school is on the cutting edge and is able to actively contribute to Québec’s technological and economic development.
Have a new business idea? Then you’ve come to the right place.
Join a full-fledged ecosystem
Learn
A curriculum designed for entrepreneurship
This ecosystem is based on a curriculum designed to engage students in entrepreneurship and introduce them to new ways of looking at and tackling societal issues. At ÉTS, the engineers of tomorrow will acquire the right knowledge and tools to deliver on their commitment to innovation.
The Bureau de l'entrepreneuriat can also help students with an entrepreneurial project leverage their academic curriculum to move their project forward.
- Corporate Financial Management (ENT201)
- Introduction to Entrepreneurship (ENT202)
- Marketing and Sales (ENT601)
- Corporate Management (ENT602)
- Short Graduate Program in Surgical Innovation (offered in French only)
- DESS in Innovation Management (offered in French only)
- Master in Innovation Management (M.A.Sc. offered in English and French)
- DESS in Design and Entrepreneurship (offered In French only)
Validate an idea
The pre-incubation program
Interested in joining Centech’s Acceleration program or another of the ecosystem’s incubators?
Before making the leap from idea to project, the Bureau de l'entrepreneuriat would like to invite you to strengthen your business idea during a free pre-incubation program* offered via six workshops.
A six-day program to better understand the need, design and test a product or service, develop your Minimum Viable Product (MVP), structure your business model, and learn how to better convey your project and engage in the entrepreneurial ecosystem.
* Please note that the pre-incubation program is not a credited course. It is an extracurricular and free opportunity to validate a new business idea.
From idea to the field
- Program kick-off and pitch
- Understanding and deconstructing the problem
- Workshop on developing a research protocol
- Getting ready for interviews and testimonials
Design an attractive offer
- Feedback on field learning
- Attractive value proposition and persona
- Workshop on building a value proposition
- From concept to prototype: introduction to the Minimum Viable Product (MVP)
Strengthen your Minimum Viable Product (MVP)
- Positioning the MVP in its ecosystem
- Workshop on the benefits of your MVP
- Workshop on ways to improve your MVP
- Workshop on changes to your MVP
Structure your business model
- Feedback on the MVP and adjustments
- Foundations of the Business Model Canvas
- Workshop on building a Business Model Canvas
- Standing out in your market
Test, learn, pivot
- Feedback on field validation findings
- Smart testing of your product/service (hypotheses)
- Workshop on validation procedure improvement
- The essentials of intellectual property
Convey and engage in the ecosystem
- Review lessons learned from the initial pitch
- Master the art of the pitch
- Workshop on improving a pitch
- Entrepreneurial network and ecosystem
The first edition of the pre-incubation program will run from November 7, 2026, to March 20, 2027.
The registration deadline is November 1, 2026. Please note that the program is offered only in French.
Go from idea to project
Internships and Entrepreneurship
- Work on your project while earning internship credits.
- Get support from specialists in entrepreneurship, innovation, and tech development.
- Grow in a stimulating ecosystem surrounded by other entrepreneurs.
- Get access to specialized resources: workshops, mentorship, business networks, collaborative spaces.
- Be enrolled in a co-op bachelor’s degree program in engineering.
- Be in S3 (internship 3).
- Submit a project that meets Centech’s innovation and feasibility criteria.
- Successfully complete Centech’s Acceleration program admission process.
- Get guidance from an internship coordinator.
- Enjoy mentorship and support from Centech.
- Get access to workshops, training, and events available only for projects being incubated.
- Receive an internship stipend for participating in the program.
Discover Centech and its Acceleration Program to learn more about opportunities to combine internships with entrepreneurial work.
Pursue entrepreneurship
The Student Entrepreneur status
Develop your new business while you learn!
Entrepreneurship is a high-level sport. By creating the student entrepreneur status, ÉTS is recognizing both the value in choosing to pursue entrepreneurship and the commitment needed to succeed.
The status provides members of the ÉTS student community with the flexibility and necessary resources to develop their business project while attending university.
It recognizes and supports those who dare to build.
Benefits
- Mentoring: pairing with a mentor and/or creation of an advisory committee
- Regular follow-up: bimonthly meetings
- Protection and strategy: support in the development of your intellectual property strategy
- Access to manufacturing workshops: FabLAB-LIFE and/or Le Chantier
- Easy access to ÉTS’ lab resources
- Academic curriculum optimization
- Support for success: collaborative support with Student Life Services (SLS)
- Financial support: access to entrepreneurial scholarships and start-up funding opportunities
- Recognition: institutional visibility and development
- Flexibility tailored to your needs
- Exclusive events, including at Ax.c and Centech
- Active community: creation of a Student Entrepreneur Network, ÉTS Startup, Alumni Entrepreneur Network
Eligibility requirements
- be enrolled in an academic program at ÉTS (undergraduate, graduate, or post-graduate) and not be on academic probation.
- have at least two more semesters remaining or intend to start another degree
- a product developed (good or technology) associated with the field of study or skills acquired at ÉTS
- a core product that can be replicated on a large scale without proportional growth in human resources
- have, at the minimum, completed ÉTS’ Pre-Incubation Program and either be in the process of entering or already be participating in a recognized incubation program
or
- have an active entrepreneurial project for which you have a clear commitment requiring time and resources
Ready to take action?
To find out more, make an appointment with the Bureau de l'entrepreneuriat
- Applications are accepted any time.
- Files are evaluated three times a year, dates to be announced.
To apply, send your completed application by email to entrepreneuriat@etsmtl.ca.
