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Transformers 7 to Begin Filming in Canada, Then Peru on $200 Million
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Following our previous report, Canadian news site, Le Journal De Montreal, has published a new report confirming the Transformers 7 (Beast Alliance?) movie is scheduled to begin filming in Montreal, Canada at Studios MELS and MTL Grandé next July through to September 2021 for 11 weeks. After which time they are reported to be heading to Peru for the second round of filming. Read the translated quote from Le Journal De Montreal:
Eleven weeks of shooting are planned in Montreal, in the premises of Studios MELS and MTL Grandé, between the beginning of July and the end of September. The production will then head to Peru to film the second portion of the feature film.
According to our information, this mega-production from the studio Paramount Pictures had been in the sights of Montreal for more than a year. The first talks with the Hollywood studio in order to attract the filming in the metropolis had been started at the end of 2019, that is to say before the start of the pandemic. The film's budget would hover around $200 million.
That's so awesome to hear and I'm just as excited for them and their future! Hopefully in the future there will be more companies forming a link between MTL/BOS metro.
Speaking of Montreal/Boston AI partnerships. Hopper just raised $170m in new VC. Including a $70m round in the Spring. Officially hitting Unicorn status!
Speaking of Montreal/Boston AI partnerships. Hopper just raised $170m in new VC. Including a $70m round in the Spring. Officially hitting Unicorn status!
Lacoste fait appel à la jeune pousse de Montréal Heyday
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Le virage numérique qu’a imposé la pandémie dans le commerce de détail est devenu le moteur de croissance de Heyday. La startup montréalaise en intelligence artificielle, qui a fait le plein de nouveaux contrats dans les derniers mois, va déployer la plateforme conversationnelle du géant du vêtement Lacoste à l’échelle mondiale dans les prochaines semaines.
« Le malheur des uns a fait le bonheur des autres », concède Étienne Mérineau, cofondateur et vice-président du marketing de Heyday AI, sans pour autant se réjouir de la tourmente de nombreuses d’entreprises.
Sa technologie de plateforme conversationnelle (chatbot) — un assistant numérique virtuel qui s’appuie sur l’intelligence artificielle — a été poussée à l’avant-scène avec la pandémie. « Le virage technologique s’est fait à 180 degrés ; les entreprises ont dû se retourner et offrir des canaux de communication. Notre technologie s’est révélée pertinente », dit-il. Résultat : les revenus « ont doublé dans les six derniers mois de 2020 », souligne-t-il. Des plus de 70 clients d’importance, « une trentaine de clients » ont été acquis depuis douze mois. Elle compte parmi sa clientèle des entreprises internationales — les françaises Décathlon et Danone, la danoise Bestsellers —, mais aussi québécoises : Simons, Dynamite, Rudsak, Mobilia, JCPerreault.
Alithya to Acquire R3D Conseil and Sign C$600 Million in Commercial Agreements
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MONTREAL, March 24, 2021 /CNW Telbec/ - Alithya Group inc. (TSX: ALYA) (NASDAQ: ALYA) ("Alithya"), a strategy and digital transformation leader with more than 2,200 professionals in Canada, the United States and Europe, is pleased to announce that a definitive agreement has been reached for the acquisition of R3D Conseil, a private Quebec firm that specializes in digital solutions. This transaction includes annual minimum volume commitments totalling approximately C$600 million in combined revenues during the initial 10-year term commercial agreements with Québecor and Beneva (via its subsidiary, La Capitale), two of R3D Conseil's indirect principal shareholders.
In the framework of this important transaction, Alithya will:
Welcome 600 experienced Quebec-based professionals from R3D Conseil; they specialize in consulting and digital application development in the areas of insurance, finance, government services, healthcare and telecommunications;
Add a back log representing about C$600 million in revenue from value-added service agreements through to 2031 with Québecor and Beneva (created from the amalgamation of La Capitale and SSQ Assurance), to support them in their digital transformation projects in addition to many other clients of R3D Conseil;
Create more than 350 new jobs in Quebec for digital transformation experts in the fields of insurance and telecommunications;
Create a Quebec City-based global digital excellence centre for the insurance industry;
Add Québecor and Beneva (via its subsidiary, La Capitale) as shareholders and business partners;
See Investissement Québec's stake increase to approximately 8.7% of Alithya's share capital.
The Montréal FinTech Station launches a unique acceleration program with Highline Beta to drive technological innovation
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MONTRÉAL, March 23, 2021 /CNW Telbec/ - The FinTech Station, a Finance Montréal initiative, and Highline Beta are teaming up to launch the Station FinTech Montréal Accelerator, a pan-Canadian startup acceleration program based in Montréal.
Designed to meet the specific challenges facing companies in the financial industry, the program is focused on solving the needs of financial institutions through partnerships with startups. By capitalizing on the recognized strengths of the booming Quebec FinTech ecosystem, the Station FinTech Montréal Accelerator will create opportunities for collaboration between FinTech startups and large companies in the financial industry to stimulate FinTech innovation in Quebec and across Canada.
"Through this initiative, Finance Montréal aims to foster synergy between its members and startups and continues to work to promote and accelerate innovative projects," explains Jacques Deforges, Chief Executive Officer of Finance Montréal. "Finance Montréal is proud to launch this unique initiative to stimulate development alongside Highline Beta."
Lion Electric Secures its Largest Truck Order to Date with 100 Zero-Emission Trucks from Pride Group Enterprises
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MONTREAL, March 25, 2021 /CNW Telbec/ - Lion Electric (Lion), a leading manufacturer of all-electric medium and heavy-duty urban vehicles, today announced that the company has received a purchase order from Pride Group Enterprises (Pride) for the acquisition of 100 all-electric Lion6 and Lion8 trucks. The order represents Lion's largest single order of zero-emission trucks to date.
Pride will be integrating the all-electric trucks into its existing logistics, full maintenance, leasing, rental and equipment retail operations throughout the U.S. and Canada, as well as deploying them with a selection of its fleet management clients. The majority of the trucks are expected to be delivered to Pride during 2021, with the remainder of deliveries expected to take place in 2022.
"This order from Pride serves as not only a significant step in Lion's growth, but also as a milestone in the adoption and deployment of heavy-duty electric vehicles – further proof that zero-emission freight is here, now," said Marc Bedard, CEO and Founder of Lion. "We hope this initial deployment of all-electric trucks marks the beginning of a larger ongoing partnership with Pride, and we will be working with their team to ensure that infrastructure and electric vehicle fleet management capabilities are built in tandem to optimize their electric operations."
Considering the insanely strict lockdowns and the effects it had on restaurants, I'm happy to see so many more open up or proposed to open up.
Montreal’s Most Anticipated Restaurant Openings of 2021 — So Far
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Opening a restaurant, even in the best of times, is an arduous task. During a pandemic, new safety restrictions, uncertain timelines, and frustrating delays only serve to compound the obstacles. In Montreal, one of the last cities in North America yet to reemerge from its restaurant lockdown, nailing down an exact picture of what will become of a new project — much less when will it be able to open — is near impossible.
Yet, with longer, warmer days, increasingly larger swaths of the population getting vaccinated, and the glimmer of terrasse dining up ahead, the mood is shifting. The health crisis is by no means over. Montreal restaurants, closed since October 1, know that well, but, many remain resolute in their plans for forthcoming, though tentative, openings.
Several of the restaurants listed below had ambitious plans to open last year, but unwilling to compromise on their concept with a takeout adaptation, have been waiting in the wings until some semblance of normality could be reached. Others are direct results of coronavirus pressures and ensuing ingenuity. Here are the restaurants to keep an eye on in the months ahead.
Montreal’s MT Lab gets $10 million for tourism innovation fund
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MT Lab, a Montreal-based startup accelerator for tourism and entertainment companies, has received a five-year, $10 million commitment from Quebec’s government.
The money will be put towards a new tourism innovation fund that will support innovative projects that improve Québec’s tourism sector.
“This announcement marks a major milestone in the young history of innovation in tourism in Quebec. It is also an exceptional recognition of the MT Lab as well as the actions it has undertaken in recent years,” said MT Lab’s chairman, Pierre Bellerose. “This contribution from the Government of Quebec changes in a sustainable way the work and the influence of the MT Lab by providing for five years the means to achieve our ambitions, for the benefit of all tourism businesses.”
MT Lab was founded in 2017 through the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) and its School of Management (ESG UQAM and Tourisme Montréal.
It calls itself the first startup incubator dedicated to tourism, culture and entertainment in North America, and a “meeting point between startups and the tourism community in Quebec.”
QUOTEMACHINE RAISES $1 MILLION SEED ROUND TO FUEL GROWTH OF CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT SOLUTION
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Led by two former Lightspeed product leaders, Montréal-based retail tech startup QuoteMachine has raised $1 million CAD in seed financing as the software company looks to help digital merchants build more sustainable relationships with their customers.
The round was led by Telegraph Hill Capital (THCAP). Maple Leaf Angels’ fund MLA48 III, Real Ventures, and other individual angel investors also participated.
Founded in 2018, QuoteMachine wants to become the customer relationship management platform (CRM) of choice for big-ticket retailers. The company’s solution integrates with Lightspeed and QuoteMachine is also in talks with Shopify about an integration.
QuoteMachine’s co-founder and CEO JD Rocheteau told BetaKit that now “it’s the right time” to scale. The startup plans to use the fresh funding to double the size of its team and build new partnerships and integrations with key retail software platforms.
“We are also investing in product development to stay ahead of retail trends like online and in-store shopping by appointment, online chat with sales associates, or social media selling,” said Rocheteau.
Demand returns for downtown Montreal condos: Builders
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Sales of condos at downtown Montreal’s two tallest new condominium projects have been strong in the last few months and people’s interest in living in the core is returning, their developers say.
“We feel there’s traction in the market despite what we’re hearing in the news,” said Marco Fontaine, vice-president of Devimco, as he discussed sales at Maestria Condominiums on Ste. Catherine St. in the Quartier des Spectacles.
Since December, “we’ve seen that the appetite for downtown is still there,” said Vincent Kou, vice-president, corporate development and growth at Brivia Group, which is building 1 Square Phillips.
The two were speaking at a session on the condo market during the Quebec Apartment Investment Conference, held virtually March 23 and 24.
Both Devimco and Brivia say their condo developments are Montreal’s tallest.
Devimco touts Maestria, with its 58- and 61-storey towers, as “the highest residential tower in Montreal and the largest mixed-use residential project in Quebec.” For its part, Brivia describes its 61-storey 1 Square Phillips as “Montreal’s tallest residential tower.”
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