We are pleased to invite you to the 4th edition of our Impact Investing Breakfast as part ofImpactFest 2026, presented by our partner BDC, featuring opening remarks by Roxanne Turcotte, First Vice President, Inclusive Investing, BDC, and a short presentation by Olga Cruz, Director of BDC Thrive Lab, on impact investing through the lens of AI.
This free event for Startupfest participants is reserved for investment professionals who are already applying impact investing principles or eager to learn more and begin integrating them into their practice, deepen their understanding and join the movement.
The breakfast will also be an opportunity to connect and network in the inspiring setting of the ImpactFest SkyStage, just before the day’s programming begins.
Pierre-Laurent Macridis, from the Greater Montreal Climate Fund, will help spark the conversations that will shape this year’s edition of ImpactFest around the theme: When Impact Outperforms.
He will explore how impact is increasingly demonstrating strong performance outcomes and where, as an ecosystem, we must continue pushing to unlock exceptional returns alongside meaningful social and environmental impact.
Where Impact Gets Real: AI, Risk & Systems Change 📅 June 2, 2026 🕣 8:30 AM – 11:30 AM 🎤 Panel: 9:00 AM – 10:15 AM 📍Location: Finance Montréal, 4 Place Ville-Marie, 1er étage
Through an open and practice-oriented discussion among impact investors, we will explore how these issues are redefining investment decisions and the role of capital as a driver of societal change.
This special edition will revisit key insights from CIVIC’s 2025–2026 Impact Investment Circles through three themes currently reshaping the practice of impact investing:
AI and responsible governance
Impact risk assessment
Systemic investing and systems change
Objectives:
Foster dialogue on key challenges in impact investing
Strengthen the capabilities of investment professionals
Advance the practice of impact investing — for greater impact
We hope you will join us for this engaging conversation bringing together investors, entrepreneurs, and ecosystem leaders.
We look forward to seeing you and exchanging ideas!
The CIVIC team 💚
CIVIC brings together those who want to place impact at the heart of investment decisions, maximizing returns and benefits for both people and the planet.
Fauve Doucet is a civic tech entrepreneur and former media creative. After a decade in leading creative agencies — earning more than 20 awards and being named one of Marketing Magazine’s 30 Under 30 — she shifted her career toward social innovation and technology for the public good. She is the founder and CEO of Partage Club, a company building digital infrastructure to help cities mutualize services, rethink urban mobility, and strengthen resilient communities. Named Startup of the Year in 2024, she now leads the company’s international expansion. She also serves on the board of Masse Critique, a Canadian nonprofit working to reduce the socio-environmental footprint of the communications industry.
Sarah Bezeau Gervais, Managing Director, Startup en Résidence, Desjardins
Sarah is the Managing Director of Startup en Résidence, an accelerator-investor powered by Desjardins. She has worked in both large corporations and startups, and has been active on the investor side of the startup ecosystem since 2018. She specializes in early-stage support and financing.
Karine Bah Tahe, CEO and Co-founder, Oasis Learning AI
Karine Bah Tahe is the co-founder and CEO of Oasis Learning AI, an AI-native SaaS platform that detects changes in products, policies, and systems and automatically updates training and knowledge content in real time, ensuring employees always have accurate and up-to-date information. She launched Oasis in 2024 after repeatedly observing the same learning and development challenges: slow processes, outdated content, and high update costs.
Before Oasis, Karine founded Blue Level Training, a service company she scaled to CAD $1.8M in annual revenue, working with clients such as Apple, Colgate, and Netflix. She also worked as an international business journalist across Europe, Asia, and the Americas.
Sévrine Labelle, Managing Director, Lab Excelles and Fonds Excelles Repreneuriat, BDC Capital
Sévrine Labelle brings 18 years of executive leadership experience and is deeply committed to building a strong, inclusive, sustainable, and innovative economy. At BDC Capital, she leads the $100M Lab Excelles initiative, which includes two flagship $50M funds: Lab Excelles and the Fonds Excelles Repreneuriat (ETA).
Together with her team, she supports ambitious women pursuing entrepreneurship through business creation or acquisition, providing equity capital, strategic guidance, and a strong support ecosystem.
Previously, she served as CEO of Evol, where she led a major transformation and oversaw a portfolio of more than 350 companies.
Sylvain Carle, co-fondateur et co-directeur executif de CIVIC
Sylvain Carle, Moderator
For over 30 years, Sylvain Carle has been dedicated to emerging technologies, combining curiosity, passion, intuition, and ambition. He has developed deep expertise at the intersection of technology, innovation, investment, and human systems.
A strong advocate for collaboration in service of the common good, he has contributed to numerous organizations across both the private and community sectors. A pragmatic optimist, he believes in the potential of technology as a progressive force.
As an investor in innovative initiatives transforming industries, sectors, and regions, he aspires to a future where technology is sustainable, equitable, and human-centered, contributing positively to society and the environment.
Did you miss the most recent Montréal Impact Breakfast / Impact For Breakfast Montreal with Karel Mayrand? We thought of you!
🎥 Here is the full video of the conversation led by Sylvain Carle from CIVIC with Karel Mayrand, exploring philanthropic capital as a catalyst for innovation and collaboration.
CIVIC initiated this gathering because we firmly believe that philanthropy and private investment each carry complementary missions to create positive social and environmental impact.
CIVIC brings together those who put impact at the heart of investment decisions, maximizing returns and benefits for both people and the planet. We equip and connect the impact investing ecosystem to transform capital into lasting change.
🌱 Watch the full conversation from the Montréal Impact Breakfast held on October 23 at Maison Notman.
