impactfest

  • Discover Impactfest 2026!

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    CIVIC

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    Dear CIVIC community,

    The time has come to unveil the 2026 program for our flagship event, ImpactFest: When Impact Outperforms, co-chaired this year by Trish Nixon (Amplify Capital) and Sam Hasty (Active Impact Investment). The event will take place on July 9 at the Sky Stage in the Clock Tower at Montréal’s Old Port, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., for this must-attend gathering of the impact investing community, now in its third year. 

    This year, ImpactFest brings together investors, founders, and ecosystem leaders for a series of bold conversations on the future of impact investing, financing growth, and the transformations needed to move our ecosystem forward. 

    Amanda Hall, Founder and CEO of Summit Lithium Technologies, will offer an essential perspective on rethinking how we scale beyond borders and how capital can better serve impact.

    From navigating the capital stack to the realities of the entrepreneurial journey, from pre-seed to Series A, this year’s program highlights practical, ambitious, and experience-driven perspectives, featuring speakers such as Kelly Gauthier (Rally Assets), Carter Li (SWTCH), and Erica Barbosa (Eclipx Family Office). 

    We’ll also hear directly from founders at different stages of growth, a chain-reaction panel with Jennifer McDonald (Cycle Momentum), Marc-André Roberge (Nectar), and Peter Kotzeff (Quilt).

    A morning designed to spark honest conversations, inspire action, and imagine what comes next, together. Finance Montréal’s presence as ImpactFest’s partner underscores the importance of building bridges between finance, innovation, and impact to advance the ecosystem in Québec and across Canada: capital guided by impact doesn’t simply compete, it redefines performance.

    CIVIC co-founders Sylvain Carle and Lyne Landry will also join us on stage to celebrate the strength, momentum, and future of the impact investing community.

    “ImpactFest is building the connective tissue necessary for Canada to become the global leader in impact innovation. We’re thrilled to be part of this edition and excited to work alongside mission aligned partners to highlight the leadership position Canada is taking and discuss ways to continue to improve as an impact ecosystem.”  Sam Hasty

    Get you tickets for Startupest to access to ImpactFest with a 15% discount

    Thanks to our Impactfest partners this year

  • Call for Applications Impact Investment Prize

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    CIVIC

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    Founders: are you building for impact? This $100K prize is for you.

    CIVIC is thrilled to launch the 2026 Impact Investment Prize – $100,000 in impact investment for one exceptional Canadian startup, along with a $25,000 Startup in residence grant powered by Desjardins.

    The prize will be awarded on July 10 during Startupfest 2026, alongside our partners Spring and Anges Québec.

    🎯 We’re looking for Canadian pre-seed or seed-stage startups that check all three boxes:

    ✅ Measurable social and/or environmental impact

    ✅ Concrete monetization strategy with early market validation (initial customers)

    ✅ Strong, complementary founding team

    Applications take only a few minutes to complete.

    📣 Help us find Canada’s most promising impact startups –> Please share this opportunity with your network.

    🔗 Apply here before June 2nd