For two full days, the Old Port of Montreal was bustling with innovation, entrepreneurship and meetings of all kinds, be it under a lovely sun or heavy rain.

Speaking out, networking, pitching, judging…

If you were frightened by the impressive amount of rain that poured on Friday afternoon, you could listen to influencing speakers sharing their experiences during keynote sessions. Kimberley Bryant and her daughter told the moving story of their journey towards empowering black girls and encouraging them to become “the new Mark Zuckerberg”. Justin Schier explained how he created Scruff in the strategic niche market of gay dating apps. Tom Williams pointed out the best practices when it comes to recruiting talents…

When the sun came back, or if you were motivated under the rain, you could discover dozens of startups in the tents outside. Fondation Montreal’s tent was presenting different startups every day and we met with one of Unito’s cofounders, Eryk Warren, who explained how they were providing unique solutions to companies by synchronizing their tasks and projects through a unique platform.

It was great meeting @unitoio at @Montrealinc tent. More info coming soon in article #startupfest #startup #montreal pic.twitter.com/Gb9SUyfQdB

— Innovative Montreal (@innovationmtl) 13 juillet 2017

Quartier de l’Innovation was presenting the newly opened Neoshop, which is the first physical location for innovation in Montreal, bringing startups’ products to the people.

Go and see those lovely smiles at @mtlnewtech tent with @QIMontreal @NeoshopMontreal #startupfest #startup #innovation pic.twitter.com/XWflprMM6H

— Innovative Montreal (@innovationmtl) 13 juillet 2017

In the Demo Zone we discovered Food Trip To, giving people the chance to travel around the world through their exclusive gift boxes.

We also met with lovely ladies who, under their candid looks, were actually impartial judges – the Grandmothers tent is one of the most popular pitch contests and many courageous entrepreneurs were queuing to take a chance, pitching for 30 seconds and answering questions for 30 seconds. Brenda, Doreen, Marilyn, Pearl are all grandmothers but they are also influential business women who have been at key managerial positions for years. During two days, the busy ladies heard over 350 pitches!

Are you ready to pitch your idea to a jury of grandmothers?? #startupfest @EYnews #pitching #startup #Montreal pic.twitter.com/X07IqoQTEK

— Innovative Montreal (@innovationmtl) 14 juillet 2017

Eventually, making an impact

In the end, it was very inspirational to find out that the big $140,000 Prize was awarded to a startup dedicated to making the world a better place – FlashFood is an app helping groceries in Ontario fight against food waste by providing clients with discounts (very similar to Eatizz in Montreal, that we portrayed last year!)

So yes, innovation is surely about discovering new technologies and unwinding the potential of artificial intelligence but it is above all about finding better ways to address simple matters.