Montréal for good

One city. One day. One guide. Five speakers. Five experiences. And no limits. This is a simple statistics of our last Learning Expedition about Tech For Good in Montreal. This city has gained his fame in being one of the most innovative on the continent: startups, AI, VR, HealthTech, BioTech etc, you name it. So without any doubts, we came here to meet those who use technologies and innovations to help adapt our society to the rapidly changing reality and to build a more inclusive, safe and technologically friendly world. Together with the CGI team, we dived into unknown to come back with more innovative solutions and creative ideas on how to make TECH work for GOOD.

Technology + Science = Health?

HealthTech is booming these days giving us hope that one day we would find a solution to cure all the diseases. But it is not that easy and obvious and it needs time. Much time.

And could a "cure" sometimes be a piece of knowledge and a lift of awareness? Myelin is a great example of the company who, by using the AI, has created a web platform that answers all questions about autism (ASD), even the most advanced ones. Myelin's technology saved the time of search and gave us a reliable source of information, so now we have time to act. In Hyasynth, Kevin Chen and his team came back to the originals (a.k. original sources) to find a way how to improve the health issues of many people's lives by producing and distributing cannabinoid products with a reduced level of energy and material consumption.

« My main project is Hyasynth Bio. A startup focused on opening up the potential of cannabis-derived medicine, by replacing plant growth with engineered micro-organisms. » Kevin Chen, Hyasynth Bio

Can technology serve a community? Yes! But how?

It is true that some local communities of Canada, for example, Nunavik may face reduced access to fresh food... To prevent this, Olivier Demers-Dubé, Emilie Nollet and Julien le Net proposed a solution: aquaponic farming! And they also founded a company called ÉAU. "We develop vertical aquaponic farms that produce fresh, healthy and local foods – vegetables, fruit and fish – all year round regardless of climatic conditions in order to contribute to the community’s food empowerment.

Mallaurie, Cyril & Thierry

While EAU's technology helps communities, Communautique uses technologies to build a community. Annie Ferlatte - mediator of ecodesign strategies - shared with us how to build a community around technologies, how to help society to raise digital literacy and how to use technologies to develop social projects.

« La learning expedition que nous a organisé CGI à Montréal [...] fut mémorable ! » Xavier Tytelman – Consultant Sécurité, Défense, Transports

Pour aller plus loin sur le sujet de la Tech for good : consultez la Déclaration de Montréal pour une IA Responsable ainsi que l’étude du Good Tech Lab (400+ interviews d’innovateurs de 30 pays). Tomorrow Expeditions organise des learning expeditions et des expériences immersives sur-mesure. Briefez-nous pour organiser la vôtre > anna.listova@tomorrow.travel