FIRST IDEA

“As part of my studies in mechanical engineering at ETS, I took an introductory course in entrepreneurship at the end of which students were asked to create a company, real or not. With my partners François Trudeau, an engineering student, and Gabriel Georges, a medical student, we developed a heart pump for patients with advanced heart failure. We acquired a 3D printer in order to present it to the clinicians who had agreed to meet with us. To our great surprise, our pump already existed. So we resumed our research in order to resolve the problems of the pump by creating an optimal solution.”

FIRST INVENTION

"A quarter of a million patients in North America need a new heart to survive. Few of them will ever receive one. Currently, the only solution is to install a fist-sized pump that requires open-heart surgery. So we developed the ModulHeart pump that avoids this type of invasive surgery. Through a simple incision in the femoral artery in the thigh, we are able to insert all the pieces of the pump to build the device once inside the patient."

FIRST COMPANY NAME

“The first name was terrible! It was Ectopic, a medical term that refers to an organ that is not in its usual place. We were looked at with big eyes when we gave our name and we always had to explain our choice. So we changed to Puzzle, which stands out in a market where company names are rather conventional. This English term, which means puzzle, fit well with the operation of our modular device that is assembled inside the patient.”

FIRST COMPETITION

"It was the one for the Pierre-Péladeau scholarships from Quebecor. We finally obtained the highest of $100,000 in May 2019, which allowed us to develop our device, expand our team and begin in vitro (in the laboratory) and in vivo (with living models) tests.

This big boost helped us grow and flourish to eventually become part of Québec Inc. Subsequently, we were lucky enough to obtain several other scholarships and grants, such as the Prix Mtl inc .

FIRST ROUND OF FINANCING

"We are in the process of completing it. We have carried out our tests thanks to grants and subsidies, without having to dilute the company. We have a lot of attraction from the United States, Canada and internationally, which allows us to have a choice as to the partners who will join us. This funding will allow us to continue the tests in order to save our first human within two years."

FIRST BUSINESS LESSON

“You have to go for it. We tend to put up barriers that hold us back. Our ambition and audacity led us to contact Dr. Philippe Généreux, one of the best interventional cardiologists in the world, who became our medical leader. Being an entrepreneur requires dedication and commitment to guide the company, the team and the employees towards a common goal, to disrupt the status quo and to achieve together.”

FIRST SUCCESSES

"I am very proud to have invented a heart pump with my co-founders and to have a great portfolio of patents to our credit (five, including one international). The fact that our in vivo tests have been a huge success and produced spectacular results, without raising funding and without diluting the company is also, for me, a great achievement."

Montréal Inc. is a foundation that promotes the success of young, innovative and ambitious companies through scholarships, access to a prestigious business network and the expertise of seasoned volunteer coaches.