Startupfest 2026

Run & Get Your Startupfest Game Plan

Founders, investors & operators attending Startupfest who want a game plan before the floor opens.

Rep Matters Founder Camp

Application-based day of coaching + live practice for founders to pitch with clarity.

Hack Party (2389 Research)

Targets the AI builder/hacker-founder segment of the Startupfest crowd — technical founders and early-stage makers. Curated, invite-only, and tied directly to the fest (discount codes + same venue), so it pre-concentrates exactly the founders investors come to meet, though it skews builder rather than pure VC/investor.

BuddyFest

Morning community meetup for founders and friends kicking off Startupfest week.

Pitch Deck Roulette (Amiral Ventures)

Bullseye for the Startupfest crowd: early-stage founders sharpening their fundraising narrative get direct face time with a real Montréal seed/Series A VC (Amiral) plus seasoned founder-operators. Pure founder-meets-investor ICP.

Le Collectif des Fondatrices

Women-founder collective evening — Fonds Excelles (Thrive), White Star Capital & TechTO.

Founder Poker Montreal #16 - Startupfest Edition

Strong fit for the startup founder / investor crowd: explicit founder bias and "no pitching" culture, organized by people from BoxOne, Developer Capital (VC) and MILA, drawing the Montreal tech ecosystem during Startupfest week.

How AI Productivity Transforms the Workforce and Society

Talks + networking on AI's impact on work and society.

Pitches & Slices — BDC Seed VF × Boreal × Telegraph × AWS Startups

Founder pitches + pizza with BDC Seed VF, Boreal, Telegraph and AWS Startups.

Founders, Investors & Leaders Walk & Talk

Morning walk-and-talk networking along the Old Port.

Founder Friends Montréal (Hustle Fund)

Bullseye for the Startupfest crowd — Hustle Fund is a recognized early-stage VC and the format is founder-first networking with direct investor access (Techstars + Hustle Fund on stage). Ideal for early-stage founders and operators; investors/scouts attend too.

The Unofficial Startupfest Soirée

The big unofficial late-night Startupfest party.

Builders & Friends Montréal

Late-night builders + friends hang on the Old Port waterfront.

Female Founders Networking Breakfast

Directly on-target for the Startupfest crowd: explicitly welcomes female founders, early-stage entrepreneurs, investors and business leaders. A strong pick for women founders/operators and investors who want focused, smaller-group connections away from the main floor.

Early Stage B2B Founders & Funders Breakfast

Breakfast pairing early-stage B2B founders with funders.

Happy Hour 5 à 7 — Open Source de Montréal

Open-source community 5 à 7 on a rooftop terrace.

Rep Matters Cocktail at Startupfest

Evening cocktail marking the Black Entrepreneurship Investment Prize at Startupfest — founders, investors & operators. Powered by Real Ventures with BKR Capital, DMZ, Futurpreneur & Nobellum.

Fintech Social Networking Event

Fintech founders + operators social.

Beauty Founder Growth Lab: First Customer to Repeat Buyer

For beauty/consumer founders on turning first customers into repeat buyers.

Cinq à Sept Ecosystem Social

Ecosystem 5 à 7 — Startup Ecosystem Canada + Futurpreneur.

When AI Performs the R&D — Can You Still Claim SR&ED?

Talk + networking on SR&ED tax credits in the age of AI-driven R&D.

The Growth Table

Curated evening 'growth table' conversation.

Healthtech Social

Healthtech founders, operators and investors social.

Piñata Pitch 2026 × Startupfest

A high-energy student-run pitch competition inside Startupfest — founders pitch, winners take the main showcase stage. Sponsored by TD.

Raison d'art Fundraiser & Silent Auction

Arts fundraiser + silent auction on the Grand Quai Sky Stage.

Founders In The Park

Casual post-fest founder hang in the park.

BreWskey Taproom (Marché Bonsecours)

An easy, walkable Old Port beer terrasse right on the festival's waterfront axis — a natural low-key spot for founders, investors, and accelerator crowds to grab a drink and meet up between or after Startupfest sessions.

Marché des Éclusiers

A popular Old-Montréal waterfront terrace — big patio, DJ nights, easy group seating — a short walk from the Grand Quai. A relaxed overflow spot for casual fest-week 5 à 7 drinks and group hangs.

Philémon Bar

A buzzy Old-Montréal cocktail-and-wine bar a short walk from the Grand Quai — on Tastet's Startupfest happy-hour list and a natural after-hours 5 à 7 spot for founders, operators and investors.

Terrasse Nelligan

A natural upscale-but-laid-back spot for founders, VCs and accelerator folks to host informal investor drinks or wind down after Startupfest days — walkable from the Grand Quai, photogenic Old Port backdrop, polished dress code that suits an investor-grade vibe. Walk-ins welcome; reservations recommended (not available outside lunch/brunch), so groups should arrive early.

Terrasse Place d'Armes

A go-to upscale 5à7 / investor-impress rooftop in walking distance of the Grand Quai — the kind of polished Old-Montreal setting founders use to host VCs and angels for an evening drink during fest week. Not tied to a Startupfest event; a hangout venue, not a programmed side event.

Crew Collective & Café

A natural daytime work-and-meet spot for Startupfest founders and investors — it explicitly markets to "a driven community of entrepreneurs," and the local Tastet "Where to eat during Startupfest" guide recommends it as a top morning-coffee pick. Bookable meeting rooms make it practical for 1:1 investor coffees or small team huddles between festival sessions.

Tommy Café

Central Old-Montréal café that founders, VCs, and operators can use as a daytime meeting/catch-up spot during fest week; open 8AM-6PM daily, walkable from the Startupfest venue at the Grand Quai. Note: gets crowded at peak hours, so not ideal for a guaranteed-quiet sit-down.

Monarque

Explicitly recommended for "Dinner with Investors" in Tastet's Startupfest dining guide; the dual dining-room/brasserie format suits both formal VC dinners and casual founder meals during fest week.

Olive et Gourmando

A perennial Tourisme Montréal / Tastet must-visit and explicitly listed in Tastet's "where to eat during Startupfest" guide. Ideal low-key daytime spot for founders and investors to grab coffee or lunch and meet informally a short walk from the Grand Quai. Note: no reservations, first-come first-seated, open 9am-5pm.