Behind these startups are people driven by a mission: making education accessible, feeding their communities differently, or simplifying life for those living with chronic illness. For the past three seasons, Amazon Web Services (AWS) has teamed up with Radio-Canada’s Dans l’œil du dragon to offer business grants of up to $100,000 to Quebec entrepreneurs who stand out through their use of technology, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence (AI).
One year later, the results continue to speak for themselves: winners and finalists from the 2024 and 2025 editions are making tangible changes in their communities thanks to cutting-edge technologies and personalized AWS support.
“At AWS, we believe technology should be accessible to all businesses, regardless of size or industry. By supporting entrepreneurs, we aim to help build a vibrant ecosystem in Quebec where innovation can take root and thrive. We want to propel Quebec entrepreneurs to accelerate their growth and create long-term impact in their communities,” explains Réjean Bourgault, Country Director at AWS Canada.
La 2e Classe: when AI frees up time for people
Winner of the 2025 AWS grant, La 2e Classe demonstrates that technology finds its deepest meaning when it brings people together rather than isolates them.
Founded by Marilou Gravel and Christine-Amélie Roberge, La 2e Classe makes education more accessible by offering virtual group classes to students whose paths fall outside the traditional school system. Since winning the $100,000 grant in 2025, the company has gained strong momentum and now supports hundreds of students across Quebec—families who might otherwise be left on their own.
The impact of its collaboration with AWS is measurable: thanks to a cloud- and AI-based system, teachers’ administrative workload has been reduced by 50%. The result? Each teacher now spends more time supporting a greater number of students, expanding the reach of the company’s educational mission.
“Technology will never replace humans at La 2e Classe—quite the opposite. Homeschooling is a life change that can be disruptive for families, and we need to provide support to both parents and students. By entrusting repetitive tasks and paperwork to AI, teachers have more time for human connections. That’s what makes all the difference,” say co-founders Marilou Gravel and Christine-Amélie Roberge.
For the hundreds of families supported, the ripple effect is clear: students regain confidence, parents receive guidance through a major life transition, and a growing educational community develops—one family at a time.
Petit Cactus and Brava Endurance: innovation for well-being
The 2025 finalists show how technology can directly improve the quality of life for thousands of people.
Petit Cactus offers a mobile app for people living with diabetes and recently launched a monitoring platform for healthcare professionals. By leveraging AWS services, the company makes health management more accessible, intuitive, and human—for patients and their loved ones alike.
“Working with AWS allowed us to strengthen our technological foundation and improve performance. As interest in Petit Cactus grows, we’ve ensured our system can support that growth,” explains Alain Simard, co-founder of Petit Cactus.“We are also integrating generative AI to provide more personalized support and help users better understand their data using reliable, recognized sources,” he adds.
Brava Endurance focuses on locally produced clothing for women who practice endurance sports. The company is exploring AI to optimize operations and reduce its environmental footprint. Over the past year, it has achieved remarkable results, doubling its online sales in just one year.
“With AWS, we worked on better identifying our customers’ needs. With more insight into needs, trends, and sizing, we can adjust production to avoid unsold inventory. Producing intelligently is good for the company’s finances and for the environment,” explains one of Brava’s co-owners, Vincent Chabot.
Looking back at 2024: continued growth
The 2024 winners and finalists continue to build on their momentum, showing that AWS support delivers lasting results.
AquaVerti, the 2024 grant winner, is rethinking agriculture with a smart vertical farm that uses up to 94% less water than traditional farming. Since migrating to AWS cloud services, the Montreal-based company has increased productivity by 20% and is now developing “custom produce”—for example, lettuce designed to stay fresh longer and reduce food waste.
“By using advanced technologies and AI, we now have access to valuable data. This allows us to practice precision agriculture, as we can measure the exact impact of small variations in temperature or light on crop growth,” explains George Azcam, President of AquaVerti.
OneTrip has created an AI solution that quickly digitizes thousands of items on independent grocery store shelves using simple smartphone photos. The company has already helped around 50 small and medium-sized grocery stores transition to digital operations.
“With OneTrip, we’ve created a small revolution for grocery store owners beginning their digital transformation. With a digitized catalog, they now have access to powerful inventory management tools and can fully benefit from the growth of online commerce,” says Walid Baba-Moussa, co-founder and CEO of OneTrip.
SilknSoak, which offers shower and home products, is working with AWS specialists to create a multisensory online shopping experience—one that can evoke a sense of well-being and even suggest the scent of their products, like in a physical store.
“With the data analysis we now conduct, we can offer images and experiences that trigger pleasant memories linked to scents. Our goal is to create a world where people feel good, supported, and immersed in sensory experiences,” explain sisters Kimberly and Mélanie Castaneda, co-founders of SilknSoak.
Accelerating innovation in Quebec
What unites these entrepreneurs is the belief that technology is a tool in service of their mission—feeding, educating, caring, clothing—not an end in itself. Through its involvement with Radio-Canada’s Dans l’œil du dragon, AWS aims to continue empowering Quebec entrepreneurs by giving them access to advanced technologies, from cloud computing to artificial intelligence, enabling them to create lasting impact in their communities.
Learn more about how AWS initiativeis supporting supports over 350,000 startups worldwide.
Discover how AWS continues its commitment to Quebec entrepreneurs during Season 15 of Dans l’œil du dragon.
