Last night, with a glass in hand, we celebrated online the end of an epic and significant chapter for the 5 resilient enterprises that took part in our Focus Program. For 12 weeks, during the pandemic, E.D. Films, Gallea, Gridspace, Madefire and Shaftesbury benefited from 200 hours of customized consultation and 36 hours of workshops, conferences and trainings. More than 60 people, the start-ups, the experts, the guides, the CEOs in resident, the partners as well as the Zú team were able to pivot in a matter of weeks in order to offer this program virtually without expensing any elements. Impressive! Congratulations! Hats off to you all!

Yesterday, 100 people connected to view our closing event online to discover the projects that are currently redefining and rethinking the new normal of today’s entertainment. These teams have showed that they have what it takes to push and propel their creative forces to become a true entrepreneurial force. These last few weeks, the companies in these cohorts have passed through a crucial step where they graduated from ideation to strong growth and where a prototype has met its market and where brands have found their voice and their unique personalities. Mid pandemic, the start-ups in this cohort were able to go to market with their projects in an impressive accelerated matter and these amazing accomplishments are nothing short than incredible.

E.D. Films

“E.D. Films work with Zú's Focus incubator program was one of the most valuable business moves we have ever made. The program has been essential in driving our strategic, financial, and leadership approach to our next exciting stage of growth from start-up to a solid, sustainable company.”
Archita Ghosh, Executive Producer, E.D. Films


E.D. Films is an award-winning animation studio and digital tools maker. From hybrid animation, XR and immersive content to technical creation tools and tutorials, our art + tech team treats both our own IP and our clients’ projects with creativity, expertise and thoughtfulness while we drive it to high-quality completion.

Gallea

“We were impressed by the complementarity of the mentors of the Focus program. They allowed us to ask the right questions in order to grow our solution internationally. In just a few months, we saw an increase of more than 400% in the sales of works of art on the platform as well as a significant increase in our artists with more than 350 new registrations.”
Guillaume Parent, CEO and Cofounder at Gallea.

Gallea is the largest online art gallery in Quebec in addition to being a network of establishments exhibiting the works of these artists. With the help of technology, we are democratizing the way of discovering and consuming art, both online and offline, while stimulating the local economy.

Gridspace

"The Focus program at Zú steered us towards a smaller more flexible iteration of our product making it more scalable and accessible. The quality of the guides and level of their input was world class."
Hugues Léger, Partner at Gridspace

Gridspace has started a new phase of its development with two new partners: Hugues Letellier and Hugues Léger. This association will allow Gridspace to accelerate its growth in the entertainment, wellness and immersive experiences sectors.

Gridspace is a multimedia creation studio specializing in the design and production of creative environments in situ. We have created temporary installations or permanent infrastructures at the intersection of the physical and digital worlds using our inventive scenography, motion design and the latest technological innovations.

Madefire

"Working with Zú has been wonderful, we have launched Madefire Montreal! Being able to arrive into their ecosystem of alliances, work with their coaches and be a part of the artistry and engineering of Montreal is such a unique opportunity, thank you.”
Ben Wolstenholme, CEO, Madefire

Madefire is a content technology company that provides creators and publishers with a state-of-the-art publishing platform called “Motion Book Tool” which makes a digital approach to multi-platform publishing in a variety of formats, from phones and tablets to TV and XR, possible.

Shaftesbury

“Zú Focus program is the ultimate connector. We found the experience of the Zú accelerator to be incredibly helpful at a critically important time in our development. The advisors experience and insight was tailored to our needs and they provided us the coaching necessary to move this to the next level of success.”
Ted Biggs, VP Technology at Shaftesbury.

Shaftesbury is a leader in the creation, production and distribution of high value scripted, branded, mixed reality and digital programming for international audiences, with reach in over 120 countries. Continuing in this tradition, Shaftesbury Technology is reimagining pediatric healthcare through next-generation patient engagement and positive distraction therapy.

Zú team joins its initiator, Guy Laliberté, to thank all the partners, experts, guides and CEOs in residence who have contributed to the success of the program.