Elisa Groslier and her partner, Nicolas Iglésias, are the co-founders of CIVISION, a Montreal-based company offering an innovative digital solution that predicts the economic and social impacts of various urban and territorial projects, through data pooling and artificial intelligence.
Elisa and Nicolas | Co-founders of CIVISION
Elisa and Nicolas | Co-founders of CIVISION
Originally from France, Nicolas and Elisa were first colleagues at a consulting firm before becoming a couple. Long driven by the desire to live abroad and start a business, they made this shared dream a reality by moving to Canada in 2021, with the goal of quickly founding their own company.
Upon arriving in Montreal, Elisa completed a certificate in innovation and entrepreneurship management at HEC Montréal, adding to her master’s degree in international business. For his part, Nicolas began a certificate in data analysis, also at HEC Montréal, which complements his master’s degree in economic intelligence.
Just four months after their arrival, they launched their business with support from the Base entrepreneuriale HEC Montréal, a university innovation hub aimed at advancing the next generation of tech and impact-driven entrepreneurs.
Entrepreneurship: A Driver of Social Innovation
It was through their work as consultants in territorial strategy that Nicolas and Elisa were able to identify key challenges in their field. They observed, in particular, strong competition between cities seeking to attract businesses, each needing to highlight its unique features. Yet, when trying to convince a company to set up in a region, the arguments presented often remain general.
Nicolas also noted the deployment of certain business projects in regions affected by deindustrialization, accompanied by promises of job creation. However, due to a lack of adequate data, the companies behind these projects failed to realize that the local population did not have the necessary qualifications to fill the proposed positions.
With these issues in mind, they set out to design an analytical platform capable of simulating, planning, and optimizing urban or commercial projects using demographic, socioeconomic, and ESG data linked to specific territories.
“We said to ourselves, we need to create a solution that can determine whether a project is suited to the population it targets and whether it will benefit them. That’s one of the reasons we created CIVISION,” explains Nicolas.
Temporary residents and entrepreneurs: a success made possible
Like many entrepreneurs, one of the main challenges they faced when launching their business was securing funding. Due to their status as temporary residents, very few grants were available to them, and access to loans was even more limited. It was thanks to Luis Cisneros, Director of the Base entrepreneuriale HEC Montréal, that they were connected with Microcredit Montréal, which then agreed to expand its financial support to include temporary residents.
“We were incredibly lucky that Microcredit Montréal opened its program to temporary residents,” says Nicolas. “We were among the first beneficiaries, and we’re proud of that,” adds Elisa.
Thanks to this loan, Nicolas and Elisa were able to recruit various experts to build their internal team. This financial support also opened the door to other financial partners who were convinced by Microcredit Montréal’s involvement.
“Beyond the loan, Microcredit Montréal has a vast network, and they’re always there to connect us with the best collaborators to help grow our business,” Nicolas emphasizes.
Local impact, global vision
When they first started, there were only two of them—today, the CIVISION team has grown to eight employees and covers 60% of Quebec’s territory. Their clients are primarily government and municipal organizations, including regional county municipality (MRC) economic development agencies.
The future looks bright for the two co-founders, who are currently in negotiations with major public and private sector players. When asked about their outlook, they express a clear desire to grow their client base in the private sector, particularly among real estate and urban investors. In the coming months, they will focus their efforts on rolling out their solution across Canada, with the ambition of expanding internationally.
“If we can build our territory more intelligently to serve the population, we’d love for everyone to benefit. We want to contribute to sustainable projects that improve access to local services and jobs—tailored to people’s needs and aspirations,” Nicolas concludes.