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Startups in Montréal

builtinmtl.com

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Re: Startups in Montréal

#51

Post by ConfuciusSay02 »

the_duck wrote: post #32

I've heard vague tales of Canadian companies receiving tax incentives to do research, in the form of SR&ED credits. ( http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/txcrdt/sred-rsde/menu-eng.html ) Does anyone have any concrete experience with the program?

The credits are for "innovation", and it used to be that more or less everything was considered "innovation", and it was a huge joke, and basically every tech company that applied got tax credits. However, in the past 3 years or so, the government has cracked down on this and now it's extremely difficult and/or not worth the work that is involved to even apply for the credits.

Re: Startups in Montréal

#52

Post by euphemize »

Montreal is not known for its tech scene. Scrolling through this page, I can immediately identify:

- the "startups" that are a 1-guy team doing "disruptive-PASS-agile-SCRUM" consulting

- large, partially government-backed monsters where money is burnt and not much is produced

- the students who just built their first social photo-sharing app, wondering why they can't find any funding

I've heard of them from others or was offered jobs there - there isn't a lot to choose from around here. Salaries are low as the city is cheap. There are also good companies in that list (some great ones even), but I'd say it's pretty inflated.

I work remote for a US company with its headquarters in Europe, it's the best arrangement possible, I'd recommend it for others (paid USD, half-day overlap with coworkers = lots of time for quiet coding, trips to Europe often to catch up with team).

Re: Startups in Montréal

#53

Post by musha68k »

It's a great city, especially if you are sick of industry monoculture. Lots of very well educated and open people from all around the world (lots of old-school hippie folks too: https://duckduckgo.com/?q=montreal+tam+tams&t=iphone&iax=1&i... :))

You might as well download https://www.duolingo.com and practice a bit of French (seriously, try it - it's fun!) if you are too lazy for that a "salut-hi" will usually suffice to break "the ice" :)

IMHO: NYC > MTL > SF

I do miss Montréal though! <3

Re: Startups in Montréal

#54

Post by Apocryphon »

euphemize wrote: post #52

Montreal is not known for its tech scene. Scrolling through this page, I can immediately identify: - the "startups" that are a 1-guy team doing "disruptive-PASS-agile-SCRUM" consulting - large, partially government-backed monsters where money is burnt and not much is produced - the students who just built their first social photo-sharing app, wondering why they can't find any funding I've heard of them from others or…

Odd that Hopper wasn't on the site. I guess that's because it's located half in Boston.

Re: Startups in Montréal

#55

Post by JamilD »

schwap wrote: post #46
JamilD wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I find this is a culture that pervades most of Canada (with perhaps the exception of Waterloo). It's a culture that follows, not leads and innovates. We're all for pretending to be like Silicon Valley… but not trying anything new :)

In the tech sector, I would agree. In other industries, however, I would strongly disagree.

I'm just curious; which other industries?

Re: Startups in Montréal

#56

Post by __derek__ »

toomim wrote: post #5

I moved to Montreal last summer and spring, after years in Seattle and Berkeley. Then I gave up and moved back to Berkeley. Pros: + Bitcoin Embassy Montreal! + Really cheap hipster life + Wonderful cheap food + Walkable city + A French culture that values living, parks, & community! + Beautiful women, and lots of them + There actually is a tech scene! Woah! + It's different Cons: - Less edgy culture. Less individual…

> language racism

That's not racism. Stop calling it that. Piggy-backing on the plight of actual victims of racism isn't cool.

Re: Startups in Montréal

#57

Post by S4M »

toomim wrote: post #14
Raphmedia wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

(quebecers here) Not language racism but english-phobia. Everyone that I know will switch to english to help people, but they expect that the reverse will be true too. You will be expected to at least attempt French. Attempting it will be enough and people will gladly help you out.

Quebecers are my favorite Canadians! But there is definitely language racism, especially with the language laws. Here are some examples to prove my point: On a phone call with the government to renew an ID card, my bilingual Montrealler friend messed up her French grammar. The government agent said "I cannot understand you" and hung up the phone! Made her call back and wait on hold and be more careful with her gramma…

> My friend is COO of a large, successful international enterprise software company (I won't mention the company). All his programmers use English keyboards, but his company will be shut down if they don't use French keyboards. So they keep a stash of French keyboards in the closet. Every few months, the Language Police do an inspection and they have to bring out the French keyboards and pretend that they are using them to do all their work as good French citizens.

Wow, French here, I find this most shocking. Can't the programmers use the French keyboard all the time but simply map it to the US layout (I do that myself).

Re: Startups in Montréal

#58

Post by schwap »

JamilD wrote: post #55
schwap wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In the tech sector, I would agree. In other industries, however, I would strongly disagree.

I'm just curious; which other industries?

Resource Extraction. For instance, just about every oil well drilled around the world likely has Canadian-developed equipment on it.

Re: Startups in Montréal

#59

Post by im_a_bug »

Raphmedia wrote: post #19
toomim wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Quebecers are my favorite Canadians! But there is definitely language racism, especially with the language laws. Here are some examples to prove my point: On a phone call with the government to renew an ID card, my bilingual Montrealler friend messed up her French grammar. The government agent said "I cannot understand you" and hung up the phone! Made her call back and wait on hold and be more careful with her gramma…

Of course there is racism, there is racism everywhere. The difference with Québec is that the racists are racist against wealthy white people who are not use to be on that side of the medal. > So they keep a stash of French keyboards in the closet. Here, even if we are french speaking, we simply stick french stickers on things. No need to buy extra products this way ;)

It is sad to me that nobody in this thread knows what racism is.

Re: Startups in Montréal

#60

Post by dwild »

toomim wrote: post #14
Raphmedia wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

(quebecers here) Not language racism but english-phobia. Everyone that I know will switch to english to help people, but they expect that the reverse will be true too. You will be expected to at least attempt French. Attempting it will be enough and people will gladly help you out.

Quebecers are my favorite Canadians! But there is definitely language racism, especially with the language laws. Here are some examples to prove my point: On a phone call with the government to renew an ID card, my bilingual Montrealler friend messed up her French grammar. The government agent said "I cannot understand you" and hung up the phone! Made her call back and wait on hold and be more careful with her gramma…

I've heard stories about inspection for the keyboards but never experienced it myself. I only have been working for the past 5 years but for something you say happen once a month, it look like I'm pretty lucky. I'm on an English keyboard by the way.

I guess there is language racism, people here are expected to speak English when most of us doesn't handle it that well. When we travel in an English country, we have to speak in English, when we travel to a Spanish country, we do our best to talk Spanish, we expect the same of you. Sadly even people that have been here for a long time doesn't even try to learn French. Most of the superior I had are only speaking English.

Don't you learn Spanish as a second language in US? How would you react if you would be expected to use Spanish that much?

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