On April 6, 2010 I wrote a blog post about resurrecting a Montreal tech news site. And today, it’s launched.
Along with the NextMontreal team (and in particular, Patrick Tanguay!) we’ve been working a ton to get the site ready. I’m very pleased with what we’ve accomplished in such a short time.
The goal of NextMontreal is to serve as a news and opinion hub for everything related to tech in Montreal. We’re broadening the focus to include big companies as much as startups, and other tech sectors like life sciences and gaming, just as much as those we spend our time working in, namely Web and mobile. Providing a primary hub for all tech news in Montreal is going to add a lot of value in terms of increasing awareness (inside and outside Montreal), cross-pollination of ideas across sectors and more.
Even before launching, we’ve brought on some fantastic sponsors: Beyond the Rack, Microsoft, Bridgescale and d’Astous Groupe Conseil. These people recognized the importance of what we’re trying to do and were willing to support us on day one. Thank you.
We’ve put together a great team of Featured Columnists. And more will join us. These are folks that are pushing Montreal forward in the world of tech, locally, but even more importantly, abroad. No city can survive on its own. Our markets are not local, they’re global. Some stories are local, and we hope to create real meaning at a local level, but we need folks on the outside – acquirers, big companies, talent, investors, etc. – looking in and paying attention. That’s part of NextMontreal’s mission.
I’m excited to keep pushing Montreal forward and using NextMontreal as a community platform for doing so. I hope you enjoy the site, read through the great content that’s already published, and stay tuned for much more.