SUMMERSIDE – Feb. 6, 2024 – The champion of RDÉE PEI’s 2024 Francophone Ignition Contest will earn not only a $25,000 investment in their business project, but also several exciting prizes to support their entrepreneurial journey.

Again this year, the Greater Summerside Chamber of Commerce will provide the champion with a complimentary one-year membership, giving them access to a wide range of support services as well as training and networking opportunities.

Chamber executive director Kaley O’Brien, left, and Emma Clow, right, the Chamber’s event and membership manager, recently met with contest coordinator Alecia Arsenault to discuss this year’s event. Arsenault explained that the three finalists of the competition will present their entrepreneurial project in front of a panel of judges and the public on Saturday, March 2, at 7 p.m. at the Village musical acadien in Abram-Village in a style similar to what is seen on the TV shows Shark Tank and Dragons’ Den. The project showing the most potential for success will receive the investment and prizes.

To prepare for the finals, contestants participated in a weekend of training on self-awareness, understanding business finances and pitching their project. They then had to go through a pre-selection process to narrow down the roster of contestants to three for the finals.

The Francophone Ignition Contest is carried out in partnership with Innovation PEI’s Start-Up Fund and the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency.