On the third floor of 3737 Crémazie Street, an unprecedented event took place this Friday, December 20, on the eve of the holiday break. Five entrepreneurs submitted their projects as part of the first edition of the Saint-Michel Challenge. An initiative led by the 3737 Group, an incubator promoting greater diversity in the business world.
The big day! Like children waiting to be able to open their gift, five entrepreneurs from Saint-Michel were looking forward to this moment. “It's the end of a six-week journey during which these entrepreneurs worked very, very hard. Today is the big day of Pitch ! Entrepreneurs have five minutes to present their projects," explains Maudeleine Myrthil, Vice President, Entrepreneurship, of Groupe 3737, to the meeting.
Some supporters of the entrepreneurs came out for the occasion. The mayor of the borough of Villeray—Saint-Michel—Parc-Extension, Laurence Lavigne Lalonde, and the Member of Parliament for Viau, Frantz Benjamin, were also present to attend this initiative, made possible thanks to the financial assistance of the borough and PME MTL, the City of Montreal's business support network.
Diverse, like Saint-Michel
It was Mr. Roland, at the head of a renovation company, who got the ball rolling. The Montrealer showed some understandable stress, sometimes bumping into a word, but quickly overcomig them. He did not hesitate to give his telephone number to potential customers in the assistance department. “Our difference is to offer quality renovation work, but at a price that remains affordable for the inhabitants of Saint-Michel”, he assures us. He hopes to win the Challenge in order to develop his digital presence and be able to rent a more comfortable office.
Then came the turn of the La Patience Community Center, which offers food and material assistance to neighbourhood residents. Immaculate white shirt and black jacket, Jean Charles Bernard presented the center's project: moving to a larger space to offer better services to the community.
Then, the owner of two restaurants located on Boulevard Saint-Michel took over. His idea? “A lot of children go to school without eating. This grant would therefore allow me to offer lunch boxes to some children. I want to do this to give back a little bit of what comes back to the community”, assures Paul Fablon.
It is with a well-thought-out staging that the fourth entrepreneur begins his pitch. “This project is simply an innovation and a revolution! ” says Mikhail N. Ngassa, founder of Kherös Sport. It is a shower gel formulated to accelerate the physical recovery of young and old athletes, thanks to natural products with anti-inflammatory properties.
Ngan Julie Trinh, co-founder of Pretty Little Things Ongles & Spa, closed the morning of. The young woman defend a project to return to school for young women in the neighborhood who are dropping out of school through nail training. “I show them that they can earn money by working and I try to get them to go back to school to train in what they want,” explains the businesswoman.
At the end of these five presentations, the jury withdrew to deliberate. In the end, Mikhail N. Ngassa's company Kherös Sport won the Saint-Michel Challenge and the $2,500 prize awarded to the winner. A source of pride for the 30-year-old, whose ambitions seem limitless.
From basketball player to business manager
Mikhail N. Ngassa distinguished himself in. Dynamic, very well prepared and obviously at ease, he presented his product as if it were a star! To the applause of the public, Kherös Sport shower gel was presented on a display by an assistant. “I chose to work with a laboratory and suppliers from Quebec. It is therefore a 100% local and innovative product,” he proudly emphasizes.
The entrepreneur is not at his first try. He already won the third prize at the Quebec Black Entrepreneurs Recognition Gala last April. Anyone who indicates that they work an average of 85 hours per week is determined to make their mark and “represent my hood."
Born in France, he spent his youth between his parents' Cameroon, France, and the United Kingdom. “I played basketball in a training center when I was young. When I moved to Saint-Michel 15 years ago, the project was then to go and play in the United States, but in the end, it didn't work out,” says Mikhail.
Eager not to completely abandon his passion, he pursued university studies in marketing, communication and public relations. “I always wanted to be an entrepreneur, but I wanted to combine it with my passion for sport. I devoted a year to research and development thanks to government assistance that no longer exists, but which offered me an income during this period,” he says.
At the end of this year of exploration, he had his product. In the second year, he launched an initial production of nearly 800 bottles and distributed samples to have his muscle-recovery shower gel tested.
“I am the first Black entrepreneur in the sports sector in Quebec”
Neighbourhoods like Saint-Michel, perceived as poor and multicultural, are too rarely associated with entrepreneurial innovation. However, more and more people of colour are embarking on this type of adventure. “Of course, at the beginning, we think it will be more difficult, especially when you don't have a network. Most people love my energy; so it's not too difficult for me, even though I'm the first Black sports entrepreneur in Quebec,” says the CEO of Kherös Sport.
According to him, the lack of a network can only be made up for by a lot of work. “When I see people who don't even have LinkedIn or think they can do everything from home, that's not okay. I go to a lot of events and meetings that I choose based on their relevance to my field, which is sport. You have to identify the right people, create relationships, etc.”, he says.
A method that works because this hard worker is already starting to make a name for himself. “Deputy Frantz Benjamin, who was there earlier, is using my shower gel,” Mikail proudly assures us.
In total, he spent $20,000, drawn directly from his savings. A risk that he does not regret having taken, because the first test production sold out entirely. Mikhail is now thinking bigger: “The next step is to bring in an investor and start production. Then, I am already working on new Kherös Sport products — in particular a shower gel for swimmers, for example, a moisturizer, a shampoo... I have a lot of product ideas related to sports recovery.”
Since his items are already sold online and in a few Montreal stores, he plans to work with distributors to conquer the Quebec and then Canadian markets. And he will not forget Saint-Michel in his development plans. “I would like to offer young people in the neighbourhood missions on social networks, for example, to involve them in this project”, he assures.
Ambitious by nature, he is already seeing his brand's products being exported all over the world.