Tech Shift – Retail (Virage techno – commerce)
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Eligibility & Details
What this program funds and who can apply
Program Description
Laval Économique grant for retail businesses (NAICS 44 or 45) based in Laval with at least two years of retail operation. Covers up to 50% of the cost of a digital-transformation equipment purchase (max $15,000), development of an AI solution (max $5,000), or first-year user fees for an AI solution from a TerroX-accelerated startup (max $2,500). A business may apply in only one category per project.
Eligibility Requirements
- Be a for-profit business legally incorporated in Quebec or Canada.
- Be based in Laval.
- Be a business in the retail sector classified under codes 44 or 45 of the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS).
- Have been in the retail business for at least two years.
- Demonstrate financial capacity to ensure continuity of the business's operations.
- Carry out the investment project in a Laval establishment.
- Expenditures and contractual commitments must not be confirmed before the date of submission of the application for financial assistance and obtaining an acknowledgement of receipt from the program manager.
- The program runs as a three-phase pathway — Phase I diagnosis, Phase II development of an implementation plan, Phase III project implementation. Financial assistance is applied for in Phase III, so a completed diagnosis and implementation plan are prerequisites for the Equipment and AI Development categories.
- A retail business may apply for financial assistance within only one category per project — the three category ceilings cannot be combined.
- Stream-scoped: the AI TerroX Startup Solutions category ($2,500) is available only to businesses that are clients of TerroX-accelerated startups and participants in TerroX cohorts. This restriction applies to that category alone and does not gate the Equipment or AI Development categories.
- Financial assistance is capped at 50% of eligible costs — the applicant funds the remaining share.
Quick Assessment
Funding Details
- Amount
- Up to 50% of eligible costs, to a maximum of $15,000 (Equipment category); $5,000 (AI Development category); $2,500 (AI TerroX Startup Solutions category) — one category per project
- Type
- Grant
- Level
- Municipal
- Co-Funding
- Up to 50% of eligible costs
- Deadline
- Until available funds are exhausted — rolling intake
Program Scorecard
Competition, effort, and approval at a glance
Everything you need to win Tech Shift – Retail (Virage techno – comme...
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- 6-document checklist with what each reviewer is actually checking
- 6-step application timeline with prep hours per step
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- Success profile + evaluation criteria — exactly what reviewers score on
How to Win
Insider tips, common pitfalls, and what successful applicants look like
Insider TipDo not sign vendor contracts or commit expenditures until you receive program acknowledgement; costs committed beforehand can disqualify the project.
Evaluation Criteria
Following receipt of a complete file and confirmation of the information, the application is evaluated by a selection committee, which selects recipients according to the terms and conditions set out in the program. Laval Économique does not publish a scoring rubric. In practice the file has to clear the stated eligibility gates (for-profit, incorporated, Laval-based, NAICS 44/45, two years in retail, financial capacity to continue operating) and be supported by the Phase I diagnosis and Phase II implementation plan, which are the documents that evidence the project's fit and feasibility.
Application Playbook
Step-by-step process, required documents, and expenses
Application Steps
Required Documents 6
Eligible Expenses 8
- Acquisition costs for equipment and ancillary components (Equipment category)
- Associated costs of equipment acquisition, up to 15% of the acquisition cost
- Direct costs related to equipment implementation: transportation and leasehold improvements
- Software acquisition and implementation costs
- Project-related professional fees
- Direct costs of labour assigned to the project, limited to the hourly rate
- Development and integration costs of an innovative AI-based solution (AI Development category)
- Initial costs and first year's use of an existing AI-based solution from a TerroX-accelerated startup (AI Solutions category)
Ineligible Expenses 5
- Materials, inventory and other supplies
- Motorized rolling stock
- Expenditures and contractual commitments confirmed before the application was submitted and acknowledged
- Associated equipment costs beyond 15% of the acquisition cost
- Labour costs above the allowed hourly rate
Intake Periods
Rolling intake. Laval Économique's program listing states applications are accepted 'Until available funds are exhausted' — there is no published opening or closing date.
Deadline Notes
No dated deadline is published. Laval Économique's own program listing states the intake runs 'Until available funds are exhausted', so the practical constraint is the annual envelope rather than a calendar date. Apply early in the funding cycle.
Ineligible Organizations
- Non-profit organizations and other not-for-profit entities (the program requires a for-profit business)
- Businesses outside the retail sector (NAICS codes other than 44 or 45)
- Businesses not based in Laval, or projects carried out outside a Laval establishment
- Retail businesses with less than two years of operation
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Funding Stack Strategy
Compatible programs, clawback risk, and combined funding potential
Stacking partner data not yet available.
Clawback Risk
Medium RiskThe contribution is non-repayable, but it is awarded by a selection committee 'according to the terms and conditions set out in the program' and is conditional on the project proceeding as approved. Committing expenditures before the application is acknowledged, or abandoning/altering the funded project, are the realistic triggers for a demand to repay. Confirm the convention's specific conditions before signing.
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