The Canadian Film Centre’s Media Lab and the Cultural Service of the Embassy of France in Canada, in partnership with Forum Avignon, announced “Enterprising Culture”, an international forum for Franco-Canadian creative and cultural industry start-ups.
The two-day programme was scheduled for 28 and 29 September 2025 in Toronto. It was designed to bring together debates, keynote contributions, a Launch Pad for emerging ventures and opportunities for Canadian and French participants to meet. The programme was also intended to conclude with a pitch session for twelve finalists and the selection of one winning company from each country.
The initiative placed cultural production and creative technology within a wider discussion about economic impact, entrepreneurship and international markets. Its proposed audience included entrepreneurs, creators, researchers, public officials, students, investors and representatives of creative industries.
A programme focused on creative enterprise
The forum was organised around exchange between Canadian and French stakeholders. Alongside discussion sessions, the programme included an accelerator presentation and a competition format intended to give selected start-ups visibility before an expert jury.
The twelve finalists were presented as six Canadian and six French initiatives. The Canadian selection included AWE, SAM, Tribal MX, Vubble, Wondereur and Yugen; the French selection included Artips, BandSquare, Delight, Editions Animées, Jamshake and Soundsgood.
The planned prize was an intensive international business experience, with the Canadian and French winning companies hosted by the respective partner organisations. The resource records this as part of a broader effort to connect cultural innovation with practical support, market access and cross-border learning.
Partners and institutional context
The Canadian Film Centre’s Media Lab was described as a research, training and production environment for digital media practitioners and emerging companies. Its accelerator work supported experimentation in digital entertainment and related creative fields.
The Cultural Service of the Embassy of France in Canada contributed a framework for cultural and digital cooperation. Forum Avignon brought its established focus on the relationship between culture, the economy, innovation and territorial development.
Read the related jury and award resource, or continue to the Enterprising Culture meeting record.
Why this document remains useful
This press release offers a snapshot of how cultural entrepreneurship was being framed in 2025: as a meeting point for creative practice, digital tools, investment, public policy and international cooperation. It belongs to the resource’s wider record of research and debates about the conditions that allow cultural initiatives to develop.
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