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Quantum Innovation Zone (Quebec, Canada ) – Commercial Strategy
- The Quantum Innovation Zone
A $435M-funded innovation zone was established to elevate Quebec, Canada’s position as a leader in Quantum Technologies and to attract and generate high value jobs. - Stage
Northern Pixels was engaged at the earliest stages to develop a commercial strategy for the Quantum Zone to overcome key challenges. - Outcome
Northern Pixels developed a strategy that outlined how to overcome key challenges and market tested the plan with global through leaders in the quantum industry; Investment groups, startups, established category leaders and world leading professional services firms prior to submitting to the Zone’s Board of Directors.
Challenges
- Differentiation: Countries around the world are investing billions of dollars into Quantum Innovation Zones, all with common objectives of establishing a strategic technology advantage and the creation of high value jobs. DistriQ needed greater differentiation to help attract startups, clients and world media attention.
- Sustainable Job Creation: A 2023 BCG report identified the success rates of Deep Tech startups is almost identical to Tech startups. Only 2% reach C-Round funding and only 0.4% of startups reach $10M of annual sales (saasstock). Low success rates would not provide sustainable job creation.
- Financial Autonomy: After successfully obtaining $435M of funding, the leadership of the zone was challenged with developing a strategy that would meet the prime objectives and become financially autonomous – simply put, the zone needed a plan to generate revenue.
Marketing Strategy
- Positioning: Developed the foundational positioning to help meet strategic objectives and overcome the leading challenges.
- Differentiation: Developed a unique strategy to build global awareness through differentiation.
- Sustainable Job Creation: The strategic plan centered on bolstering the success rates of Quantum startups who established their offices within the zone.
- Financial Autonomy: Interwoven into the strategy to bolster quantum startups was a mechanism for the zone to generate revenue, attract Global 500 clients and strengthen differentiation to attract media attention.
Strategy Delivered
- Developing the plan required extensive consultation of stakeholders and constant rigour to ensure the plan developed met the prime objectives and overcame the key challenges tabled in a document published by the government.
- Market tested with global quantum technology and business thought leaders. At the earliest stages Northern Pixels began engaging prospect partners, stakeholders an industry leaders to test the logic and approach and gather critical feedback.
- Strategy presented to senior industry executives: IBM, Deloitte, McKinsey, Goldman Sachs, Citibank, AMAZON… as well with multiple Quantum Innovation Zones around the world.
- Clear differentiation as the leader for Quantum business success – the plan’s centrepiece was the creation of collaborative products and services offering from zone startups for Global 500 Clients that would directly address the zone’s challenges and meet the prime objectives.
- Attract Clients to drive revenue for startups bolstering their success rates, improving long-term job creation opportunities.
- Financial Autonomy through revenue from managing collaborative research projects, thereby eliminating the zone’s requirement for long-term public funding
- Capture global media exposure with business and industry specific media, furthering a pipeline of client interest in startups within the zone.
“Northern Pixels crafted a groundbreaking strategy that confronted our most pressing challenges. The strategy empowered startups, significantly enhancing their chances of success. By securing validation from global quantum experts, they secured confidence in the plan, establishing a bold blueprint for the future of the industry.”
RICHARD ST-PIERRE
MANAGING DIRECTOR
DISTRIQ QUANTUM INNOVATION ZONE
