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Today marks a significant milestone for the innovation ecosystem in Quebec and Canada.
Formed through the merger of the activities of the Institut national d’optique (INO) and the Centre de recherche informatique de Montréal (CRIM), Luqia is a major industrial innovation laboratory specialising in artificial intelligence and photonics, dedicated to Canadian businesses. Drawing on the expertise of more than 250 specialists, Luqia aims, among other things, to accelerate the development and industrialisation of critical technologies and to help strengthen the capabilities of National Defence.
In this context, Lavery has supported CRIM and INO in transforming a shared ambition into a robust legal structure, commensurate with this large-scale project.
Lavery would like to highlight the work of the dedicated team, led by André Vautour (CRIM’s legal adviser for several years) and Selena Lu, as well as the contributions of Radia Amina Djouaher, Siddhartha Borissov-Beausoleil, Paul Martel, Marc-André Landry, Brittany Carson, Jessica Parent, Geneviève Bergeron, Diane L’Écuyer, Ana Cristina Nascimento and Annie Groleau.
Congratulations to the teams at INO and CRIM on this major achievement. Lavery wishes them every success with Luqia, which is set to become a catalyst for the industrialisation of critical technologies in AI, advanced photonics and quantum technology.
Lavery is proud to have advised inBeat Agency on its financing with the BDC, as well as on the acquisition of Creative Milkshake. This major transaction represents a significant milestone in inBeat’s growth trajectory and further consolidates its position within an ecosystem where influencer marketing, content creation and digital performance converge.
Beyond the strategic expansion it enables, this deal brings together two talented teams with complementary expertise: inBeat, led by co-founders David Morneau and Daniel Cruz, among others, and Creative Milkshake, led by Mirella Crespi. The combined strengths of these teams enhance the group’s ability to innovate, expand its reach in Canada and internationally, and generate greater value for its clients.
The mandate was handled by a Lavery team led by Jean-François Maurice and comprising Rodrigo Olmos-Hortigüela, Éric Gélinas and Julie Aubin-Perron. We would like to thank the team at inBeat Agency for their trust, as well as all parties involved for their support throughout the process.
Our congratulations to inBeat Agency, Creative Milkshake and all the teams involved for this strategic achievement and the ambitious vision behind it.
We were delighted to represent Formedica in the acquisition of Masdel Inc., a reputable business specializing in the development of health, wellness and beauty products.
This strategic transaction will enable Formedica to strengthen its market position and accelerate growth in a rapidly evolving sector. The deal also highlights the strong momentum in Quebec’s innovative health and specialty product sector.
Lavery supported Formedica throughout the entire process, leveraging a multidisciplinary team led by Francis Dumoulin, with contributions from Siddhartha Borissov Beausoleil, Isabelle Jomphe, Jessica Parent, Sarah Trublard, Sophie Poirier, Arielle Supino, Elissa Louka and Alex-Anne Trudeau.
This transaction illustrates the strategic importance of business transfers in preserving and growing Quebec’s assets. Lavery has a long history of assisting entrepreneurs and business buyers through such pivotal transitions, ensuring business continuity, protecting investments, and creating long-term value.
We extend our sincere thanks to Formedica for entrusting our team with a strategic transaction that will fuel its future growth.
Find out more here: https://www.newswire.ca/fr/news-releases/formedica-procede-a-l-acquisition-de-masdel-863570670.html
Fresnillo plc, the world's largest primary silver producer and a major player in the gold sector in Mexico, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Canadian company Probe Gold Inc. for a total consideration of approximately CAD 780 million. This transaction, carried out through a statutory plan of arrangement, marks a crucial step for Fresnillo in its international expansion strategy.
Listed on the London and Mexican stock exchanges, Fresnillo strengthens its position as a global leader in precious metals with this acquisition. By integrating Probe's assets, including the flagship Novador project in the Val-d’Or gold district of Quebec, Fresnillo expands its project portfolio and establishes a presence in one of Canada's most promising mining areas.
Lavery is proud to advise Fresnillo on the legal aspects of this acquisition in Quebec. Our team provided expertise in mining law, labor and employment law, real estate law, environmental law, and relations with First Nations. Under the leadership of Sébastien Vézina and Jean-Paul Timothée, our team included Valérie Belle-Isle, Jules Brière, Carole Gélinas, Eric Lavallée, Jessica Parent, Yasmine Belrachid, Siddhartha Borissov-Beausoleil, Radia Amina Djouaher, Eric Gélinas, Ghiles Helli, Jessy Menar, Nadine Giguère, Annie Groleau, Joëlle Montpetit, Ana Cristina Nascimento, Thomas Cazelais Turcotte, and Clara Fortin.
This collaboration demonstrates Lavery's commitment to providing legal advice tailored to the complex issues of the mining industry in Quebec.
The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2026, subject to required approvals, thereby strengthening economic ties between Quebec and Mexico in the precious metals sector.
In October, Desjardins Capital announced a major investment in Chagall Design, a leading Canadian furniture manufacturer headquartered in Sainte-Julie.
As a minority shareholder, Desjardins Capital will provide not only financial support but also strategic guidance to help Chagall Design consolidate its business plan and pursue its development goals. The ambitious business is currently expanding its activities into the United States and preparing to penetrate the European market with a view to diversifying and seizing new opportunities.
Lavery had the privilege of representing Desjardins Capital for this investment.
The Lavery team, led by Alexandre Hébert, was composed of Francis Dumoulin, Siddhartha Borissov-Beausoleil, Jessy Ménard, Arielle Supino, Chloé Béland and Sonia Guérin.
Lavery represents Robko Aventures in the acquisition of Station récréotouristique du Mont Adstock Robko Aventures Inc. recently acquired Station récréotouristique du Mont Adstock and a golf course, marking an important milestone for this popular destination in the Quebec City region. As a real estate developer, Robko has demonstrated a deep commitment to the local community and a bold vision for the future development of the resort. Our firm is proud to have played an important role in this transaction. Our real estate, business law, municipal law, labor and employment law, and business financing and sales teams from our Quebec City and Montreal offices worked closely together to protect Robko's interests and maximize the value of the project. This cooperation illustrates the strength of our network and the effectiveness of our integrated approach. We congratulate Robko on this achievement.
Lavery is pleased to announce that it acted as legal counsel to Logient in the transaction that saw French consulting group Onepoint acquire Logient nventive, giving rise to Wepoint, a new North American player in technology and consulting services.
The new entity brings together close to 600 experts, including 450 from Logient nventive and 150 from Onepoint Canada. It plans to expand its team to 1,500 AI experts and generate $250 million in revenue by 2030. Wepoint combines complementary expertise in cloud solutions, AI, data, consulting, and technology products, with plans for the Montréal team to play a key role in its North American operations.
The merger is creating a model that combines consulting excellence, local expertise, and large-scale innovation capacity, reflecting the technology and consulting sector’s trend toward consolidation and growth.
The Lavery team that handled the transaction was led by Étienne Brassard and included Bernard Trang, Julie Aubin-Perron, Jen Deruchie and Arielle Supino.
About Lavery
Lavery is the leading independent law firm in Quebec. Its more than 200 professionals, based in Montréal, Quebec, Sherbrooke and Trois-Rivières, work every day to offer a full range of legal services to organizations doing business in Quebec. Recognized by the most prestigious legal directories, Lavery professionals are at the heart of what is happening in the business world and are actively involved in their communities. The firm's expertise is frequently sought after by numerous national and international partners to provide support in cases under Quebec jurisdiction.
Lavery acted as legal counsel for Bangkok Bank Public Company Limited in connection with a US$835 million cross-border financing related to the acquisition of the Éléonore gold mine, located in Eeyou Istchee James Bay, in northern Quebec. This transaction, which involved negotiations in four separate jurisdictions, required in-depth expertise in banking law, mining law, and security law to secure financing for the acquisition of one of Quebec's largest gold mines.
This case was led by David Tournier, with the support of Katerina Kostopoulos, Francis Sabourin, Annie Groleau, and Joëlle Montpetit.
Lavery is privileged to have played a role in the evolution of the Éléonore mine, having represented Newmont Corp in the sale of the Éléonore mine in 2024. These transactions reflect the firm's significant expertise in its ability to manage complex commercial and financial transactions in the mining sector.
About LaveryLavery is the leading independent law firm in Québec. Its more than 200 professionals, based in Montréal, Québec City, Sherbrooke and Trois-Rivières, work every day to offer a full range of legal services to organizations doing business in Québec. Recognized by the most prestigious legal directories, Lavery professionals are at the heart of what is happening in the business world and are actively involved in their communities. The firm's expertise is frequently sought after by numerous national and international partners to provide support in cases under Québec jurisdiction.
We are pleased to announce the acquisition of Progression by Valsoft Corporation, an operation that underscores both companies' commitment to strengthening their position in the dynamic service management sector.
This strategic partnership will allow Progression to continue its growth trajectory while preserving its independence and entrepreneurial spirit for which it is renowned.
At Lavery, we are proud to stand by our clients during these crucial stages. Every decision made in the context of this transaction shapes the future and professional success of our clients.
The Lavery team was led by Alexandre Hébert and composed of Siddhartha Borissov-Beausoleil, Francis Dumoulin, Jean-Paul Timothée, Diane L'Écuyer, and Arielle Supino.
Valsoft, on the other hand, was internally represented by Shinjay (Ssin) Choi, Senior Legal Counsel, and Elisa Maria M., Senior Corporate Paralegal. The financial dimension of this acquisition was orchestrated by Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton, under the expert direction of Simon Marcotte Légaré, MBA, partner in mergers and acquisitions.
The new team in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), the Newfoundland Regiment, has announced the appointment of Gordie Dwyer as head coach. This announcement marks the culmination of a lengthy process that resulted in the sale of the Acadie-Bathurst Titan’s assets to SPS Entertainment Limited Partnership and the relocation of the club.
This project marks the return of the QMJHL to Newfoundland with the establishment of the team under its new name and colors, in a state-of-the-art arena ideally suited to host exciting games. With this strategic development, the QMJHL is now represented in all Maritime provinces.
Lavery is proud to announce that its sports law team had the privilege of advising the QMJHL throughout this transaction. Our professionals, Catherine Méthot and Sébastien Vézina, head of the firm’s Sports and Entertainment Law team, advised the QMJHL at every stage of this process, in accordance with the League’s Constitution.
Lavery’s sports law team provides clients with a full 360-degree service, offering advice perfectly tailored to the realities of the sports industry. Its services are available to all industry stakeholders, including agents, owners, team members, athletes, sports teams, professional or amateur leagues, sports facilities, agencies, and event promoters.
On March 27, 2025, Moov AI, Canada’s leading artificial intelligence and data solutions company, announced that it entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by Publicis Groupe.
The combination of Moov AI’s best-in-class consulting, proprietary solutions and insights coupled with Publicis Groupe’s CoreAI offering will add a powerful AI-driven engine and set of capabilities for Publicis Groupe Canada to leverage in-market and with its clients.
Francis Dumoulin had the privilege of representing and advising Moov AI shareholders in the sale to Publicis Groupe, with Alexandre Hébert’s support and Siddhartha Borissov-Beausoleil’s contribution in closing the transaction.
About Lavery
Lavery is the leading independent law firm in Québec. Its more than 200 professionals, based in Montréal, Québec City, Sherbrooke and Trois-Rivières, work every day to offer a full range of legal services to organizations doing business in Québec. Recognized by the most prestigious legal directories, Lavery professionals are at the heart of what is happening in the business world and are actively involved in their communities. The firm's expertise is frequently sought after by numerous national and international partners to provide support in cases under Québec jurisdiction.
Growth is nothing new at Airudi. This rising AI star has consistently doubled or even tripled its sales every year since its launch in 2019.
“We’re HR specialists. Growth is in our DNA,” says Amanda Arciero, Co-founder and VP Operations at Airudi.
Airudi’s algorithm automates HR decision-making processes, helping companies make strategic decisions faster. Its AI-powered solution is designed by and for people and is rapidly gaining in popularity. “It’s like a virtual HR manager,” says Pape Wade, CEO and Co-founder of Airudi.
Pape was once HR director of a large company with 3,000 employees, and Amanda was his senior advisor when they made the same observation: “HR was essentially a support function. Most professionals were consumed by repetitive tasks and time-consuming processes,” says Amanda. “Plus, we were seeing tons of data accumulate in filing cabinets and spreadsheets that we weren’t using at all.”
Amanda and Pape decide to leave their respective jobs to pursue an ambitious goal: to use the data accumulated by HR departments to automate administrative workflows and put people back at the heart of organizations. Thus Airudi was born.
The two entrepreneurs landed their first major contract worth $3 million in 2020. Year after year, they continued to gain new customers in Canada, Europe and, more recently, Africa.
Their growth has been organic but skyrocketing. In five years, Airudi has become a leader in the AI community and the HR sector. Thanks to strategic partnerships, over 5,000 companies worldwide now use their products.
From left to right: Amanda Arciero and Pape Wade.
Airudi’s added value
With some 50 employees in Quebec, Ontario and Senegal, Airudi currently offers three AI-powered solutions: workforce prediction and allocation, occupational health and safety, and enhanced recruitment.
“Our goal is to reach around $100 million in profit by 2028,” says Amanda.
The company’s name, Airudi, is pronounced like the word érudit (“erudite” in French). It’s a nod to Airudi’s multi-disciplinary team of artificial intelligence, data science, human resources and business intelligence experts.
The secret to their success? According to the two entrepreneurs, it’s a combination of several factors.
1. Putting people first
First of all, Airudi’s algorithm addresses a major concern for the HR sector.
We’re using digital intelligence to make HR teams more efficient and productive, allowing them to focus on what matters: creating human connections.
Amanda Arciero, Co-founder and VP Operations, Airudi
Amanda gives the example of the recruitment platform, which helps customers recruit better, faster and on a larger scale by automatically matching profiles to vacant positions and ensuring fast and efficient follow-up and interview scheduling.
“By reducing the time spent on recruitment, our customers can spend more time building relationships with candidates and successfully onboarding them into the company,” says Amanda. Two other strengths of the Airudi solution: quality and granularity. “The CFO of a company with 3,000 employees is not at all the same thing as the CFO of a company with 30 employees. Our algorithm captures this kind of nuance.”
80%: Reduction in recruitment time when using Airudi’s enhanced recruitment solution.
A people-centric approach guides the company’s own business strategy, not just its product development. The first team that Airudi hired—even before building a technology team and thinking about fundraising—was an advisory board made up of experienced businesspeople including Robert Dutton, ex-CEO of Rona, Frantz Saintellemy, President and CEO of LeddarTech, and Julie Plouffe, Partner, SVP Finance and Chief Accounting Officer at Sagard.
“We learned together and built Airudi together,” says Pape. “Our advisory board continues to give us invaluable insight.”
Next, the two entrepreneurs established strategic partnerships with researchers working in Quebec’s top AI network.
With highly skilled employees ranging from masters-holders to post-docs, Airudi has developed an SaaS (Software as a Service) business model that guarantees financial stability through recurring revenues.
2. Building strategic partnerships
Strategic partnerships were also important to the company’s growth. “We operate mainly through redistribution partnerships or marketing agreements,” says Amanda. “We talk more about partners than customers at Airudi.”
One of Airudi’s most promising partnerships is with the Maritime Employers Association (MEA), the organization that manages the workforce at the Port of Montreal.
Since ship arrivals and departures don’t follow a regular daily schedule, the MEA had to ask terminal operators to determine their labour requirements for the next day. Port employees’ schedules were generated daily at 6 p.m.
Taking into account port traffic, weather conditions, and the quantity and type of cargo, Airudi developed an algorithm that optimizes workforce allocation while respecting collective agreements, the availability of port workers and the skills required.
“Our solution accurately predicts ship arrival times up to 21 days in advance, ensuring smooth operations in the port and reducing workforce allocation errors from 30% to 15%, generating significant savings in labour costs,” says Amanda.
The partnership with the Port of Montreal has opened doors in Europe. The Quebec-based company subsequently developed a strategic partnership with SOGET, a French company specializing in streamlining logistics flows, covering 40 logistics sites in 8 countries.
More recently, Airudi has adapted its predictive solution to provide Urgences-santé with a similar paramedical staff planning tool.
3. You’re never too small to go international
International expansion is another successful strategy that has put wind in the company’s sails. “Innovation is experienced differently in North America, Europe and Africa,” says Pape. “We’re an innovative company. It’s important to have these different perspectives.”
Many companies say to themselves: We’re going to make our name on the Quebec market, then go international. I think this is a mistake. We had five employees and were already developing the international market.”
Pape Wade, CEO and Co-founder of Airudi
Airudi has already had customers in Europe for two years and has just opened offices in Pape’s native Senegal. The growth and innovation potential of the African market is still underestimated. “Our Cameroonian-born scientific director, Foutse Khomh, ranks as the world’s fourth most prolific researcher in terms of publications in AI, and he ranks first in Canada. There’s a lot of talent and growth potential on the African continent,” says Amanda.
Currently, 80% of Airudi’s sales are generated in Canada, 12% in Europe and 8% in Africa.
As it expands its international footprint, the SME remains firmly rooted in the Quebec technology community. “When it comes to innovation, we’re very strong in Quebec, with access to the best talent and researchers,” says Pape, who also sits on the board of Mila – Quebec AI Institut.
Growth, but not at any price
AI is a powerful tool, but one that raises a number of ethical issues.
“We’re making the same mistake we made with the environment. If we don’t put the responsible side of AI first, we’ll soon hit a wall.”
Pape Wade, CEO and Co-founder, Airudi
Each year, Pape and Amanda participate in a strategic planning exercise to ensure that Airudi’s business objectives and technological advancement are aligned with its values.
Are we creating a positive impact for the benefit of society, employees and customers? Do we create people-centric products? Are we making good use of technology?
“We put a lot of thought into all our decisions. If there’s growth potential, but it’s not aligned with our values, we won’t consider it.”
Amanda Arciero, Co-founder and VP Operations, Airudi
Pape likes to use the analogy of agriculture when talking about Airudi’s growth strategy: “Seeds are carefully sown and tended until they flower successfully. You have to be patient.”
For example, the strategic partnership with SOGET came about after a year and a half of work and meetings. “A partnership that opens the door to 40 ports around the world certainly takes time,” says Pape.
Conclusion
Putting people back at the centre of organizations. Customers who become partners. Learning from other perspectives and approaches. Growth, but not at any price. In five years, Pape and Amanda have built a winning strategy. Today, Airudi is a solid company rooted in sustainable values.
What’s next? According to Amanda, the more we look to the future, the more technology will be part of our lives. It’s essential to shore up companies against current challenges, including labour shortages, the arrival of new generations on the job market and inflation.
Airudi is currently looking for ways to further democratize access to its solutions, so that all organizations can benefit from them—while still centring people, being responsible, and creating value for companies and workers.
“Our philosophy is not to make money. Our philosophy is to create innovative, caring, people-centred technology that creates a positive impact. Usually, when you focus on good business, success and growth naturally follow,” says Amanda.
