
Fonds de solidarit FTQ
545 Crémazie Boulevard East, Suite 200, Montréal, Quebec, H2M 2W4, Canada
Overview
Fonds de solidarité FTQ is a private equity and venture capital firm specializing in investments in start-ups, early venture, mergers, business acquisitions, management buyouts, market development project or a buyout, financing for new programs, organic growth and cash flow, growth and expansion financings, development capital, business succession, financial restructuring, business transition financing, family and non-family buyout, consolidations, turnaround, and leveraged management buyouts. It also invests in new markets, product and business line developments, market diversification, interim financings, new product marketing, additional working capital, purchase of tangible and intangible assets, equipment modernization, equipment purchases or upgrades, and integrator projects. The firm has regional funds that do not invest in retail, real estate, farming, biotechnology, and financial services. Fonds de solidarité FTQ invests in small and medium-sized businesses. It typically invests in export projects, forest products, productivity improvement, natural resources, aerospace, agri-food, wood, pulp and paper, chemicals, construction and construction materials, printing, transportation equipment and automobiles, transportation services, furniture and fixtures, combinatorial chemistry and other lead generating technologies, mining and exploration, social economy, textiles, plastics, life sciences, business services, telecommunications, distribution and consumer goods, environment, equipment and machinery, financial services, information and communication technology, metal products, recreational tourism, and culture sectors. Within the culture sector, Fonds de solidarité FTQ seeks to invest in pre-production and creative projects, production projects, infrastructures and services, post-production projects, distribution, and broadcasting and multiplatform broadcasting. Within the environment sector, it invests in waste management and energy conversion for residual waste; air treatment and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions; processes to reduce industrial energy and water consumption; water treatment; and soil rehabilitation and decontamination (metals and organic compounds). Within the life sciences sector, Fonds de solidarité FTQ focuses on services for the biopharmaceutical industry; nutraceuticals and cosmeceuticals; diagnostics and medical supplies and equipment; biopharmaceuticals and generic drugs; biotechnology, and animal health. Within the tourism sector, it focuses on urban tourism, nature tourism, resort type tourism, and local tourism for Quebecers, and in the textiles sector it invests in companies engaged in development and production of specialty textiles as well as development of industrial applications for the construction, transportation, health and safety, and work apparel industries. Fonds de solidarité FTQ prefers to invest in Quebec and in companies impacting the Québec economy. It focuses on investing in the following regions- Abitibi –Témiscamingue, Bas Saint Laurent, Chaudière-Appalaches, Côte-Nord, Estrie, Gaspésie Îles-de-la-Madeleine, Lanaudière, Laurentides, Laval, Mauricie - Centre-du-Québec, Montérégie, Nord-du-Québec, Outaouais, and Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean. Fonds de solidarité FTQ seeks to invest in projects of $3 million or more and also provides loans of up to $ 2 million. It invests in companies in business succession sector having minimum capitalization of $500,000 and EBITDA of over $35.5 million in case of majority interest; equipment and machinery sector with average investment in excess of $3 million; environment sector with funding needs of more than $500000; financial services sector having net assets between $20 million and $50 million in equity; metal products sector having annual sales of over $5 million and financing needs of at least $2 million; and printing sector having investment needs of over $1 million. In the information technology sector, Fonds de solidarité FTQ seeks to invest $2 million as initial investments while total investments can be more than $10 million. It invests in the form of equity financing (common or preferred shares) and unsecured debt requiring no collateral (debenture). Fonds de solidarité FTQ can take both a minority interest including an equity stake of up to 49 percent as well a majority interest in its portfolio companies in case of business succession financing. It seeks a minority stake for the portfolio companies in the equipment and machinery sector. It typically holds its investments for a period of five to ten years in case of equity financing and for more than ten years in case of business succession financing. Fonds de solidarité FTQ began operation on June 23, 1983. It has its headquarters in Montreal in Canada with additional offices in the same city and Quebec in the same country.
- Total investments
- 77
- Lead investments
- 21
- Investments · 12mo
- 6
- Active investors
- 9
Sector focus
- Finance
- Financial Services
- Impact Investing
- Mobile
- Venture Capital
Investment portfolio
- Nesto
Participated · Series E · Jun 2026
Nesto is a Montreal-based fintech that provides online consumer mortgages and business financing products. The company has more than $80 billion in mortgages under administration and has done $37 billion in originations this year. It generates more than $300 million in annualized revenue and has raised $470 million in capital to date. Nesto is incorporating generative AI into internal operations and products and intends to use new funding to further that work. The firm aims to reduce mortgage underwriting times dramatically — targeting as little as two minutes from a current one-day process — while keeping decisioning auditable and overseen by human underwriters. Nesto plans to expand its business-to-business arm by offering AI-powered products to other financial institutions and is focused on the Canadian market without plans to expand to the United States.
- CELYSTRA Pharma
Led · Equity · Jun 2026
Launched in May 2026 and founded by three pharmaceutical industry veterans, CELYSTRA Pharma acquires international therapeutic candidates and secures Canadian rights to commercialize them for underserved patient populations. Its first marketed product is olezarsen (TRYNGOLZA®), recently approved by Health Canada for familial chylomicronemia syndrome (FCS), a rare genetic disorder more prevalent in Québec. CELYSTRA also holds Canadian rights from Ionis Pharmaceuticals to donidalorsen, a therapy under regulatory review in Canada for hereditary angioedema (HAE). The company raised $20 million in a financing round that included Fonds de solidarité FTQ, the founders and other investors to support its launch and commercial activities. CELYSTRA positions itself to address unmet needs in rare and specialty diseases by bringing approved and late-stage international treatments to Canadian patients.
- Congruence Therapeutics
Participated · Equity · Mar 2026
Congruence Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotechnology company that uses a computationally driven discovery engine, Revenir, to identify allosteric and cryptic pockets and generate novel small-molecule correctors. Its lead program, CGX-926, is advancing toward a Phase 1/1b study for MC4R-deficient genetic obesity, and the recent $39.5M financing is earmarked to support that trial. The company has built a pipeline of wholly owned programs spanning genetic obesity, GBA Parkinson’s Disease, and α1‑Antitrypsin Deficiency. Congruence also leverages its platform to support research collaborations with large pharmaceutical companies across oncology, metabolic disease, neurology, and immunology. The company is led by CEO Dr. Clarissa Desjardins and is based in Montreal.
- Femtum
Participated · Series A · Mar 2026
Femtum develops laser technologies and solutions aimed at advanced semiconductor manufacturing. The company positions its technology as enabling critical laser processes needed for next-generation chips powering the AI era. After closing an oversubscribed $16M Series A, Femtum plans to accelerate deployment of its laser technologies. Cathay Venture's participation is noted as helping the company deepen its presence in the global semiconductor ecosystem, particularly in Taiwan. The company described the financing as a milestone and credited investor introductions and CFO Francois Courteau for executing the round.
- GHGSat
Participated · Convertible Note · Sep 2025
GHGSat develops and operates satellite-based emissions-monitoring technology that pinpoints greenhouse-gas releases directly to their source with high speed and accuracy. Its analytics platform converts these observations into actionable insights, enabling industrial operators to enhance efficiency while reducing environmental impact. Founded in 2011, the Montreal company has built a global footprint for its emissions intelligence services. GHGSat plans to leverage its expanding satellite constellation and data products to pursue rapid international growth. The newly raised capital will support this expansion and the continued evolution of its technology and analytics offerings. Cumulatively, GHGSat has secured CAD$173 million in equity and debt financing, underscoring sustained investor confidence in its approach.