Rules Cooperathon 2025 – Canada – Coopérathon Global

COOPERATHON 2025 JOURNEY

The 2025 edition of the Cooperathon offers participants a pathway to develop their entrepreneurial project: aspiring entrepreneurs (individuals or teams) with or without an initial idea before registration, and at most, a conceptual prototype (see Exceptions in the “Eligibility” section).

DURATION OF THE COOPERATHON

The Cooperathon (hereinafter referred to as the “program”) is powered by the Desjardins Group (hereinafter referred to as “Desjardins”) and will take place from February 6, 2025, at 12:01 AM (EST) to July 11, 2025, at 11:59 PM (EST) in Canada (hereinafter referred to as “the Cooperathon period”)..

From February 6, 2025, to April 27, 2025: Participant registrations for the Cooperathon;

From February 6, 2025, to April 27, 2025: Team formation;

April 27, 2025: Deadline for participant registrations and team creation for the program on the .Global platform.

From April 24, 2025, to May 26, 2025, 12:00 PM EST: First part of the training and prototyping program;

- April 24, 2025: Mandatory meeting for project leaders.

- April 25, 2025: kick-off of the program

May 26, 2025 – 12:00 PM EST: Deadline for submitting the application file to be selected to continue for the second part of the program;

May 30, 2025, 12:00 PM: Announcement of the teams selected for the second part of the program.

From June 3 to June 27, 2025: Second part of the training program with the selected teams.

July 2 and 3, 2025: Pitch competition for the 7 challenges.

July 8, 2025: Pitch competition for the Grand Prize of the Cooperathon 2025.

Between July 9 and July 11, 2025: Announcement of the winners of the Cooperathon 2025.

ELIGIBILITY

PRINCIPLE: The Cooperathon is open to all individuals who meet the following criteria:

Residing in Canada and 18 years of age or older at the time of registration.

You are an aspiring entrepreneur with or without an idea, in the pre-startup phase, and without a functional prototype at the time of registration for the Cooperathon;

EXCEPTION: A functional prototype may be accepted as part of the Cooperathon only if the prototype:

Was developed as a part of a university research program

Has never undergone a market analysis

Does not have a solid/established team ready to commit long-term to the project (it is not a “budding startup”).

–> These criteria are cumulative. The Cooperathon team reserves the right to refuse or withdraw a team that does not meet these criteria.

The following are not eligible as participants: Desjardins executives, jury members and their cohabitants, mentors and their cohabitants, as well as members of Desjardins’ Senior Management, Innovation and Emerging Business Opportunities, and their cohabitants.

HOW TO PARTICIPATE

To participate, eligible participants must:

Join the Cooperathon website  (http://cooperathon.ca/) and click on the registration button according to the Alpha route;
Create your user profile and join the section reserved for the competition on the Cooperathon collaboration platform, a platform called ‘Global’ (https://cooperathon.global/);
Certify that you have read the Cooperathon 2025 rules and regulations.

The previous steps allow participation in the Cooperathon’s training and mentoring program. During this period, teams will advance their business idea and entrepreneurial project.

It is not mandatory to be part of a team at the time of registration for participants. However, you will need to form or join a team to work on an idea or project throughout the training and mentoring program, no later than April 27, 2025.

To participate in the competition phase of the program:

The team must submit an application file that includes a description of the problem, the solution, the team, the expected impact, and a 3-minute maximum video presenting the prototype (conceptual or functional).
The team must consist of a minimum of 2 members and a maximum of 7 members.

PROCEDURE

Registration will open no later than February 6, 2025, on the website  https://cooperathon.ca/. Each person registered for the Cooperathon will need to create their user profile on the Cooperathon’s collaboration platform, called ‘Global’. The registration period will end on April 27, 2025, at 11:59 PM (EST) for participants in the program.
Teams must work on a problem that addresses at least one of the four sectoral challenges (Prosperous Cities,A Healthy Future, Smart Food Systems, or Manufacturing the Future) and/or least one of the three cross-cutting challenges (AI-Tech Solutions / Impact Solutions / Low-Tech Solutions). A team can therefore address a maximum of 2 challenges (1 sectoral challenge and/or 1 cross-cutting challenge). Partners may be involved in these challenges to support the teams in development. Their involvement and names will be revealed as their commitment progresses and by April 27, 2025.
1. Sectoral Challenges: at the time of submitting the application file, the team will choose the sectoral challenge that their project addresses. It is the team’s responsibility to ensure that they meet all the eligibility criteria for the chosen sectoral challenge. The Cooperathon team reserves the right to place the project in a different category than the one selected by the team. If this happens, the Cooperathon team will inform the project leader of the concerned team.
2. Cross-Cutting Challenges: The Cooperathon team will select 5 teams (+/- 2) to be chosen in each of the 3 cross-cutting challenges.
From April 24, 2025, to May 26, 2025, this is the first part of the Cooperathon journey. Individuals and teams, with or without an idea and at most a conceptual prototype, work on a problem and propose a solution in the form of a prototype using data science, artificial intelligence, technology, and/or science (Exception: See the “ELIGIBILITY” section above). Highly recommended workshops will be offered throughout the Cooperathon training program to support teams in developing their idea or project and preparing the prototype of their solution, which will be presented in the application file. These teams will have access to subject matter experts during this first part of the journey.
The deadline for submitting the application file is May 26, 2025, before 12:00PM (Eastern Time) : The Cooperathon team will analyze the submitted application files as described in paragraph 2) of this section. It will select the 5 best teams (+ or – 2) per challenge. The selected teams will:
1. They will be invited to continue to the second phase of the program, which will take place from June 2, 2025 to June 27, 2025.
2. They will be invited to pitch in front of a jury corresponding to the challenge(s) for which the team was selected. The pitches will take place on July 2nd and 3rd. The teams will need to be available at the times that will be communicated to them.
3. They will be notified by May 30, 2025, at the latest by 5:00PM (Eastern Daylight Time) that they are eligible to continue to the second phase of the Cooperathon program.
The winning projects for each challenge (1st place) will be awarded a prize of at least $5,000. At the discretion of certain partners, some of the cash prizes or additional services may be enhanced depending on the challenge. This means that the monetary value of the prizes may vary depending on the challenge, but will be $5,000 or higher.
1. The submission of the application file will be done online and will be available starting May 23, 2025, at 11:59AM (Eastern Daylight Time) through a form, which will include:
  1. A written description:
    1. of the problem statement,
    2. of the solution (value proposition)
    3. of the team
    4. of the impact
    5. of the prototype.
2. A video showcasing the developed prototype. This video must have a maximum duration of 3 minutes.
The second phase of the program for the selected teams starts on June 2, 2025, and ends on June 27, 2025.

THE 7 CHALLENGES OF THE COOPERATHON: PITCH & ANNOUNCEMENT

The pitch competition for the 7 challenges will take place on July 2nd and 3rd: all teams in the program are invited to pitch in front of a jury (composed of members from innovation ecosystems, experts from Canada, or executive leaders from various partners).
The selected teams will present their project (virtually) over a total period of 12 minutes, including 1 minute to connect to the videoconference link, 4 minutes to pitch their project live, and 7 minutes for questions from the judges and responses to their questions. If the team does not wish to pitch live, they may submit a pre-recorded video of their pitch BEFORE June 27, at noon (Eastern Daylight Time). The question period will be held live.
Each jury for the 7 challenges will determine the top 2 teams: the team that won the challenge and the team that came in second place.
The top 2 teams from each challenge will be invited to pitch for the Grand Prize of the Cooperathon 2025.
The winning team of each challenge will be announced during a special event in the week of July 7, 2025.
An evaluation grid that will be used to assess the projects during the competition phase will be published on the ‘Global’ platform starting June 4, 2025.
For the winning teams of each challenge, the cash prize amount for each challenge (which may include other services) will be awarded directly to the winning team by Desjardins or its partners. The prize payment must be made within 30 business days after receiving the bank details of all the members of the winning team. The prize amount will be equally distributed among the members of the winning team, as listed in the team registration during the application submission, unless all team members give their written consent for the total amount to be paid to a legally constituted entity (.INC, NPO, or Cooperative).
Each member of the winning teams of the Cooperathon Grand Prizes agrees to sign a declaration and release form prior to receiving the prize.

GRAND PRIZES COOPERATHON: PITCH & ANNOUNCEMENT

On July 8, 2025, in the morning, the top 2 teams selected from each challenge will be invited, virtually, to present their project over a total period of 12 minutes, including 1 minute to connect to the videoconference link, 4 minutes to pitch their project live, and 7 minutes for questions from the judges and responses to their questions. If the team does not wish to pitch live, they may submit a pre-recorded video of their pitch BEFORE June 27, at noon (Eastern Daylight Time). The question period will be held live.
The members of the jury for the Cooperathon Grand Prizes are recognized experts within the Quebec and Canadian startup ecosystem, as well as among the various partners. Their selection is the responsibility of the Cooperathon organizing team.
The selection of the winners of the Cooperathon Grand Prize by the juries will be based on the presentation, the question period, and the application file submitted for the competition.
A common evaluation grid, applicable to all projects, will be used by the juries to score each team and will be available no later than June 4, 2025, on the website www.cooperathon.ca.
The winning team of the Cooperathon Grand Prize will be announced during a special event in the week of July 7, 2025.
The cash amount of the Cooperathon Grand Prize will be awarded by Desjardins (or a designated partner) to the winning team within 30 business days, after receiving the bank details of all members of the winning team. The prize amount will be equally distributed among the members of the winning team, as listed in the team’s member list, unless all team members provide written consent for the total amount to be paid to a legally constituted entity (.INC, NPO, or Cooperative).
Each member of the winning teams of the Cooperathon Grand Prizes agrees to sign a declaration and release form prior to receiving the prize.

COOPERATHON 2025 PRIZES

The prizes awarded by challenge

The prize amount awarded to the winning team for each challenge is a minimum of $5,000. A challenge partner may enhance this amount with additional cash or in-kind contributions (e.g., free rent in a workspace, expert time, etc.).

The Cooperathon People’s Choice Award

The Cooperathon team selects the team that has stood out the most throughout the program for its involvement, motivation, and adherence to the process.

The prize amount is $2,500.

The Cooperathon Grand Prize

The Cooperathon Grand Prize is valued at $25,000.

A team can win more than one of these prizes.

All the prizes are listed on the Cooperathon website (https://cooperathon.ca).

The Cooperathon team reserves the right to cancel a challenge.

EVALUATION

The evaluation criteria for the Alpha tracks will be communicated to participants after their registration for the competition. The project evaluation criteria will be available on June 4, 2025, at the start of the second phase of the training program. These criteria will be used by the judges to assess:

The competition for the 7 challenges will take place on July 2nd and 3rd, 2025.

The competition for the Cooperathon Grand Prize will take place on July 8, 2025.

Special prizes awarded may use additional criteria to select the winning team for their prize. These additional criteria will be communicated publicly to eligible participants.

GENERAL CONDITIONS

In order to be declared the winner of the challenge, the selected winning team must fulfill the following conditions
1. Confirm that they meet the eligibility requirements and other conditions set out in the Cooperathon rules;
2. On July 2nd and/or 3rd: pitch virtually (LIVE) in front of the jury or submit a video of your pitch to the Cooperathon team BEFORE June 27, noon, which will be played during the pitch session. The team’s (virtual) presence is mandatory for the “Q&A” period.
3. Be selected by the jury as the winning team;
4. Be present at the awards ceremony. If unable to attend, the winning team must meet certain conditions that will be communicated to them by the Cooperathon team.
5. Failure to meet any of the conditions mentioned above or any other condition outlined in these rules will result in the disqualification of the selected team. At the discretion of the organizers, the prize may be canceled or awarded to another team in accordance with the participation rules. The same conditions will then apply, with necessary adjustments made, if applicable.
In order to be declared the winner of a Cooperathon Grand Prize, the selected winning team must fulfill the following conditions:
1. Confirm that they meet the eligibility requirements and other conditions set out in these rules; and
2. July 8, 2025 (if your team is selected for the Cooperathon Grand Prize 2025): pitch virtually in front of the jury or submit a video of your pitch to the Cooperathon team BEFORE June 27, noon, which will be played during the pitch session. The team’s (virtual) presence is mandatory for the “Q&A” period.
3. Be selected by the jury as the winning team;
4. Be present at the awards ceremony. If unable to attend, the winning team must meet certain conditions that will be communicated to them by the Cooperathon team.
5. Failure to meet any of the conditions mentioned above or any other condition outlined in these rules will result in the disqualification of the selected team. At the discretion of the organizers, the prize may be canceled or awarded to another team in accordance with the participation rules. The same conditions will then apply, with necessary adjustments made, if applicable.
Prize Award. In the event that the selected participant refuses to accept their prize, Desjardins and its partners will be released from any obligation regarding the delivery of the prize and may, at their discretion, cancel the prize or reassign it as described in paragraph (1) of the General Conditions. The prize will be awarded to the team according to a mechanism defined between the winners and the Cooperathon organization.
Verifications. All registrations and Declaration Forms may be subject to verification by Desjardins. Those that are, as applicable, incomplete, inaccurate, illegible, mechanically reproduced, mutilated, fraudulent, submitted or transmitted late, contain an invalid phone number, or are otherwise non-compliant, may be rejected and will not be eligible for the prize.
Disqualification. Any person participating in the Cooperathon or attempting to participate in a manner contrary to these rules and that is unfair to other participants (e.g., hacking, failure to declare prior intellectual property) will be automatically disqualified and may be referred to the competent judicial authorities. Similarly, projects that have not adhered to the pre-incubation status (prototyping) for teams will be disqualified.
Intellectual Property. Participants agree that the intellectual property of the prototype and the presentation of solutions during the Cooperathon belongs to the entire team. It is the responsibility of the teams to determine how to distribute this intellectual property and to ensure its confidentiality if necessary. If the team uses pre-existing intellectual property and/or third-party elements, the team must ensure they have obtained all necessary rights before using them in the context of the Cooperathon. Participants who are employed by an organization and wish to use intellectual property elements from their work must first ensure with their employer that their participation and the use of these elements are authorized.
Program progress. Any attempt to sabotage the legitimate course of the program may constitute a violation of civil and criminal laws. If such attempts are made, Desjardins reserves the right to reject the participant’s registration and seek compensation under the law.
Acceptance of prizes. The prizes must be accepted as described on the Cooperathon website and may not, under any circumstances, be fully or partially transferred to another team, replaced by another prize, or exchanged for money, except as may be decided at the sole discretion of the organizers.
Survey. Finalist and/or winning participants agree to participate in surveys and interviews to inform Desjardins about the progress of their project.
Being an ambassador of the Cooperathon program: The winners of the Cooperathon and alumni in general agree to:
1. The winners of the Cooperathon and alumni in general agree to promote and convey a positive image of the Cooperathon and Desjardins, in accordance with all guidelines provided by the Cooperathon manager;
2. Obtain Desjardins’ consent before making any announcement or statement regarding your participation in the Cooperathon • promote and convey a positive image of the Cooperathon and Desjardins, in accordance with all guidelines provided by the Cooperathon manager;
3. Agree to obtain Desjardins’ consent before making any announcement or statement regarding your participation in the Cooperathon (including on your website or in your marketing materials) and agree to remove or modify any such announcement or statement, including requests for modifications regarding the use of Desjardins’ trademarks on the Internet or in your marketing materials;
4. Place the Cooperathon logo on their website (with Desjardins’ consent) with a hyperlink to the page www.cooperathon.ca for at least 12 months from the day their prize is awarded.
5. Communicate (with Desjardins’ consent) within 6 months following the end of the Cooperathon at least once on their social media a positive post about their experience and the prize they won (if applicable).
Limitations of Liability:
1. Awarding of the Prize: If Desjardins is unable to award the prize as described on the Cooperathon website (www.cooperathon.ca), they reserve the right to award a prize of the same nature and equivalent value or, at their sole discretion, the value of the prize indicated in these rules.
2. Use of the Prize: The winner releases Desjardins from any liability for damages that may arise from their participation in the competition, acceptance, and use of the prize. The winner acknowledges that from the moment the prize is received or the letter confirming their prize is issued, the fulfillment of the obligations related to the prize becomes the sole and exclusive responsibility of the various product and service providers. The winner agrees to sign a waiver and release form for this purpose. The winner of a prize acknowledges that the only applicable warranty for the prize is the standard warranty provided by the supplier.
3. Situation out of control (force majeure). Desjardins shall not assume any liability of any kind in cases where its inability to act results from an event or situation beyond its control, or from a strike, lockout, or any other labor dispute at the facilities of the organizations or companies whose services are used to conduct this program.
4. Participation in the Cooperathon. Desjardins will not be responsible for lost participations, any failure, for any reason, of the website during the duration of this program, including any damage caused to a participant’s computer or mobile device.
5. Participation in the Cooperathon. By participating in or attempting to participate in the Cooperathon, each person releases Desjardins from any liability and any damage they may incur as a result of their participation or attempt to participate in the program.
6. Other participants.  Desjardins shall not assume any liability of any kind in relation to the behavior of other participants in the Cooperathon.
Modification of the program. Desjardins reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to cancel, terminate, modify, or suspend, in whole or in part, this program in the event of an occurrence or human intervention that may alter or influence the administration, security, fairness, or progression of the program as outlined in these rules; no liability shall be attributed to them.
End of participation in the program. In the event that, for any reason, participation in the Cooperathon must end, in whole or in part, before the scheduled end date as outlined in these rules, the awarding may be made, at Desjardins’ discretion, from the duly registered and received entries up until the date of the event that ended participation in the competition.
By registering, each participant authorizes Desjardins to use, if necessary, their names, photographs, images, voices, information about their place of residence, as well as their statements regarding the prize, if part of a winning team, for promotional purposes, without any form of compensation.
If any paragraph of these rules is declared or found to be illegal, unenforceable, or void by a competent court, then that paragraph will be considered null and void, but all other paragraphs that are not affected will be enforced to the fullest extent permitted by law.
These rules are available on the website https://cooperathon.ca and on the Cooperathon collaboration platform, called ‘Global’ (https://cooperathon.global/);
In case of any discrepancy between the French and English versions of the rules, the French version shall prevail.
The Cooperathon is subject to all applicable laws
Personal Information. The personal information collected from participants will be used in accordance with the privacy policy found at https://www.desjardins.com/confidentialite/politique-gestion-protection-renseignements-personnels/index.jsp.
Decisions. Any person participating in the Cooperathon agrees to comply with these rules and the final, non-appealable decisions of the organizers who administer the Cooperathon.

Note: The masculine gender is used without any discrimination and solely for the purpose of simplifying the text.