Jolt Capital and Fonds de solidarité FTQ form strategic partnership to enhance Québec's Venture Capital ecosystem via AI-powered intelligence platform

MONTREAL and PARIS, May 7, 2026 /CNW/ - Jolt Capital, a leading European private equity firm specializing in growth-stage deeptech, and the Fonds de solidarité FTQ ("Fonds"), Québec's largest development capital fund, today announced a strategic partnership to accelerate the growth of the province's technology sector.

Clément Bourgogne and Jean Schmitt of Jolt Capital, Dany Pelletier of the Fonds de solidarité FTQ, and Marie Lapierre, Consul General of France to Montréal. (CNW Group/Le Fonds de Solidarité des Travailleurs du Québec (FTQ))

Under this agreement, the Fonds' partner venture capital funds will gain exclusive access to Jolt.Ninja, Jolt Capital's proprietary AI-native investment platform. Developed internally since 2016, Jolt.Ninja leverages advanced the latest developments in foundation models, natural language processing and agentic AI to monitor over 5 million company profiles in real-time and analyze more than 8 million patents to identify high-fidelity investment signals. This initiative marks the first step in a broader long-term collaboration between Jolt Capital and the Fonds aimed at strengthening the Québec innovation pipeline.

Augmenting the Québec VC Ecosystem

The integration of Jolt.Ninja provides Québec investors with an "always on" digital smart companion that augments every stage of the investment lifecycle:

• Deal Sourcing: Identification of "off-radar" targets through automated screening that adds one new company every minute.
• Research & Analysis: Comprehensive sector analysis and access to an AI agent that supports partners at all stages of investment.
• Value Creation: Automated document ingestion, portfolio management playbooks, and monitoring of 8 million key executives for management transitions.
• Strategic Intelligence: Access to a repository of deeptech research reports--the Jolt Library--covering semiconductors, AI, and energy to democratize complex market insights.

This partnership underscores a shared commitment to an "alliance of middle powers" as recently extolled by Prime Minister Mark Carney. By bridging the investment ecosystems of Canada and Europe, both organizations are fostering a strategic corridor that allows high-growth technology companies to scale across international markets more efficiently.

Jean Schmitt, President and Managing Partner of Jolt Capital, commented:

"At Jolt Capital, we believe that the next generation of industrial giants will be built on data-driven discipline. By opening Jolt.Ninja to the Fonds and its partners, we are empowering the local ecosystem with the same intellectual engine we use to scale deeptech leaders in Europe. This collaboration is a testament to the power of middle powers working together to secure technological sovereignty and industrial excellence."

Dany Pelletier, Executive Vice-President, Private Equity and Impact Investing at Fonds de solidarité FTQ, added:

"Our mission has always been to drive Québec's socio-economic growth by supporting the businesses of tomorrow. Partnering with Jolt Capital allows our network of VC funds to leverage world-class AI tools to identify and support the most promising innovations. This is about giving our ecosystem a competitive edge on the global stage while ensuring sustainable value creation for the workers of Québec."

Philippe Huneault, Vice President, Private Equity and Impact Investing,  Fund Management and Chief of International Business Development at Fonds de solidarité FTQ, stated:

"This partnership represents a natural evolution of our efforts to internationalize the investment landscape in Quebec. By combining Jolt's technological capabilities with our deep local roots, we are creating a unique synergy that benefits the entire investment chain. This reflects our commitment to a fair technological transition, for the benefit of our partners and the economy as a whole."

Jolt Capital's Expansion in Canada

The partnership coincides with the unveiling of Jolt Capital's new Montreal office at 1555 rue Peel. This milestone follows a period of rapid expansion by the PE firm in the Canadian market:

• May 2024: Opening of the Montreal HQ and the recruitment of Clement Bourgogne to lead regional operations.
• November 2024: Execution of Jolt Capital's first Canadian investment (Dolphin Semiconductor).
• August 2025: Relocation of Managing Partner Eoghan Hickey to Montreal to oversee North American growth.
• March 2026: Appointment of Tara Akhavan as the third full-time partner in Canada, further solidifying the local leadership team.

About Jolt Capital (www.jolt-capital.com)

Jolt Capital is a leading private equity firm specialized in growth investing in deeptech companies, with a mission to build future European leaders with a global focus. Since 2011, Jolt Capital invests in European B2B companies with revenues between €10M and €50M. Jolt Capital's team is composed solely of experienced investors and managers of high-tech companies. Its proprietary AI platform, Jolt.Ninja, enables enriched sourcing, accelerated due diligence and automatic detection of investment or acquisition targets. Jolt Capital is located in Paris, Lausanne, Copenhagen, Milan, Montreal, Seoul, Tokyo, and London.

About the Fonds de solidarité FTQ

The Fonds de solidarité FTQ is a source of pride in Québec, delivering on its mission through a unique business model created more than 40 years ago. Since then, the Fonds has mobilized and engaged Québec by leveraging the retirement savings of more than 816,000 shareholders-savers.

With net assets totaling $23.0 billion as of November 30, 2025, the Fonds supports thousands of companies through direct and indirect venture and growth investments, guided by the belief that its investments generate both financial and societal impact. For more information, visit fondsftq.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

SOURCE Le Fonds de Solidarité des Travailleurs du Québec (FTQ)

Media Contacts for Jolt Capital: Media agency (Steele & Holt / France) [e-mail] [phone]; Philippe Perez (Head of Marketing) [e-mail] [phone]; Media Contacts for Fonds de solidarité FTQ: Patrick McQuilken (Relations de presse)  [e-mail]  [phone]