To promote access to new talent within its ecosystem, Zú has joined forces with the École de design Nantes Atlantique.

Montreal, March 24, 2022 – Dimitri Gourdin, Executive Director of Zú and Stéphane Gouret, Deputy Director of L’École de design Nantes Atlantique are proud to announce a partnership between the two organizations. This new alliance will allow, as of September 2022, the integration of a cohort of students from L’École’s Master’s program into the Zú ecosystem. These students will have the opportunity to integrate Quebec startups while pursuing their studies in Montreal.

These students will participate in innovative projects while addressing the workforce challenges faced by Quebec startups in the creative and entertainment sector and help attract new talent to Quebec.

“The installation of L’École de design Nantes Atlantique in the heart of our incubator is excellent news for our creative and digital industries and fits perfectly with the Zú turnaround implemented last October. This partnership is an important step in the close relationship we are currently developing with the techno-creative ecosystem of the city of Nantes and Nantes Métropole. I am personally very proud to see that Zú is also increasing its impact and notoriety internationally by bringing new and highly skilled talent to Quebec who will be able to quickly collaborate with the startups and companies that are part of Zú’s vast ecosystem,” said Dimitri Gourdin, Zú’s CEO.

“It is a great opportunity for our school to collaborate with a partner like Zú, an international reference in its field. By alternating work in a company and classes, our students are in the best place to develop innovative projects, gain skills around entrepreneurship and project themselves into the future creation of a startup,” explains Stéphane Gouret, deputy director of L’École de design Nantes Atlantique.

Some 20 places will be offered to students at the École de design Nantes Atlantique, which offers a number of programs including digital design (UI/UX design & game experience design), graphic design (graphic design & motion design), space design (interior architecture or scenography) and industrial design (product design or transportation design).

Finally, the signing of this partnership marks another step in the rapprochement between Nantes and Montreal, twin cities that have been cooperating for several years in the fields of digital design, culture and innovation.

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About Zú
Zú is a non-profit organization whose mission is to gather, help and promote creative entrepreneurs in the entertainment sector to develop world-class innovative projects. The organization supports entrepreneurs in their creative and growth process by facilitating access to the necessary resources for the development of new intellectual properties. In an eclectic environment with state-of-the-art infrastructure, Zú rallies a community that seeks to bring greater visibility to local creativity and to share it with the world.

About L’École de design Nantes Atlantique
Founded in 1988, the Nantes Atlantique School of Design is an institution of the Nantes St-Nazaire Chamber of Commerce and Industry, recognized by the State, member of the Conférence des Grandes Écoles and associated with Nantes University. The school trains professionals in creation and innovation in initial and continuing education. It claims a unique position considering design as a discipline at the frontier of creation, strategy and management. The school offers professional training courses (internships, apprenticeships, prospective studies, workshops, projects) and delivers the Diploma of Design (Bac+5) approved by the Minister of Higher Education conferring the grade of Master and the National Diploma of Arts and Design Trades (DN MADE, Bac+3, grade of license) by the academic route and in alternating courses within the framework of its Apprentice Training Center (CFA).

The Nantes Atlantique School of Design is located in Pune (India), Shanghai (China), São Paulo (Brazil), Montreal (Canada) and Cotonou (Benin) with Africa Design School and Africa Studio.

The school has created 5 Design Labs, research platforms dedicated to exploring themes related to social, technological and environmental transformations through design: Care Design Lab (health and environmental and social quality of life), Food Design Lab (new food practices), Digital Design Lab (digital innovation), City Design Lab (transition to a sustainable city) and Media Design Lab (communication and information issues) The school is also developing research chairs in design.

It trains 1,650 students, including 400 apprentices, and 800 to 1,000 interns through continuing education each year. It has a network of 1000 partner companies and 4000 graduates.

“The installation of L’École de design Nantes Atlantique in the heart of our incubator is excellent news for our creative and digital industries and fits perfectly with the Zú turnaround implemented last October. This partnership is an important step in the close relationship we are currently developing with the techno-creative ecosystem of the city of Nantes and Nantes Métropole. I am personally very proud to see that Zú is also increasing its impact and notoriety internationally by bringing new and highly skilled talent to Quebec who will be able to quickly collaborate with the startups and companies that are part of Zú’s vast ecosystem,” said Dimitri Gourdin, Zú’s CEO.

“It is a great opportunity for our school to collaborate with a partner like Zú, an international reference in its field. By alternating work in a company and classes, our students are in the best place to develop innovative projects, gain skills around entrepreneurship and project themselves into the future creation of a startup,” explains Stéphane Gouret, deputy director of L’École de design Nantes Atlantique.

Some 20 places will be offered to students at the École de design Nantes Atlantique, which offers a number of programs including digital design (UI/UX design & game experience design), graphic design (graphic design & motion design), space design (interior architecture or scenography) and industrial design (product design or transportation design).

Finally, the signing of this partnership marks another step in the rapprochement between Nantes and Montreal, twin cities that have been cooperating for several years in the fields of digital design, culture and innovation.