Tech Shift – Retail (Virage techno – commerce)
Compared with the 242 other application forms we have read
- The decision is made by a jury or selection panel. 16 work that way.
- Only 3 written answers, against a median of 5.
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Eligibility & Details
What this program funds and who can apply
Program Description
Laval Économique grant for retail businesses (NAICS 44 or 45) based in Laval with at least two years of retail operation. Covers up to 50% of the cost of a digital-transformation equipment purchase (max $15,000), development of an AI solution (max $5,000), or first-year user fees for an AI solution from a TerroX-accelerated startup (max $2,500). A business may apply in only one category per project.
Eligibility Requirements
- Be a for-profit business legally incorporated in Quebec or Canada.
- Be based in Laval.
- Be a business in the retail sector classified under codes 44 or 45 of the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS).
- Have been in the retail business for at least two years.
- Demonstrate financial capacity to ensure continuity of the business's operations.
- Carry out the investment project in a Laval establishment.
- Expenditures and contractual commitments must not be confirmed before the date of submission of the application for financial assistance and obtaining an acknowledgement of receipt from the program manager.
- The program runs as a three-phase pathway — Phase I diagnosis, Phase II development of an implementation plan, Phase III project implementation. Financial assistance is applied for in Phase III, so a completed diagnosis and implementation plan are prerequisites for the Equipment and AI Development categories.
- A retail business may apply for financial assistance within only one category per project — the three category ceilings cannot be combined.
- Stream-scoped: the AI TerroX Startup Solutions category ($2,500) is available only to businesses that are clients of TerroX-accelerated startups and participants in TerroX cohorts. This restriction applies to that category alone and does not gate the Equipment or AI Development categories.
- Financial assistance is capped at 50% of eligible costs — the applicant funds the remaining share.
Quick Assessment
Funding Details
- Amount
- Up to $15KUp to 50% of eligible costs, to a maximum of $15,000 (Equipment category); $5,000 (AI Development category); $2,500 (AI TerroX Startup Solutions category) — one category per project
- Type
- Grant
- Level
- Municipal
- Co-Funding
- Up to 50% of eligible costs
- Deadline
- Until available funds are exhausted — rolling intake
Program Scorecard
Competition, effort, and approval at a glance
Moderate — standard application process
Below average competition
Moderate — standard requirements
How to Win
Insider tips, common pitfalls, and what successful applicants look like
Insider TipDo not sign vendor contracts or commit expenditures until you receive program acknowledgement; costs committed beforehand can disqualify the project.
Evaluation Criteria
How Tech Shift – Retail judges your application
What the reviewer scores, what gets applications rejected, and what to write.
Distilled from 3 source documents on lavaleconomique.com, condensed into one brief. Sources as of 2026-09-07.
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The form
Diagnosis and implementation plan
- 1Phase I — Diagnosiswritten answer
Complete the programme diagnosis phase.
- 2Phase II — Development of an implementation planwritten answer
Develop the implementation plan.
Application
- 3Phase III — Project implementationwritten answer
Initial contact
- 4Initial contactshort answer
Tech Shift – Retail states no length limits for these answers.
Judged against
- 1
Is the file complete and confirmed?
Show them Submit every required attachment for your one chosen category so the file can be confirmed complete.◦
In the funder’s words · 1
- Following receipt of a complete file and confirmation of the information, the application will be evaluated by the committee.
- 2
Does the project meet the programme's terms?
What to show, and the funder’s 1 criterion behind it in Premium
- 3
Has the business diagnosed its technology needs?
What to show them in Premium
Premium · the rest of this brief
See every criterion you are judged on. Then we draft your application for you.
1 more criteria · 2 more prompts
Documents to attach
Ticks are kept on this device.
The money
Categories per projectOne category per project
Only one category per project.
Costs before approvalNo costs before application is submitted
Expenditures and commitments must not be confirmed before application submission and acknowledgement of receipt.
What it pays for · 7
- Equipment and ancillary components, excluding materials, inventory and other supplies
- Equipment implementation transportation and leasehold improvements, within the associated-cost cap
- Software acquisition and implementation
- Project-related professional fees
- Direct project labour, limited to the hourly rate
- AI solution development and integration
- Initial and first-year use costs of an existing AI-based solution
What it does not pay for · 2
- Materials, inventory and other supplies
- Motorized rolling stock
From application to money
- Meet the commissionerDiagnosis and planning with commissioner
- Apply in Phase IIISubmit documents for one category
- Committee decidesCommittee evaluates the complete application
In the funder’s words · 3
- Meet the commissioner
- Diagnosis and implementation planning are done with the Laval économique technological transformation commissioner/programme manager.
- Apply in Phase III
- Submit the required documents for the one selected financial-assistance category.
- Committee decides
- Once the file is complete and the information is confirmed, the application is evaluated by the committee.
Quoted lines are word for word from the source documents; lines marked ◦ are our reading of them.
Everything you need to win Tech Shift – Retail
Not a marketing summary. The actual checklist, intel, and stack strategy reviewers look for.
- 6-document checklist with what each reviewer is actually checking
- Your Application Game Plan — the print-ready PDF the preview below describes
- 6-step application timeline with prep hours per step
- Insider tip from program officers on what separates winners
- Success profile + evaluation criteria — exactly what reviewers score on
Application Playbook
Step-by-step process, required documents, and expenses
Application Steps
Required Documents 6
Eligible Expenses 8
Ineligible Expenses 5
Intake Periods
Deadline Notes
Ineligible Organizations
- 5 more application steps
- 4 more required documents
- 8 eligible expenses
- 5 ineligible expenses
- Intake periods
- Deadline notes
- Ineligible organizations
Funding Stack Strategy
Compatible programs, clawback risk, and combined funding potential
Stacking partner data not yet available.
Clawback Risk
Medium RiskHow Tech Shift – Retail Compares
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Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers to the questions founders most often ask about Tech Shift – Retail