Betakit | By Lauren Jane Heller | May 10, 2017

If you’re in North America but outside Quebec, it’s entirely possible that you’ve never heard of Ulule. That’s not to say that this crowdfunding platform isn’t worth noticing. With a focus on quality rather than volume of projects funded, Ulule has an impressive 67 percent success rate: quite a contrast to the 31 percent on Kickstarter or 13 percent on Indiegogo.

“Our mission is not to make the biggest crowdfunding platform in the world. It’s to make the best crowdfunding platform.”

This past Thursday evening, Ulule celebrated its second anniversary in Montreal with a panel about crowdfunding, and a party in their new loft space. This office, in the startup-heavy Mile End neighbourhood, not only includes physical space for the Ulule team, but a seating area where projects using their platform can work under the guidance of the company’s “success managers,” along with an events space for product launches and community events.

“Our mission is wider than only a web platform,” said co-founder and CEO Alexandre Boucherot. “The needs of creators and entrepreneurs are much wider. It’s important, in our opinion, to try and invent ways to give them the best chances of success.”

Founded in France in 2010, Boucherot brought Ulule to Montreal to see if the same things that made the platform successful in Europe would translate to the Quebec market.

“We have a big focus on the coaching of projects, and the success of the project,” Boucherot told BetaKit. “Our mission is not to make the biggest crowdfunding platform in the world. It’s to make the best crowdfunding platform. And we think that crowdfunding platforms are not only about funding, but about success: finding a market, finding a public, a community.”

See:  Ulule launches The Big Step and will contribute $30,000 to high-potential France/Canada initiatives

By vetting and coaching all projects, Ulule is able to ensure that many more of their users reach their goals.

With a team of 45 people based primarily in Europe (seven in Montreal), and having been certified as a B Corporation in October 2015, the company hopes to continue their growth, while maintaining their goals for positive social impact.

They have partnered with National Bank to create a competition called Le Grand Sault (The Big Step) that gives an additional $30,000 to three projects based in France or Canada ($10,000 each). Last year’s winners included Le Geebee, an electric bike/scooter hybrid; Le Kit du Jardinier-Maraîcher, a film project that documents the daily activities of an urban farm; and Loupp, an ethically made weekend bag.

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The National Crowdfunding Association of Canada (NCFA Canada) is a cross-Canada non-profit actively engaged with both social and investment crowdfunding stakeholders across the country. NCFA Canada provides education, research, leadership, support, and networking opportunities to over 1500+ members and works closely with industry, government, academia, community and eco-system partners and affiliates to create a strong and vibrant crowdfunding industry in Canada. Learn more at ncfacanada.org.