Rozvelt: From Field Idea to Mass Production

In Brief

Rozvelt perfectly illustrates the power of Quebec's hardtech ecosystem. In 12 months, this startup went from a hunter's intuition to a technology company with $500K in funds raised, international patents filed, and secured manufacturing partnerships.

Their secret? Solving a problem that an entire industry was ignoring, while benefiting from the support offered by Garage&co, and targeting international markets from the start of their journey.

A relationship between co-founders forged at university

Rozvelt's story began more than a decade ago at the University of Montreal, where Nicholas Monette and George Korkejian met in pharmacy school. From their first collaborative projects in drug and medical device development, they formed an atypical duo combining scientific rigor and business vision. After graduation, their paths temporarily diverged: George became an intrapreneur and program director at NEXT AI, while Nicholas specialized in pharmaceutical development and commercial strategy. This decade of complementary experience created the perfect foundation for their joint entrepreneurial project.

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The Problem: Reducing Odor Impact

The breakthrough came during a particularly revealing bear hunt. After 24 hours of tracking in a storm, a tracking expert explained to Nicholas a fascinating truth: "We don't follow the animal's blood, but the adrenaline in its breath."

This revelation exposed a major problem that the outdoor industry completely ignored: all existing odor control products focus on clothing and hair, but they neglect breathing, which accounts for 80% of body odors detected by animals.

The solution developed by Rozvelt is revolutionary in its simplicity: a portable mask that specifically filters exhaled air using activated carbon membrane technology. Unlike traditional protective masks, their innovation allows completely free breathing on inhalation while capturing more than 80% of odor molecules on exhalation. The ergonomic design incorporates silent straps, one-handed quick activation, and rechargeable filters for a sustainable approach.

Key Milestones: From Validation to Market

From the first customer contacts, hunters immediately understood the value proposition, validating the founders' intuition. Rozvelt designed its strategy with a global vision from the start, actively targeting Canadian and American markets with planned European expansion.

In less than twelve months, the company achieved remarkable milestones. The functional prototype was completed and successfully tested by wildlife professionals in Canadian forests. The team filed international patents covering five distinct innovations, secured manufacturing partnerships, and assembled an impressive advisory board including Jacques Caron, former CEO of SEPAQ, Jean Tremblay, former VP at Sail, and Hugues Vaillancourt, CEO of Antler Firearms.

Support from Garage&co

The support from Garage&co and M2 Innovation proved decisive in the critical transition from prototype to mass production. Through this collaboration, Rozvelt was able to accelerate its development by adopting a rapid and iterative prototyping approach that identified and corrected several technical issues along the way.

The expertise of the Garage&co ecosystem was also crucial for fundraising. The company successfully raised nearly $500,000 in seed funding from Quebec angel investors and secured strategic partnerships with PME MTL, Desjardins, National Bank, momentumPI service from MAIN, and PARI CNRC. This institutional validation strengthened Rozvelt's credibility with investors and industrial partners.

The transition from prototype to micro-series, accomplished in less than a year, demonstrates the effectiveness of this structured support. Today, Rozvelt is positioning itself for commercialization with ambitious objectives: launching its direct-to-consumer online store, campaigns with hunting. 

Find the founders on Linkedin:
- Nicholas Monette

- George Korkejian