Montreal, October 9, 2025 — BDC and Mila are proud to announce the continuation of their collaboration, following the conclusion of their three-year strategic partnership launched in January 2022. This new phase aims to foster the adoption of artificial intelligence among Canadian SMEs through dedicated events and the rollout of training programs tailored to the needs of businesses. It will also help identify opportunities for collaborative projects between the two organizations.
Artificial intelligence has become an essential strategic lever for strengthening the competitiveness and resilience of Canadian small and medium-sized enterprises. Yet many SMEs still lack the guidance needed to begin integrating these new technologies, often due to limited resources or expertise. By joining forces, BDC and Mila seek to close this gap by making AI more accessible and tangible for entrepreneurs. This initiative fully reflects BDC’s commitment to supporting the growth and sustainability of Canadian businesses and aligns directly with Mila’s mission to advance artificial intelligence in service of the economy and society.
“Canadian SMEs contribute half of the private sector’s gross domestic product (GDP). They play a crucial role in our economy, but their productivity is 40% lower than that of large companies,” said Véronique Dorval, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of BDC. “The adoption of artificial intelligence is a tangible way to make them more productive and competitive, to give them a real advantage. At BDC, we work with SME owners across the country to make this opportunity a reality.”
“We are delighted to continue our collaboration with BDC to bring artificial intelligence within reach of Canadian entrepreneurs. By combining expertise and resources, we are empowering entrepreneurs to innovate and stand out through AI, in order to build a more dynamic and resilient Canadian economy,” added Stéphane Létourneau, Executive Vice President of Mila.
About BDC: 80 years as Canada’s bank for entrepreneurs
BDC is a partner of choice for all entrepreneurs looking to access the financing and advice they need to build their businesses and tackle the big challenges of our time. Our investment arm, BDC Capital, offers a wide range of risk capital solutions to help grow the most innovative firms. BDC’s development role means we are in a state of perpetual evolution – wherever entrepreneurs go and whatever the Canadian economy needs – we will be there to help them defy the odds. 80 years later, that commitment remains very much alive. Our financing and investments in fiscal 2025 will add an estimated $25 billion to Canada’s GDP over the next five years. We are one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers and Canada’s Best Diversity Employers, and the first financial institution in Canada to receive the B Corp certification in 2013. For more information on our products and services and to consult free tools, templates and articles, visit bdc.ca or join BDC on social media.
About Mila – Quebec Artificial Intelligence Institute
Founded by Professor Yoshua Bengio of the Université de Montréal, Mila is the world's largest academic research center for deep learning, bringing together over 1,500 specialized researchers in machine learning. Based in Montreal and funded in part by the Government of Canada through the Pan-Canadian AI Strategy, Mila's mission is to be a global center for scientific advancements that inspire innovation and the growth of AI for the benefit of all. Mila is a globally recognized non-profit organization for its significant contributions to deep learning, especially in the fields of language modeling, automatic translation, object recognition, and generative models. For more information, visit mila.quebec.
