Milestones & Achievements
An overview of my entrepreneurial journey and key moments that shaped my career in real estate technology.
The entrepreneurial dream
I’ve always had the dream of creating a family business, a project where family would be an integral part of the adventure. At the end of a demanding marketing course requiring the creation of a business plan, I chose to push the exercise further and concretize it. Armed with my savings and love money, I launched myself as a merchant, determined to turn this dream into reality.
My outdoor goods store
When I had only nine credits left to complete at university, I decided to quit everything to open a 3,000 square foot outdoor goods store in Boucherville.
The reality test
The difficulties of the store appear quickly. The lack of liquidity weakens operations and I soon find myself alone wanting to continue. I then take on everything: seven days a week, often more than sixteen hours a day. At the heart of this demanding period, I meet the woman who will become my wife.
The bankruptcy
Making bankruptcy had never been part of the plan. But the entrepreneurial reality is sometimes stronger than the will. In 1997, I file for personal bankruptcy, the store not being incorporated. This is when I discover poverty, a difficult experience, but foundational, which will forever change my way of seeing entrepreneurship, risk and resilience.
Starting a new business
Sometimes not having anything to lose becomes the greatest source of courage. Working at Freins Montreal as a seller of brakes for heavy vehicle fleets, I discover the real challenges of fleet managers and see the opportunity to create a maintenance management software. I convince my brother to join me and we develop MIR-RT.
Vente de MIR-RT
Fully bootstrapped, the company experienced rapid success driven by the MIR-RT software. Just three years after its launch, it was acquired for several million dollars by a publicly traded company. At the time of the sale, all expenses are settled, rents paid in advance and bonuses maximized. There is still more than $250,000 in liquid funds in the bank account, testimony to the high level of profitability achieved by Lemirtech Solutions at that time.
L'expérience corporative
I later joined 3M Canada within the Health Information Systems (HIS) division, where I served as Director of Business Development for Quebec. There, I experienced working within a well-structured multinational organization while benefiting from a strong entrepreneurial culture. Given significant autonomy in the market, I led the translation and localization of one of their flagship software solutions for Quebec. This initiative resulted in a tenfold increase in the division’s revenue in the province. As a result of these achievements, I was recognized as one of 3M Canada’s top sales directors.
Starting of Urbanimmersive
I convinced my brother, a photography enthusiast, to go back into business with me to create the first fully immersive 3D property tours. The vision was ambitious: to raise capital in order to develop a multi-lens camera that would enable real estate agents and photographers to produce their own 3D property tours, fundamentally transforming how real estate is presented.
Public Company
I set out to raise $5 million to finance the development of the 3D camera. At the time, the REA program for small public companies made access to capital more achievable. We therefore decided to take the company public. The journey proved to be long and demanding. After two years of sustained effort, we succeeded. However, the capital raise totaled $2.5 million—insufficient to move forward with camera production. As a result, we made a strategic decision to pivot our focus toward the development of 3D tour creation software, which would ultimately become the foundation of the company’s growth.
Acquisitions in the United States
I completed several strategic acquisitions in the United States, including Tourbuzz, the leading single-property website platform, acquired for $5 million despite an initial asking price of $13 million. This was followed by the acquisitions of iMoto and VirtualAccess Tour, further strengthening our technological footprint in the U.S. market. My most significant acquisition was HomeVisit, acquired from CoreLogic. This $9 million transaction was largely financed by… CoreLogic itself, a strong signal of confidence in the strategy and long-term vision behind the deal.
Where is the entrepreneur?
Urbanimmersive had become a large-scale company, but it was operating with very tight liquidity, requiring either additional capital raises or significant workforce reductions. This was a challenge I no longer felt called to take on, particularly given my position as a shareholder. Over time, multiple acquisitions and funding rounds had diluted my ownership to approximately 4% of the company. As CEO, I increasingly felt alone at the top. The entrepreneur in me had gradually given way to a managerial role — a necessary one, but no longer as fulfilling. I came to realize that I had drifted away from what originally drove me: building, creating, and truly entrepreneuring.
The apple doesn't fall far from the tree
My son is part of the company, but I know that his true dream is to build something of his own. Talented and equipped with strong business instincts, I have no doubt he has the potential to succeed as an entrepreneur.
The call of the entrepreneur
When Olivier tells me he has decided to pursue his business project full-time, I know the moment has come. The risk is high, the leap is significant, but one question becomes unavoidable: what would I regret most? Staying where I was, or taking the entrepreneurial leap with my son? The answer is clear. I ask Olivier to take me on as his shareholder.
Je quitte Urbanimmersive
On December 12, 2023, I left Urbanimmersive to start a new business with Olivier. At 52, I walked away from a very well-paying position, without a safety net. The early months required significant sacrifices, but before long, the new company began generating revenue—confirming that this bold decision was the right one.
An instant success
Estatefunnel was launched and quickly reached profitability. The synergy between my son’s energy, vision, and boldness, combined with my experience, created a clear competitive advantage. Today, Estatefunnel is 100% bootstrapped, profitable, and stands out as one of the fastest-growing digital marketing companies in its industry in Quebec.
And the journey continues...
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