Women in tech in Montreal: groups, events, leaders and companies
More than 7,000 tech companies and over 180,000 tech workers make Montreal one of Canada’s biggest tech hubs. It is a world centre for video games, with studios like Ubisoft, Warner Bros. Games and Eidos-Montréal, and home to CGI, CAE, Bombardier and the National Bank.
Montreal is also one of the world’s main centres for AI research, built around Mila, the institute founded by Yoshua Bengio, with research teams from Google, Microsoft and Cohere.
The average Montreal tech wage is about US$72,600 a year, the lowest of Canada’s five biggest tech hubs: about 9% below Toronto (US$79,800) and 17% below Vancouver (US$86,900). See tech salaries in Montreal.
By Heidi Lee, community manager, OutGeek Women in TechUpdated
Where women work in Montreal tech
Women hold about 24% of tech jobs in Canada, and the share is not the same in every role.
Tech salaries in Montreal
Montreal has the lowest average tech wage of Canada’s five biggest tech hubs, about 9% below Toronto and 17% below Vancouver.
Average tech wage in Canada’s biggest tech hubs
US DOLLARS A YEAR · CBRE SCORING TECH TALENT 2026 (2024 WAGES)Median pay in the Montréal Region
CANADIAN DOLLARS · JOB BANK, GOVERNMENT OF CANADAThe gender pay gap in Canadian tech
Women in tech organizations in Montreal
Groups based in Montreal or running programs in the city, for networking, mentoring, learning and founding startups.
Femmes en Tech
Montreal non-profit that brings together women founders, investors and tech leaders to raise their visibility and influence in Quebec. femmesentech.ca → NETWORKTechno au féminin+
Concertation Montréal initiative, formerly Les Filles & le code. Networking evenings, talks and mentoring for women in tech and students. concertationmtl.ca → FOUNDERS AND YOUTHTechnovation Montréal
Non-profit with programs for girls and young women aged 8 to 25, including Femmes • Startup • Tech for future founders. technovationmontreal.com → GAMESPixelles
Montreal non-profit that helps more women make and change video games, with free workshops, mentorship and game jams. pixelles.ca → STUDENTSFemmes+ en Tech
Montreal group that encourages students and young women into tech careers, with camps, contests and company visits. femmesentechmtl.ca → FOUNDERSEvol
Formerly Femmessor. Finances and supports women and underrepresented entrepreneurs across Quebec, including tech founders. evol.ca →Notable women in tech in Montreal
Founders, AI leaders and investors who come up again and again in Montreal tech news.
Joëlle Pineau
Montreal-based computer scientist who joined Cohere in 2025 after leading Meta’s FAIR research labs. Professor at McGill, core member of Mila, and on TIME’s 2026 list of the 100 most influential people in AI.Valérie Pisano
Leads Mila, the Quebec AI institute founded by Yoshua Bengio and the world’s largest academic research lab in deep learning.Marina Pavlovic Rivas
Co-founded Eli Health in 2019. The Montreal startup makes saliva tests that read hormone levels on a smartphone. Earlier, she founded machine learning company Gradiant AI, acquired in 2019.Fiona Lake Waslander
Co-founded Coral, a Montreal virtual care startup for menopause, which raised a $4.1-million seed round in 2025.Alison Hirukawa
Leads DropGenie, a Montreal and Boston biotech startup founded in 2018 around digital microfluidics. Added BDC as an investor in 2026, bringing its seed round to US$5 million.Geneviève Tanguay
Venture investor at Panache Ventures since 2025. From 2020 to 2024 she was the first woman to lead Anges Québec, the province’s angel investor network.Isabelle Hudon
Leads BDC, the federal development bank headquartered in Montreal and a major investor in Canadian startups. Named Woman of the Year at the 2026 DMZ Women Innovation Summit.Notable tech companies in Montreal
From banks and game studios to aerospace, IT firms and AI teams.
Banks, insurers and payments
National Bank of Canada
Headquartered in Montreal, with large technology, data and AI teams.Desjardins
North America’s largest cooperative financial group, with big tech teams in Montreal.BMO
Founded in Montreal in 1817, with its legal head office still in the city.Intact
Canada’s largest property and casualty insurer, with large tech and data teams in Montreal.Nuvei
Payments technology company headquartered in Montreal.Lightspeed
Point-of-sale and commerce software for retailers and restaurants, headquartered in Montreal.Video games
Ubisoft Montréal
One of the world’s largest game studios, behind Assassin’s Creed and Far Cry.Warner Bros. Games Montréal
Studio behind Batman: Arkham Origins and Gotham Knights.EA Motive
Electronic Arts studio in Montreal, behind the Dead Space remake.Eidos-Montréal
Studio behind Deus Ex: Human Revolution and Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy.Behaviour Interactive
Independent studio headquartered in Montreal, behind Dead by Daylight.Aerospace and industrial tech
CAE
Flight simulators and pilot training, headquartered in Montreal.Bombardier
Business jet maker headquartered in Montreal.Pratt & Whitney Canada
Aircraft engine maker headquartered in Longueuil, on Montreal’s South Shore.Vention
Industrial automation and robotics platform, headquartered in Montreal.IT, telecom and software
CGI
One of the world’s largest IT and business consulting firms, headquartered in Montreal.Bell
Telecom and media company headquartered in Montreal.Genetec
Security and video surveillance software, headquartered in Montreal.Coveo
AI search and recommendation software, with a large Montreal office.Global tech offices and startups
Microsoft
Montreal office with a Microsoft Research AI lab.Shopify
Headquartered in Ottawa, with a Montreal office.Cohere
Toronto AI company that opened a Montreal office in 2025.Hopper
Travel booking app headquartered in Montreal.Want the newest roles from teams like these?
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OutGeek Women in Tech in Montreal
We run two to three recruiting events in Montreal every year, plus private recruiting events for companies. At a recent Montreal event, hiring teams from CGI, Intact and Nexus Systems Group gave talks.
Each event features short talks from hiring teams, speed networking with recruiters and engineering leads, and open networking with food and drinks.
Elizabeth Poggie
EVENT DIRECTOR · WITH OUTGEEK SINCE 2023Upcoming OutGeek events in Montreal
Women in tech in Montreal: common questions
What is the women in tech scene like in Montreal?
More than 7,000 tech companies and over 180,000 tech workers make Montreal one of Canada’s biggest tech hubs, with large video game, aerospace and AI research sectors. Women hold about 24% of tech jobs in Canada. Montreal has active women in tech groups for leaders, founders, game makers and students.
What percentage of tech workers in Montreal are women?
Across Canada, women hold about 24% of tech jobs, according to CBRE. The share is higher in UX/UI design and product management, and lower in core infrastructure, DevOps and senior engineering.
Where women work in Montreal tech →How much do tech workers earn in Montreal?
CBRE puts the average Montreal tech wage at about US$72,600 a year, the lowest of Canada’s five biggest tech hubs. In the Montréal Region, the median wage for software engineers and designers is $52.88 an hour, about C$103,000 a year full-time, according to Job Bank.
Tech salaries in Montreal →Is there a gender pay gap in Canadian tech?
Yes. Census data analyzed by The Dais at Toronto Metropolitan University shows the average woman in Canadian tech earned $71,400 in 2021, compared with $91,000 for men. A 2026 survey by Artemis Canada found women in tech leadership earn about 78 cents for every dollar men earn.
The gender pay gap in Canadian tech →What women in tech groups are there in Montreal?
Groups in Montreal include Femmes en Tech, Techno au féminin+, Technovation Montréal, Pixelles, Femmes+ en Tech and Evol.
All Montreal women in tech groups →Are there women in tech events in Montreal?
Yes. OutGeek Women in Tech runs two to three recruiting events in Montreal every year, where hiring teams meet women in tech in person, plus private recruiting events for companies. Femmes en Tech and Techno au féminin+ hold networking events, and Technovation Montréal runs programs for girls and young women.
Tech recruiting events by city →What is OutGeek Women in Tech Montreal?
OutGeek Women in Tech runs recruiting events where hiring teams meet women in tech in person. Our Montreal community has more than 5,000 members. In Montreal we run two to three recruiting events a year, plus private recruiting events for companies, led by event director Elizabeth Poggie, with OutGeek since 2023. Joining is free at outgeek.org.
About OutGeek Women in Tech in Montreal →Which tech companies are notable in Montreal?
Montreal’s big tech employers include CGI, the National Bank, Desjardins, BMO and Intact, game studios like Ubisoft Montréal, Warner Bros. Games Montréal and Eidos-Montréal, aerospace companies CAE, Bombardier and Pratt & Whitney Canada, and homegrown tech companies like Lightspeed, Nuvei, Genetec and Hopper.
Company ratings and open roles →Who are notable women in tech in Montreal?
Women who appear often in Montreal tech news include Joëlle Pineau (Cohere), Valérie Pisano (Mila), Marina Pavlovic Rivas (Eli Health), Fiona Lake Waslander (Coral), Alison Hirukawa (DropGenie), Geneviève Tanguay (Panache Ventures) and Isabelle Hudon (BDC).
Notable women in tech in Montreal →