Despite 2016 being labelled the worst year ever in terms of politics and celebrity deaths, it was a pretty great year for the Montreal technology scene. We saw a lot of funding come in both publicly and privately, a lot of new companies being launched and the push for the city to cement its place as an AI and machine learning hub. I want to highlight some of the great companies that are being built in Montreal with a focus on the up-and-coming startups which are poised to have a HUGE 2017. Check out some of the rising stars in Montreal (in no particular order) that you should definitely keep your eye on. As part of the build-out of AI and machine learning in the city we saw the birth of Element AI, in mid-2016.