While away on a trip to Europe, Quebec Premier Pauline Marois announced earlier today that two companies with offices in London will establish branches in Montreal with financial assistance from the government of Quebec.
Cinesite VFX of London, a visual-effects and animation company in the movie and television business is said to be the first company with a 200-employee studio in Montreal. The company will receive a zero-interest provincial loan of $1.2 million, through Investissement Québec, and should be complete by 2018.
The Premier also announced the Quebec government will invest $10 million U.S. in White Star Capital, an investment company focused on early-stage technology companies. That firm is simultaneously establishing an office in Montreal. White Star has invested in various in Quebec-based startups since its earliest days of 2007 when the fund first launched. Its other Quebec investments include Execution Labs, which provides development and incubation for video-game firms, and Busbud, which allows users to obtain bus reservations in almost 70 nations.