Justin Lessard-Wajcer had not thought about following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, two entrepreneurs. Passionate about neuroscience, he pursued that path instead at McGill University until he earned his Ph.D. Rather, fate played its cards to lead him to entrepreneurship.
His epiphany came during an internship at the Douglas Mental Health University Institute. “That’s when I became aware of the gaps in mental health prevention in companies. “I understood that there is a need to develop tools that support employee well-being,” says the young entrepreneur.
This inspired him to found Nurau with three partners. After thousands of hours of technological development, the young company implemented a platform that offers mental health micro-training for managers.
The solution was timely as mental health issues, which have worsened during the pandemic, continue to pose a major challenge for employers who need to act to ensure the mental wellbeing of their employees.
Promote learning
Why should frontline managers be a priority target? “They are at the heart of the employee experience. Studies have shown that for the majority of employees, their immediate supervisor is has a positive impact on their mental health equal to or greater than that of their partner.”explains Justin Lessard-Wajcer, who founded Nurau together with three employees.
“Managers are not always well prepared to become bosses,” the young entrepreneur continued. They are often sandwiched between employees and management. They need coaching, but because it’s very expensive, it’s often limited to executives.”
This is where Nurau comes into play. Through micro-training and virtual coaching, the platform supports these leaders and offers them solutions and advice based on sound scientific research.
“The advantage of the application is that the manager receives answers to his questions when he needs them. When faced with a conflict situation between two employees, all he has to do is question the application to find possible solutions,” explains Justin Lessard-Wajcer.
Market development
To finance the start of the company, Justin Lessard-Wajcer and his employees invested with the help of people close to them. They also raised funds from angel investors to ensure technological development. The company has also excelled in competitions, most notably PME MTL’s TechPreneur, which allowed it to receive a $30,000 grant in 2022.
Nurau is leading a new round of funding of nearly $2 million to expand its horizons. Currently, the young company’s customer base, with a focus on Quebec, consists of more than 70% large companies, the rest are SMEs. Organizations such as Germain Hôtels and La vie en rose use his solutions, mentions Justin Lessard-Wajcer.
Nurau wants to accelerate its development by opening up new markets, especially insurers, so that they can integrate its solutions into their offering. It also has goals beyond Quebec’s borders. First stop: Ontario, where the sales team will soon be based, followed by expansion into the United States within three years.
Nurau
Date founded: 2020
Activities: Development of training technologies
Shareholders: Justin Lessard-Wajcer, Saba Saremi, Sonia Israel, Vivienne Smith
Number of employees: 7
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