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    A perfect night: 400,000 dollars from the Dragons and the Ascension grand prize

    May 13, 2026 will stay a night apart for the Amical team. In a few hours: a deal with two dragons, the grand prize of a business competition, and the public's favorite award.

    A 400,000-dollar deal with the dragons

    At the end of the pitch by co-founders Tony Aubé and François-Xavier Ratté, Amical closed a deal of 400,000 dollars for 25 percent of the company with dragons Georges Karam and David Côté. The episode aired on May 13, 2026 on ICI Radio-Canada Télé, as the Season 15 premiere of Dans l'œil du dragon, Quebec's Dragons' Den.

    The two entrepreneurs won the dragons over with a human, accessible approach to artificial intelligence for seniors. One honest note: this deal is separate from our ongoing financing round, which is taking place at a higher valuation and is drawing interest from several investors.

    Amical celebrates a 400,000-dollar deal with dragons Georges Karam and David Côté on Dans l'œil du dragon

    Ascension grand prize and People's Choice award

    That same evening, the Ascension competition, the annual pitch contest of the Quebec City Junior Chamber of Commerce, was held at the Musée de la civilisation. Amical won the grand prize, a 69,000-dollar award, plus the People's Choice award, 5,000 dollars in radio advertising.

    One evening, two stages: the Radio-Canada set and the Ascension gala hall. It confirms the momentum for Amical, with the public and with the business community alike.

    Tony Aubé of Amical receives the 69,000-dollar Ascension grand prize at the Jeune Chambre de commerce de Québec gala
    The Amical team receives the 5,000-dollar People's Choice award at the Ascension competition

    What Amical does, in numbers

    Amical is a voice companion powered by artificial intelligence, built into a classic corded phone. You pick up the handset and chat, with no screen, no buttons, nothing to learn. The companion adapts its conversations to each person's profile, language, and culture.

    More than 200 phones are deployed, in over 70 residences across Quebec, roughly 30 long-term care homes and 40 private residences. The average duration of a call longer than 30 seconds is 6 minutes 20. Conversations are also analyzed to detect signs of distress and alert families and care teams.

    What comes next

    Tony summed it up to reporters: it is a solution that is unique, that is new, and that exists nowhere else in North America. The plan is clear: occupy the market quickly, because our best defense is speed, and enter the United States as fast as possible.

    We have a strong niche, somewhat sheltered from the big tech companies. The visibility of Dans l'œil du dragon and the recognition from the Ascension competition will help carry the project further and break senior isolation even more. That, in the end, is the only thing that matters.

    Find all the media coverage on our Press page.

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