Benoit Balmana is an engineer in Mechanical Engineering, with additional training in project Management. He has 20 years of experience working in the field of innovation. Benoit has worked in France for a transfer technology office and for a venture capital company, dedicated to early stage investment. In 2006, he joined the start-up NANOLEDGE which specializing in nanocomposites, to ensure the corporate and business development of the company. From 2010 to 2016, Benoit Balmana has been President and CEO of NanoQuébec where he defined and implemented a new strategy to promote nanotechnology as sources of innovation and competitiveness. He is now Director of IVÉO, powered by DEL (Economic Development of Longueuil Agglomération - Qc, Canada), an innovation ecosystem dedicated to smart and sustainable transportation in Québec.