The Concordia Grant awarded to Julie Roussel, founder of JulieWouf

A business built on a dog’s sense of smell

For the sixth consecutive year, Concordia University is awarding the Concordia Grant, which recognizes an entrepreneur from the Fondation Lise Watier’s Let’s Start Up Pathway who has stood out for the strength and potential of her business project.

This year, the jury chose to honour Julie Roussel, founder of JulieWouf, a business specializing in scent sports for dogs. A self-employed professional in the canine field, Julie has dedicated herself to a subject she’s passionate about: a dog’s sense of smell. Through JulieWouf, she teaches recreational scent detection, ratting sports, and mantrailing — all activities that let owners discover their dogs in a new light and build a beautiful bond with them!

The Grant’s real-world impact

Thanks to this $5,000 grant, Julie will be able to invest in a digital strategy to tackle one of JulieWouf’s biggest challenges: visibility. For a small business like hers, visibility is directly tied to profitability : reaching more dog owners means more registrations and fuller classes. This grant will allow her to make her business more visible, more solid, and more profitable, while introducing her activities to a wider audience.

The transformative role of the Let’s Start Up Pathway

When she enrolled in the Let’s Start Up Pathway, Julie wasn’t sure exactly what to expect. But she quickly realized, alongside Chantal, her advisor, and the women in her cohort, that she was exactly where she belonged. Through the workshops, discussions, and reflections, she was guided to ask herself the right questions to strengthen the foundations of her business. Today, she comes away with tools and working methods that will support her well beyond the program.

Beyond these practical takeaways, the experience helped her better define her business — and confirmed just how much she loves entrepreneurship: the boldness, creativity, and resilience it takes to turn an idea into something real.