Fosse aux Lions: A Victory for Jeux Sam Amuse

 The Franco-Manitoban still finds it hard to believe, and yet! Jennifer Marcheterre looks back on her journey that earned her the grand prize at ‘’La Fosse aux Lions’’ (the Lion’s Den), the competition for Francophone entrepreneurs in Manitoba organized by CDEM, on April 28, 2021.

An Idea, a Project, a Business

Jeux Sam Amuse was created in 2018 following a project launched in 2013. Jennifer Marcheterre says: “The idea for this project started when I was a language instructor. My colleague Anne and I thought there was a lack of educational games in French for children in French immersion. Some had far too many explanations, others were intended for an audience too young. “So we decided to create our own games in Flash. I met with teachers to find out what their needs were, and that’s how the project was born. I surrounded myself with programmer friends who helped me develop educational, intuitive, and educational games. “On the current website, samamuse.ca, teachers and students have access to games and glossaries with different vocabulary words on a variety of topics.”

La Fosse aux Lions, an Incredible Opportunity

However by 2021 back-to-school season, Jeux Sam Amuse will take a new turn thanks to Jennifer Marcheterre’s victory at the Fosse aux lions, which includes a grand prize of $15,000. She explains: “Soon, L’Univers de Sam Amuse will become a platform available for all types of devices. Teachers in immersion schools or French schools will even be able to subscribe to follow the progress of children from kindergarten to Grade 3. They will be able to access printable educational kits at any time. “Students will have access to elaborate and intuitive games that gradually adapt to their levels of knowledge. They will also still be able to access glossaries, and even educational videos.”  For the winner of the 2021 Fosse aux lions, this victory is “an incredible opportunity: I really didn’t believe it when I won this competition, it was a great surprise! I still have a hard time imagining the incredible impact this victory will have on my business. “This was my fourth time applying for la Fosse aux lions. In previous years, I think my business was still not mature enough, but I learned a lot over the years. That’s probably what allowed me to be a finalist this time.

The Continued Support of CDEM

“This victory is the result of a lot of help from my friends and my mentor in entrepreneurship. I managed to get out of my comfort zone. It’s a great lesson for me.” Jennifer Marcheterre would also like to thank CDEM who, for her, has always been very supportive throughout her entrepreneurial career: “I have been in contact with CDEM for quite some time. I have attended some of their training, participated in networking events and mentoring programs. I am still in touch with my mentor today. It’s a real gift for me to have them. “Finally, during the Fosse aux lions, the support of CDEM was very appreciated. They were able to calm my anxieties and reassure me at every stage of the competition.”

Reinvesting the Grand Prize

Jennifer Marcheterre is already thinking about how she will make use of the $15,000 she has just won, all of which will be reinvested in her platform, L’Univers de Sam Amuse. “I’m going to use this money in two parts, one to fund the platform’s launch campaign, and the other to give it visibility and long-term public awareness of this new platform, which will reach and support more teachers and help even more students learn French while having fun.”

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CDEM would like to thank the partners and sponsors that made the 2021 Fosse aux lions edition possible, including media partner ICI Manitoba.