Sonder, one of the first unicorn startups from the McGill Dobson Centre for Entrepreneurship community, is partnering with Investissement Québec (IQ) to build a centre for global growth in Montreal. The project will create more than 700 jobs to support Sonder’s mission to provide next-generation hospitality in 35 cities around the world.
Published on: 16 Dec 2020
On December 1st the McGill Dobson Centre for Entrepreneurship celebrated Entrepreneur’s Day in the U.S. by hosting a panel of notable New York City entrepreneurs and investors. It was a lively discussion that focused on their passion for entrepreneurship, which they shared with an audience of startup founders, students, alumni and industry professionals. Learn more
Published on: 10 Dec 2020
A McGill-born event platform startup has found a way to weather the COVID-19 pandemic and raise venture financing in hopes of returning to in-person events in 2021. Co-founded by Desautels alumnus Marc-Antoine Bonin (BCom’19) and Emeric Noël, Planned offers a unique tool for event planners to connect with a curated list of venues and suppliers in one place. This week, Planned announced that it had raised $4.7 million in venture financing led by Inovia Capital, with participation from Telegraph Hill Capital and N49P, bringing its total capital raised to $7 million.
Published on: 7 Dec 2020
Off the Grid, a participant in the McGill Dobson Centre’s 2020 X-1 Accelerator, was recently named “Startup of the Year” at the Quebec Gala des Prix de l’innovation.
Co-founded by Sébastien Brunelle-Jestin and Charles Couture-Lebrun, Off the Grid creates smart fitness equipment that harnesses energy generated during exercise to help power fitness centres.
Published on: 27 Nov 2020
The McGill Dobson Centre for Entrepreneurship recently launched its first virtual New York City Retail Startup Tour with the goal of connecting Dobson entrepreneurs to key players in the New York investment community. Planned in collaboration with the Ministère de l’Économie et de l’Innovation du Québec, the flagship event is already creating new business opportunities for participating startups.
Published on: 27 Nov 2020
Desautels alumni Jonnie Lawson (BCom’20) and Tristan Zeman (BCom’17) are hard at work to make sustainable, year-round produce accessible to Canadians through indoor vertical farms. Over the summer, their innovative hydroponic growing system won first place at the annual McGill Dobson Cup start-up competition. As they expand into a larger growing facility in Montreal, they’re not slowing down anytime soon.
Published on: 19 Nov 2020
As a student at McGill, Dev Jain (BEng’19) launched a company aimed at introducing North America’s 650 railways to industry-disrupting innovation. This year, RailVision Analytics won first place in the Innovation Driven Enterprise category of the McGill Dobson Cup. Now, Jain aspires to raise more than $1 million to commercialize and expand his business.
Published on: 19 Nov 2020
McGill Dobson Centre for Entrepreneurship startup Sensequake (McGill X-1 Accelerator 2015) has been recognized as one of the top inventions in Quebec in 2020.
Published on: 9 Oct 2020
McGill University has been named in the top 25 undergraduate programs for female founders in the 2020 PitchBook University rankings.
Published on: 24 Sep 2020
The pandemic has created many challenges for small businesses, but McGill University’s startup incubator has been given a boost thanks to a generous $3-million gift from the John Dobson Foundation.
The McGill Dobson Centre for Entrepreneurship’s Academic Director Marie-Josée Lamothe and Dobson alumna Ophelia Sarakinis join CTV News to share how startups are finding ways to adapt and thrive through the COVID-19 crisis, and how the gift will help get more startups off the ground during a time of economic uncertainty.
Published on: 21 Jul 2020
Despite an economic downturn that brought the travel industry to a near standstill, Dobson Cup participant and McGill’s first unicorn Sonder has raised US$170-million to stay ahead of the curve.
Published on: 26 Jun 2020
The McGill Dobson Centre for Entrepreneurship is now accepting applications for the 2020 X-1 Accelerator program. The X-1 Accelerator is a world-class program designed to accelerate early traction McGill startups towards investment readiness and launch. This year, the 10-week intensive program will be held virtually.
Published on: 7 May 2020
After two days of deliberation, 32 teams have been selected to compete in final round of the McGill Dobson Cup, powered by National Bank, on March 30, 2020.
Last week, 95 teams pitched their startups to 30 judges who were tasked with choosing eight finalists for each division: health sciences, social enterprises, small & medium enterprises, and innovation-driven enterprises.
Published on: 18 Feb 2020
The McGill Dobson Centre for Entrepreneurship has announced the semi-finalists in the upcoming McGill Dobson Cup 2020, powered by National Bank. The semifinal pitches will take place from February 11–12, before the final pitches on March 30.
Published on: 29 Jan 2020
McGill unicorn and hospitality startup Sonder has reserved premises in downtown Montreal as it makes plans to set up shop in Canada. If the move is successful, this could bring more than 500 jobs to the city within three years.
Published on: 18 Dec 2019
Pages
