McGill Engine x 21st by CentraleSupélec: Back-to-School Announcements | Communication à la rentrée
Are you wondering if it’s possible to launch a startup while pursuing your bachelor’s degree?
Join us for a back-to-school event where McGill Engine and 21st by CentraleSupélec will share what it means to be an entrepreneur in Montreal and Paris—and, most importantly, how we can provide you with practical support on both sides of the Atlantic.
On the agenda:
Pre-Startup Skills: Workshop #3 - Introduction to Industry Analysis
This workshop will introduce the fundamental tool of Industry Analysis which companies use for strategy development. For startups, understanding the industry is a critical step in determining market entry and market positioning. The Five Forces Framework will be presented and applied to during an exercise.
Startup Law 101
Led by a team of caseworkers from Compass Startup Legal Clinic, this workshop provides startup founders with a clear path through the legal landscape, offering insight on issues such as incorporation, governance, fundraising, and selecting the ideal legal structure.
Sustainability Soirée
Join the McGill Office of Sustainability for an evening of food, drinks, and inspiring conversation. Connect with student-led teams supported by the Sustainability Projects Fund (SPF) and engage with students, staff, and faculty driving meaningful change across campus. Share ideas, network, and discover the projects shaping a more sustainable McGill.
Pre-Startup Skills: Workshop #4 - Foundations of IP and Patent Searching
This workshop will demystify and explain the various form of intellectual property (IP), namely, patents, industrial designs, copyright, trademarks, and trade secrets. We will then do some actual patent searching using the DERWENT worldwide patent database.
Market Research and Analysis of Competition
This workshop will provide an overview of the different types of market research, how to analyze the competition, and the resources available at McGill to perform market research. Our market research librarian will walk us through some of those resources using a market research canvas tool.
Pre-Startup Skills: Workshop #5 - Market Research and Analysis of Competition
This workshop will provide an overview of the different types of market research, how to analyze the competition, and the resources available at McGill to perform market research. Our market research librarian will walk us through some of those resources using a new market research canvas tool.
Introduction to Industry Analysis
This workshop will introduce the fundamental tool of Industry Analysis which companies use for strategy development. For startups, understanding the industry is a critical step in determining market entry and market positioning. The Five Forces Framework will be presented and applied during an exercise.
Retail Gen AI Hackathon 2026
The fourth edition of the Bensadoun School of Retail Management’s Retail Gen AI Hackathon in partnership with ALDO Group and powered by AWS and the DataSphere Lab, is a unique opportunity to work on a r
Pre-Startup Skills: Workshop #6 - Customer Discovery
This workshop will provide an overview on the customer discovery process and then delve deeper into how to conduct customer interviews and how to iterate on your business model canvas.
Date: Oct. 21st, 2026 Time: 12:00 - 1:00 pm Location: in-person @ Engine Seminar Room - FDA 3 (Accessibility Map)
Application Deadline: Chwang Seto Innovation Fellowships Program
The Chwang Seto Innovation Fellowships Program supports the recipient and the team on the development of a technology in order to bring it closer to the marketplace and allow the fellow to gain further kno
Retail Innovation Challenge 2026
The Bensadoun School of Retail Management at McGill University is excited to invite university students across Canada to participate in the Fall 2026 Retail Innovation Challenge (RIC), pow
Startup Finances
In this workshop, you'll learn how venture capitalists (VCs) typically value an early-stage innovation-driven venture. To do that we'll go through and give examples on how to forecast sales and how to set pricing, how to forecast expenses and how to figure out the amount of capital needed to finance your business. We'll also explore some of the more common sources of cash from both public institutions and private organisations.
Startup Funding
Now that you have a grasp on how much money you need, this workshop will focus on the "deal". You'll learn what a venture capital fund is, its structure and how they operate, and what venture capitalists (VCs) look for in an early-stage innovation-driven venture. You'll also learn about the typical elements of a term sheet in connection with equity investments and simple agreements for future equity (SAFEs), and caveats when raising money.
Holiday Closure | McGill Engine Centre
McGill Engine Centre will close at 4:30PM on Wednesday, December 23, 2025, and will reopen on Monday, January 4, 2027.
Wishing everyone a restful holiday break.