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Developing breakthrough patient care solutions

The pandemic prompted hospitals across Canada to implement new technologies that minimized human-to-human contact, such as a text messaging service provided by the University of Montreal Health Centre that updates family members on changes to a patient’s condition throughout their surgery or other extended treatment.

Published: 9 Sep 2021

Taiga solidifies head start in race to produce off-road electric vehicles

Taiga Motors Corporation, formerly Canaccord Genuity Growth II Corp., recently announced completion of the Qualifying Transaction, solidifying its status as a leading publicly-traded manufacturer of off-road electric vehicles.

In 2016, Taiga Motors won first place in the Innovation Driven Enterprise category of the McGill Dobson Cup.

Published: 3 Jun 2021

Former Dobson startup aims high

Sonder, an industry-disrupting hospitality company created by former McGill student and McGill Dobson Centre alumnus Francis Davidson, aspires to become a “hosting Amazon” through an IPO. The new entity, whose shares will trade on the NASDAQ, just obtained a $30 million loan from the Quebec government to create 700 jobs at a new technological growth center in Montreal. In the long-term, Sonder has plans to operate in the 100 largest cities in the world.

Published: 5 May 2021

Transforming air travel for people with disabilities

An idea that arose from a nightmarish flight experience for Sandra Gualtieri, founder of Gualtieri Inventions, has blossomed into an innovative new product for people living with disabilities. Informed by her own experience in living with cerebral palsy, Gualtieri designed a prototype for the Universal Seating Apparatus, a portable device that allows people with disabilities to sit comfortably upright on airplanes.

Published: 22 Apr 2021

McGill students partner with disability rights activist to design comfortable airplane seat

Sandra Gualtieri, an entrepreneur and disability rights activist with cerebral palsy, enlisted the help of four McGill students to design a custom airplane seat that alleviates discomfort for people living with disabilities.

Published: 8 Apr 2021

Dobson Centre surpasses $1-billion milestone in startup seed funding

Over the past three decades, the McGill Dobson Centre for Entrepreneurship has catalyzed the creation of 450 active startups that have generated more than 6,000 new jobs. Now, the McGill Dobson Centre is celebrating another milestone: $1 billion in seed funding raised by the startups it has supported.

Published: 8 Apr 2021

Start-ups taking off in Quebec

Although the pandemic has generated significant economic uncertainty, startups are thriving at McGill’s Dobson Centre for Entrepreneurship, according to its director, Marie Josée Lamothe.

The Centre recently launched a virtual international tour that gives 18 Quebec startups the opportunity to explore potential markets in North America and Europe.

Published: 25 Mar 2021

Former Dobson participant turns side gig into $1.3 billion startup

Just over seven years ago, former McGill student Francis Davidson started a side business when he rented out his apartment to fellow McGill students.

Today, he is the co-founder and CEO of Sonder, a hospitality company that leases and owns properties worldwide. Davidson has raised over $550 million from venture capital firms to value the company at just over $1.3 billion, with Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk both contributing.

Published: 12 Mar 2021

Turning hobbies into business opportunities

In response to the disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic, Canadians are turning their pastimes into online businesses. Marie-Josée Lamothe, Academic Director of the McGill Dobson Centre for Entrepreneurship, attributes their success in part to the public’s willingness to support businesses that are important to them rather than buying exclusively from e-commerce giants.

Published: 8 Mar 2021

Blending two company ideas into one

As entrepreneurship takes on different forms during the pandemic, fresh business ideas are in high demand. In a highly unconventional move, a Quebec-based company called Alchemy is inviting startups to blend their ideas with Alchemy’s own ideas to create something new. Instead of expecting payment, Alchemy takes a stake in the joint venture.

Published: 5 Feb 2021

Montreal startup reinvents food delivery

In 2018, a frustrating night out for three McGill alumni sparked the idea for CHK PLZ, a food delivery application that leverages a contactless payment solution to handle ordering and delivery for local restaurants. Since they won the McGill Dobson Cup Start-up Competition (Small to Medium Enterprise Track) in 2019, the founders of CHK PLZ have grown their business into a popular low-cost alternative to UberEATS for more than 50 Montreal restaurants and counting.

Published: 5 Feb 2021

Analyzing the cutting edge of business methods to create future managers

McGill’s MBA program leverages program flexibility, practical skills training, and experiential learning to prepare students to join leading companies and start their own. Daniel Franco (MBA’19) earned his degree after emigrating to Canada from Peru. After graduation, he co-founded Turbodega, a successful startup that digitizes the supply chain of bodegas in Latin America.

Published: 27 Jan 2021

AI-driven mobile app designed to save infant lives

An innovative new mobile app called Ubenwa uses artificial intelligence to analyze the sound of a newborn baby’s cries. Founded by Charles Onu, a doctoral student in Computer Science at McGill, Ubenwa provides a cost-effective, non-invasive tool to detect newborn asphyxia and save lives.

Onu credits the 2016 McGill Dobson Cup competition with helping his team to improve their product.

Published: 13 Jan 2021

Dobson startup leverages Quebec funding to create 700 high-paying jobs

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: 16 Dec 2020

Entrepreneur’s Day in NY Celebration

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: 10 Dec 2020

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