What is the Dobson New York City Retail Startup Tour?
In collaboration with the Ministère de l’Économie et de l’Innovation du Québec, the McGill Dobson Centre for Entrepreneurship is pleased to announce the launch of the first virtual Dobson New York City Retail Startup Tour.
This online start-up tour aims to introduce and connect a select group of Dobson entrepreneurs to a dynamic startup ecosystem composed of Finance Executives, Retail Giants and Tech Executives from across the globe.
The programming, which runs in September and October of 2020 will include personalized coaching and mentoring for the selected teams as well as the opportunity to attend flagship tech and retail industry events based in New York City - recently moved to online events. This will grant them invaluable exposure to meet with key players and pitch their innovative business solutions to potential clients and investors, with the hope of encouraging international investment, partnership opportunities and strong business growth.
View the Program Brochure | French Program Brochure
Program Overview
September 2020: One-on-one coaching and mentoring
McGill Dobson Centre for Entrepreneurship will work with selected participants to help prepare and further refine pitch and business plans for upcoming events.
October 20-22, 2020: ShopTalk Retail Week
Teams will engage in one-on-one meetings with potential clients, partners and investors at North America’s largest retail event.
October 27-28, 2020: Virtual Dobson Day
A private virtual event, co-hosted by the Quebec Ministry of Economy and Innovation. Teams will pitch to and network with an audience of invited VC investors, government dignitaries and industry experts from the New York City area.
November 17-19, 2020: Exhibit booth at TechDay Online
Teams will host exhibit booths and engage in discussions with participating conferees from investors, to partners and potential customers.
Participating Startups
Chatter
Customer Feedback for the Modern Retailer: Chatter uses AI-driven, conversational surveys to increase online and in-store conversion by 1.4%. Our conversation engine interprets responses in real-time to deliver actionable insights when they matter.
Team
-
Simon Foster, Founder & CEO, Queen’s University and London School of Economics
-
Wesley Nelson, CTO, University of Waterloo
- Allen Turner, Head of Insights, Ryerson College
Website: www.chatterresearch.com
Contact: simon [at] chatterresearch.com
FitDrive
The FitDrive app helps fitness trainers save time, increase retention and grow their business by making it easy to program workouts, track progress and keep in touch with clients when training remotely.
Team
- Edgar Brown, CEO, Desautels Faculty of Management
- Milena Fagandini, CPO, Universidad Católica de Córdoba, Business Administration Carter Sprigings, CTO, McGill Faculty of Science
Website: https://www.myfitdrive.com/
Contact: edgar [at] myfitdrive.com
Geek It
Geek-it! is the marketplace for the geek culture. At Geek-it!, users can buy and recommend geek products such as anime food T-shirts, Star Wars masks and Avengers toys. We also provide tools for geek retailers to facilitate inventory management on Geek-it! Marketplace.
Team
- Shao Hang He, President & CEO, McGill Faculty of Science
- Tom Sun, COO & CMO, Université de Montréal
Website: https://geekitcon.com/
Contact: shaohang.he [at] geekitcon.com
Hydrolux
Hydrolux is a green hydrogen production company distributing to warehouses looking to transition towards fuel cell powered forklifts that will save them money, increase productivity and have a smaller impact on the planet.
Team
- Friedrich Dehem-Lemelin, CEO, ÉTS, Mechanical Engineering
- Julien Brunet, CTO, McGill Faculty of Engineering
- Nicolas Dion, CFO, Concordia John Molson School of Business
Website: https://hydrolux.ca/
Contact: info [at] hydrolux.ca
Interius Farms
Interius Farms offers clients price and business stability through locally grown produce. By growing in co-located, controlled environments, Interius can provide clients with the freshest produce while mitigating pricing and supply chain risks through long-term, price stabilized contracts.
Team
- Tristan Zeman, President, Desautels Faculty of Management
- Jonathan Lawson, Vice President, Desautels Faculty of Management
Website: www.interiusfarms.com
Contact: interiusfarms [at] gmail.com
MoveMate
At MoveMate, we solve the pains of businesses and consumers through our administration of an on-demand transportation solution that makes moving, purchasing and delivering items hassle-free. By connecting our customers and our partner firms with a Mate that has the tools, the manpower, and the vehicle adapted to their needs, we take care of packing and transporting peoples’ possessions to their new residence, as well as transporting and delivering any large item purchased online or at retailers.
Team
- Lucas Francioli, CEO, Desautels Faculty of Management
- William Preudhomme, Head of Operations & Sales, Concordia Faculty of Arts & Science
- Jegannath Ramanathan, Head of Product & User Acquisition, Desautels Faculty of Management
Website: https://movemate.ca/
Contact: lucas [at] movemate.io
Novagrow
Empowering people to grow nutrient-rich greens at home so they can reconnect with their own food and live healthier lives. Novagrow makes this possible by designing affordable and easy-to-use indoor gardens allowing the user to grow effortlessly more than 20 types of microgreens all year round.
Team
- Simon Dufour, Co-founder, Desautels Faculty of Management
- Mathieu Laviolette, Co-founder, École de technologie supérieure (ÉTS)
- Alexandre Laliberté, Co-founder, École de technologie supérieure (ÉTS)
Website: https://novagrow.io/
Contact: s.dufour.p [at] novagrow.io
Off The Grid
Off The Grid offer a spinning bike that turns energy into electricity. The generated electricity is reinjected in real-time in the grid of the building reducing monthly electric bills for the gym, while a web application allows users to compete with others to reduce their ecological footprint, increasing motivation and training frequency.
Team
- Charles Couture-Lebrun, CEO, HEC Montréal
- Sébastien Brunelle-Jestin, CTO, Desautels Faculty of Management
Website: https://getoffthegrid.ca/
Contact: info [at] getoffthegrid.ca
RailVision Analytics
RailVision Analytics specializes in artificial intelligence and software for the rail industry. Our projects are focused on reducing fuel consumption, preventing locomotive failure and improving the safety of rail operations.
Team
- Dev Jain, Founder & Lead Innovator, McGill Faculty of Engineering
Website: https://railvision.ca
Contact: contact [at] railvision.ca
SEED AI
We solve problems and generate value from data. We offer services across the whole data value chain and we build and maintain custom AI solutions and products. We have also built a unique and proven methodology to help organizations in their transformation towards AI.
Team
- Johan Saba, Co-founder & Managing Director, Desautels Faculty of Management
- Jean-Baptiste Débordès, Co-founder, Universite de Montreal Faculty of Sciences, HEC
Website: www.seedai.ca
Contact: info [at] seedai.ca
Shuttle Control
ShuttleControl is a Software-as-a-Service designed to revolutionize the way courtesy shuttle services are offered around the world. We offer an all-in-one solution to increase customer satisfaction and make shuttle operations easy.
Team
- Edward W. Maxedon, President, Concordia University
- Cedrick Ward, Customer Success, Concordia University
- Jean-Marc Turk, Business Development Manager, McGill Faculty of Arts
- Hamza Baig, Account Executive, Desautels Faculty of Management
- Matthew Houston, Account Executive, McGill Faculty of Arts
Website: https://shuttlecontrol.com/
Contact: jeanmarc [at] shuttlecontrol.com
TRAQC
TRAQC is an easily integrated solution for non-destructive and in-line quality control of printed electronics, reducing the production cost by up to 80% and the production time by up to 90%.
Team
- Benjamin Dringoli, CTO & Co-founder, McGill Faculty of Science
- Mariia Zhuldybina, CEO & Co-founder, ÉTS
- Joel Edouard Nkeck, Co-founder, ÉTS
Website: www.traqc.ca
Contact: info [at] traqc.ca
Turbodega
We give bodegas in Latin America a frictionless, AI-powered app that automates orders, optimizes inventory using AI and saves them time, increases revenue and allows them to compete with larger chains.
Team
- Julio Castañeda, Co-founder, Desautels Faculty of Management
- Daniel Franco, CEO & Co-founder, Desautels Faculty of Management
Website: www.turbodega.com/
Contact: julio [at] turbodega.com
Vertité
Our tech-enabled urban farms cultivate local, pesticide-free strawberries all year long to provide consumers with a healthier, higher quality, and more sustainable product.
Team
- Ophelia Sarakinis, CEO, McGill Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
- Pierre Chicoine, Head of Sales & Business Development
- Phillip Rosenbaum, CTO & Chief Scientific Officer, McGill Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Medicine
Website: www.vertite.ca
Contact: info [at] vertite.ca
We welcome potential investors and partners who would like to meet with our startups prior to the NYC events.
Have questions about the program? Contact Kika Armata for more information: kika.armata [at] mcgill.ca.
In collaboration with
