Entrepreneurship in Action

Entrepreneurship in Action

Over the past seven years, we have built an ecosystem that helps promising ideas become successful ventures through access to expertise, networks, opportunities, and capital. With this foundation in place, we are excited to enter a new chapter that builds on Dobson’s momentum while supporting its continued evolution.

Driving Change Through Entrepreneurship

This year, our community reached new heights, testaments to the ingenuity and entrepreneurial spirit of our ecosystem’s brightest minds. 

Our commitment to purpose-driven entrepreneurship has earned international recognition. For the second consecutive year, the Dobson Centre was named one of the Top 10 Best Incubators/Accelerators in the World by the Prix Galien USA and was also recognized by ACEEU as one of the Most Globally Engaged Universities

Being honored by the Prix Galien, one of the highest distinctions in life sciences, reflects our founders’ profound impact in pioneering solutions for a healthier future.

Prix Galien USA
 
United Nations, 2024

Energizing Global Collaboration

This past year, our focus was on expanding international influence by creating meaningful partnerships, facilitating networking opportunities, and then matching startups with investment theses aligned to their goals.

This global strategy has solidified our network, enabling successful international operations, growing intellectual property, and showcasing the impact of our innovation on a global stage.

 

Leading the Change for a Sustainable Future

With a steadfast commitment to the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals, we have created a space that fosters collaboration while championing environmental responsibility. For the second consecutive year, we hosted the Canadian Hult Prize, the world’s largest impact entrepreneurship competition. One of our teams advanced to the Global Final Top 8, an achievement we are proud to celebrate.

Andrea Paola Gomez Jaime, Co-Founder of Savia Health, and Dr. Haitham Shoman, Founder of Qalam Health Solutions
 

Our programs are designed to meet the evolving needs of founders. 

We are committed to delivering world-class programming at every stage, ensuring a founders-first approach with global success in mind.


Our 2026 Ecosystem in Numbers

The McGill Dobson Centre for Entrepreneurship has supported thousands of ventures throughout the years:

690+ active startups
13,000 jobs created
$4.6 Billion
raised in funding cumulatively
35 countries of operations
624 active patents
98 universities represented

 

Since 2019, we are proud to report that more than 50% of our startups have at least one woman co-founder.


Fueling Growth during Pivotal Fundraising Stages

Accelerating fundraising: Funding raised by Dobson startups over the years


Graph of Funding raised by Dobson startups over the years

Funding raised by Dobson startups over the years

x11 since 2019

Funding raised Year
3 Million 2011
12 Million 2012
50 Million 2013
100 Million 2014
130 Million 2015
200 Million 2016
250 Million 2017
320 Million 2018
400 Million 2019
1,5 Billion 2020
2,8 Billion 2021
3,6 Billion 2022
3,7 Billion 2023
4,1 Billion 2024
4,4 Billion 2025
4,6 Billion 2026

Closing the funding gap at every stage: Dobson startups by funding tier raised


Graph of Dobson startups by funding tier raised

Dobson startups by funding tier raised

To date 20% of startups raised over $5M

# of Dobson Startups 2025-2026 # of Dobson Startups 2024 # of Dobson Startups 2023 Startup funds #
63 58 48 Less than 10 Thousand 307
122 125 111 10 to 50 Thousand
64 57 52 50 to 100 Thousand
81 84 76 100 to 500 Thousand 186
43 42 35 500 Thousand to 1 Million
79 76 67 1 to 5 Million 170
27 39 19 5 to 10 Million
39 45 33 10 to 100 Million
29 33 29 Greater than 100 Million 29


Reshaping Industries

Innovation stemming from across the campus: Breakdown of Dobson startups by industry and the related contributions to UN SDGs


Pie chart of breakdown of Dobson startups by industry and the related contributions to UN SDGs

Breakdown of Dobson startups by industry and the related contributions to UN SDGs

Industry Generated Patents %
Agriculture & Food SDG 2, SDG 12 20 4.77%
Biotechnology & Therapeutics SDG 3, SDG 16 30 9.17%
Climate & Environmental Impact SDG 6, SDG 7, SDG 13, SDG 14, SDG 15 63 8.62%
Consumer Technologies & Retail SDG 8, SDG 13 114 20.37%
Education SDG 4, SDG 8 38 6.42%
Health & Medical Technologies SDG 3, SDG 5 146 23.67%
Manufacturing SDG 9, SDG 10 18 3.49%
Not-For-Profit & Social Purpose Organizations, SDG 1, SDG 5, SDG 13 47 7.71%
Pure Technologies SDG 11, SDG 16 44 11.93%
Other SDG 8, SDG 10 53 3.85%

Bringing the newest IP to market: Breakdown of active patents owned by Dobson startups by industry

Graph of breakdown of active patents owned by Dobson startups by industry

Breakdown of active patents owned by Dobson startups by industry

Total of 624 active patents

Industry Generated Patents 2023 Generated Patents 2024 Generated Patents 2025
Agriculture and food 2 3 2
Education 59 148 3
Not-For-Profit & Social Purpose Organizations 5 15 10
Other 20 40 11
Pure Technologies 4 10 54
Health & Medical Technologies 1 4 62
Consumer Technologies & Retail 12 17 90
Biotechnology & Therapeutics 1 8 118
Climate & Environmental Impact 1 5 128
Manufacturing 4 8 146


Dobson’s Global Footprint

The Dobson Centre is connected with 316 ecosystem touchpoints.

Our startups operate in 35 countries and partner with 98 universities.

Map of Dobson’s Global Footprint

49 Universities

in the Americas

14 Universities

in Europe

24 Universities

in Africa

11 Universities

in Asia

Legend

[Red] Partner university

[Tan] Country of Activity

[ .... ] Ecosystem touchpoint country

Explore our 2025-2026 Impact Report

A strong foundation. A new chapter.

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