Dobson Cup 2018 finalist CandyCutlery offers advice on founding a startup
The Dobson Chronicles interviews Daniel Van Acker, member of the Dobson Cup finalist startup CandyCutlery, about what motivated him to become an entrepreneur and what it takes to succeed. For Van Acker, the recipe for success includes a lot of hard work; “there are no shortcuts”, as he says.
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Dean Bajeux on the McGill Dobson Centre
In a recent interview with Radio Canada International, Desautels Dean Isabelle Bajeux comments on the impact that the McGill Dobson Centre has had to date and on what its ranking by UBI Global means to the Faculty.
Marketing Campaign: Who's behind Desautels?
How can food help narrow the social divide in our cities?Learn more about how Desautels students are behind some of the most meaningful social enterprises.
Dobson opens new space to propel entrepreneurship
The McGill Dobson Centre for Entrepreneurship has inaugurated a collaborative space where members of McGill’s startup ecosystem can come together and work on their early stage projects.
Located at 3430 McTavish, the space is available on a drop-in basis every weekday between 10:00 am and 5:00 pm.
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Who commercialized the world’s first electric snowmobile?
Desautels is behind some of the country’s most innovative startupsTaiga Motors, founded by McGill graduates Gabriel Bernatchez (Beng'16), Sam Bruneau (Beng'15) and Paul Achard (Beng'14), have developed the world’s first electric snowmobile, eliciting interest and enthusiasm from local and international snowmobilers and investors alike.
Dobson Centre explores the future and emergent technologies
On October 18, the McGill Dobson Centre for Entrepreneurship hosted its third workshop of the fall season, which focused on the technological innovations that are shaking up the business world.
The two invited guest speakers were Matthew Boerum from Audible Reality, winner of the 2017 McGill Dobson Cup, and Yves Guillaume A. Messy, founder of insurance startup QGS Technologies Ltd.
McGill-Notman partnership takes McGill startups one step further
Established under the McGill Innovation Collective, the McGill-Notman partnership offers short-term residencies to startup cofounders affiliated with McGill either as students, alumni, or as staff or researchers.
Dobson Demo Days take McGill innovations on the road
This year’s McGill X-1 Accelerator program has culminated with a series of Demo Days designed to give participants the opportunity to deliver their refined business pitches to McGill alumni and potential investors. In addition to Montreal, McGill’s budding entrepreneurs have made their way to Boston and San Francisco, with additional Demo Days planned for Toronto and New York in October.
McGill Dobson Centre Associate Director interviewed on PNR podcast
McGill Dobson Centre for Entrepreneurship Associate Director Renjie Butalid appeared on the PNR podcast to talk about his development as an entrepreneur, and how it led to his current position.
McGill Dobson Cup participants win Next Canada award for their insomnia solution
With their revolutionary earplugs, Kristina Pearkes (BEng’17) and Sean Kaiser (BEng’17) aim to end insomnia without medication. The duo is the brains behind Orbityl, the company that just received Next Canada’s Outstanding Next 36 Venture Award. The Next 36 is a young-entrepreneur accelerator run by Next Canada, which offers seed capital as well as mentorship opportunities.
McGill X-1 Accelerator: seventh week at a glance
Week seven of the McGill X-1 Accelerator was all about two things: Announcing a transformative $2 million gift from the John Dobson Foundation, and setting up for the upcoming Demo Days.
John Dobson Foundation donates $2 million to support entrepreneurship at McGill
Montreal, Quebec, July 18, 2017 - The John Dobson Foundation has announced a donation of $2 million – its largest gift to McGill yet – to fund the McGill X-1 Accelerator program run by the McGill Dobson Centre for Entrepreneurship. The gift will support the X-1 program, now in its third year, as it grows to support and promote entrepreneurship across McGill.
McGill X-1 Accelerator: fifth week at a glance
Product Development was the overall theme for week five of the McGill X-1 Accelerator. On the agenda was a talk by GrandeSlam Product VP Saad Benryane on adopting a customer-centric approach, followed by a networking talk by Desautels Director of Advancement Alexander King.
A conversation with McGill Dobson judge Alexandra Conliffe
Alexandra Conliffe was a judge for the semi-final round of the 2017 McGill Dobson Cup’s Social Enterprise track. She is the Policy Innovation Director for the Brookfield Institute for Innovation + Entrepreneurship, and used to be VP Operations for Engineers Without Borders Canada.
2018 McGill Dobson Cup schedule announced
Budding startups all over McGill will be delighted to see that the schedule for next year’s McGill Dobson Cup is out.
As they do every year, startups will be competing across four categories: Innovation Driven Enterprise, Small & Medium Enterprise, Social Enterprise, and Health Sciences.
Teams need to have at least one founder with a McGill connection; be it a student, staff or faculty member, or a recent graduate.