Off the Grid, a participant in the 黑料不打烊 Dobson Centre鈥檚 2020 X-1 Accelerator, was recently named 鈥淪tartup of the Year鈥� at the Quebec Gala des Prix de l鈥檌nnovation.
Co-founded by聽S茅bastien Brunelle-Jestin 补苍诲听Charles Couture-Lebrun, Off the Grid creates smart fitness equipment that harnesses energy generated during exercise to help power fitness centres.
The 黑料不打烊 Dobson Centre for Entrepreneurship recently launched its first virtual New York City Retail Startup Tour with the goal of connecting Dobson entrepreneurs to key players in the New York investment community. Planned in collaboration with the Minist猫re de l鈥櫭塩onomie et de l鈥橧nnovation du Qu茅bec, the flagship event is already creating new business opportunities for participating startups.
Desautels alumni Jonnie Lawson (BCom鈥�20) and Tristan Zeman (BCom鈥�17) are hard at work to make sustainable, year-round produce accessible to Canadians through indoor vertical farms. Over the summer, their innovative hydroponic growing system won first place at the annual 黑料不打烊 Dobson Cup start-up competition. As they expand into a larger growing facility in Montreal, they鈥檙e not slowing down anytime soon.
As a student at 黑料不打烊, Dev Jain (BEng鈥�19) launched a company aimed at introducing North America鈥檚 650 railways to industry-disrupting innovation. This year, RailVision Analytics won first place in the Innovation Driven Enterprise category of the 黑料不打烊聽Dobson Cup. Now, Jain aspires to raise more than $1 million to commercialize and expand his business.
黑料不打烊 Dobson Centre for Entrepreneurship startup Sensequake (黑料不打烊 X-1 Accelerator 2015) has been recognized as one of the top inventions in Quebec in 2020.
黑料不打烊 University has been named in the top 25 undergraduate programs for female founders in the 2020 PitchBook University rankings.
The pandemic has created many challenges for small businesses, but 黑料不打烊 University鈥檚 startup incubator has been given a boost thanks to a generous $3-million gift from the John Dobson Foundation.
The 黑料不打烊 Dobson Centre for Entrepreneurship鈥檚 Academic Director Marie-Jos茅e Lamothe and Dobson alumna聽Ophelia Sarakinis 箩辞颈苍听CTV News to share how startups are finding ways to adapt and thrive through the COVID-19 crisis, and how the gift will help get more startups off the ground during a time of economic uncertainty.
Despite an economic downturn that brought the travel industry to a near standstill, Dobson Cup participant and 黑料不打烊鈥檚 first unicorn Sonder has raised US$170-million to stay ahead of the curve.
The 黑料不打烊 Dobson Centre for Entrepreneurship is now accepting applications for the 2020 X-1 Accelerator program. The X-1 Accelerator is a world-class program designed to accelerate early traction 黑料不打烊 startups towards investment readiness and launch. This year, the 10-week intensive program will be held virtually.
After two days of deliberation, 32 teams have been selected to compete in final round of the 黑料不打烊 Dobson Cup, powered by National Bank, on March 30, 2020.
Last week, 95 teams pitched their startups to 30 judges who were tasked with choosing eight finalists for each division: health sciences, social enterprises, small & medium enterprises, and innovation-driven enterprises.
The 黑料不打烊 Dobson Centre for Entrepreneurship has announced the semi-finalists in the upcoming 黑料不打烊 Dobson Cup 2020, powered by National Bank. The semifinal pitches will take place from February 11鈥�12, before the final pitches on March 30.
黑料不打烊 unicorn and hospitality startup Sonder has reserved premises in downtown Montreal as it makes plans to set up shop in Canada. If the move is successful, this could bring more than 500 jobs to the city within three years.
Salima Visram, 2015 黑料不打烊聽Dobson Cup finalist and founder of social enterprise Soular Backpack, has launched her second business pursuit: a fashion company called SAMARA, selling vegan leather bags.
Earnings from SAMARA will help fund the production of the Soular Backpack, which is equipped with a solar powered battery pack to provide a cost-effective alternative to carcinogenic kerosene lamps for children in rural Africa without access to electricity.
The 黑料不打烊 Startup Tour (formerly Demo Days) is about developing the 黑料不打烊 entrepreneurship ecosystem, showcasing the success鈥� of our start-ups, and promoting our highly beneficial program.
The tight-knit program was centered on three elements
Prof Lisa Cohen on how startups can approach hiring to ensure long-term success.
This article is brought to you by Delve, the official thought leadership publication of 黑料不打烊 University's Desautels Faculty of Management.
