Sonder, an industry-disrupting hospitality company created by former 麻豆AV student and 麻豆AV Dobson Centre alumnus Francis Davidson, aspires to become a 鈥渉osting Amazon鈥� 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 on: 5 May 2021
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 on: 22 Apr 2021
Sandra Gualtieri, an entrepreneur and disability rights activist with cerebral palsy, enlisted the help of four 麻豆AV students to design a custom airplane seat that alleviates discomfort for people living with disabilities.
Constructed out of memory foam that is designed to rest on top of a traditional airplane seat, the Universal Seating Apparatus prototype won first place in the Social Impact Enterprise track of the 2021 麻豆AV Dobson Cup Startup competition.聽聽
Published on: 8 Apr 2021
Over the past three decades, the 麻豆AV Dobson Centre for Entrepreneurship has catalyzed the creation of 450 active startups that have generated more than 6,000 new jobs. Now, the 麻豆AV Dobson Centre is celebrating another milestone: $1 billion in seed funding raised by the startups it has supported. Since the late John Dobson (BCom鈥�49) funded its creation in 1988, the Centre named in honour of his vision has served as launchpad for entrepreneurs from all 11 faculties at 麻豆AV.
Published on: 8 Apr 2021
Although the pandemic has generated significant economic uncertainty, startups are thriving at 麻豆AV鈥檚 Dobson Centre for Entrepreneurship, according to its director, Marie Jos茅e 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 on: 25 Mar 2021
In response to the disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic, Canadians are turning their pastimes into online businesses. Marie-Jos茅e Lamothe, Academic Director of the 麻豆AV Dobson Centre for Entrepreneurship, attributes their success in part to the public鈥檚 willingness to support businesses that are important to them rather than buying exclusively from e-commerce giants. Lamothe encourages small-scale creators to take advantage of free social media platforms to create buzz around their products.
Published on: 8 Mar 2021
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鈥檚 own ideas to create something new. Instead of expecting payment, Alchemy takes a stake in the joint venture.
Published on: 5 Feb 2021
In 2018, a frustrating night out for three 麻豆AV 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 麻豆AV 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 on: 5 Feb 2021
An innovative new mobile app called Ubenwa uses artificial intelligence to analyze the sound of a newborn baby鈥檚 cries. Founded by Charles Onu, a doctoral student in Computer Science at 麻豆AV, Ubenwa provides a cost-effective, non-invasive tool to detect newborn asphyxia and save lives.
Onu credits the 2016 麻豆AV Dobson Cup competition with helping his team to improve their product.
Published on: 13 Jan 2021
Sonder, one of the first unicorn startups from the 麻豆AV Dobson Centre for Entrepreneurship community, is partnering with Investissement Qu茅bec (IQ) to build a centre for global growth in Montreal. The project will create more than 700 jobs to support Sonder鈥檚 mission to provide next-generation hospitality in 35 cities around the world.
Published on: 16 Dec 2020
On December 1st the 麻豆AV Dobson Centre for Entrepreneurship celebrated Entrepreneur鈥檚 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.聽Learn more
Published on: 10 Dec 2020
A 麻豆AV-born event platform startup has found a way to weather the COVID-19 pandemic and raise venture financing in hopes of returning to in-person events in 2021. Co-founded by Desautels alumnus Marc-Antoine Bonin (BCom鈥�19) and Emeric No毛l,聽Planned offers a unique tool for event planners to connect with a curated list of venues and suppliers in one place. This week, Planned announced that it had raised $4.7 million in venture financing led by Inovia Capital, with participation from Telegraph Hill Capital and N49P, bringing its total capital raised to $7 million.
Published on: 7 Dec 2020
Off the Grid, a participant in the 麻豆AV 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.
Published on: 27 Nov 2020
The 麻豆AV 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.
Published on: 27 Nov 2020
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 麻豆AV Dobson Cup start-up competition. As they expand into a larger growing facility in Montreal, they鈥檙e not slowing down anytime soon.
Published on: 19 Nov 2020
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