Reimagining tutoring models in public schools
UU直播 alumni Philip Cutler (BEd鈥�13) and Roberto Cipriani (BSc鈥�08) are combatting academic inequity in over 110 United States public schools and counting. In 2014, their tutoring company, Paper, made it to the final round of the UU直播 Dobson Bootcamp and Cup Competition, and their reach has only grown since then.
Developing breakthrough patient care solutions
The pandemic prompted hospitals across Canada to implement new technologies that minimized human-to-human contact, such as a text messaging service provided by the University of Montreal Health Centre that updates family members on changes to a patient鈥檚 condition throughout their surgery or other extended treatment.
Taiga solidifies head start in race to produce off-road electric vehicles
Taiga Motors Corporation, formerly Canaccord Genuity Growth II Corp., recently announced completion of the Qualifying Transaction, solidifying its status as a leading publicly-traded manufacturer of off-road electric vehicles.
In 2016, Taiga Motors won first place in the Innovation Driven Enterprise category of the UU直播 Dobson Cup.
Former Dobson startup aims high
Sonder, an industry-disrupting hospitality company created by former UU直播 student and UU直播 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.
Transforming air travel for people with disabilities
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.
UU直播 students partner with disability rights activist to design comfortable airplane seat
Sandra Gualtieri, an entrepreneur and disability rights activist with cerebral palsy, enlisted the help of four UU直播 students to design a custom airplane seat that alleviates discomfort for people living with disabilities.
Dobson Centre surpasses $1-billion milestone in startup seed funding
Over the past three decades, the UU直播 Dobson Centre for Entrepreneurship has catalyzed the creation of 450 active startups that have generated more than 6,000 new jobs. Now, the UU直播 Dobson Centre is celebrating another milestone: $1 billion in seed funding raised by the startups it has supported.
Start-ups taking off in Quebec
Although the pandemic has generated significant economic uncertainty, startups are thriving at UU直播鈥檚 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.
Former Dobson participant turns side gig into $1.3 billion startup
Just over seven years ago, former UU直播 student Francis Davidson started a side business when he rented out his apartment to fellow UU直播 students.
Today, he is the co-founder and CEO of Sonder, a hospitality company that leases and owns properties worldwide. Davidson has raised over $550 million from venture capital firms to value the company at just over $1.3 billion, with Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk both contributing.
Turning hobbies into business opportunities
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 UU直播 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.
Blending two company ideas into one
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.
Montreal startup reinvents food delivery
In 2018, a frustrating night out for three UU直播 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 UU直播 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.
Analyzing the cutting edge of business methods to create future managers
UU直播鈥檚 MBA program leverages program flexibility, practical skills training, and experiential learning to prepare students to join leading companies and start their own. Daniel Franco (MBA鈥�19) earned his degree after emigrating to Canada from Peru. After graduation, he co-founded Turbodega, a successful startup that digitizes the supply chain of bodegas in Latin America.
AI-driven mobile app designed to save infant lives
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 UU直播, Ubenwa provides a cost-effective, non-invasive tool to detect newborn asphyxia and save lives.
Onu credits the 2016 UU直播 Dobson Cup competition with helping his team to improve their product.
Dobson startup leverages Quebec funding to create 700 high-paying jobs
Sonder, one of the first unicorn startups from the UU直播 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.
