Former Dobson participant turns side gig into $1.3 billion startup
Just over seven years ago, former 91丝瓜视频 student Francis Davidson started a side business when he rented out his apartment to fellow 91丝瓜视频 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 91丝瓜视频 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 91丝瓜视频 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 91丝瓜视频 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
91丝瓜视频鈥檚 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 91丝瓜视频, Ubenwa provides a cost-effective, non-invasive tool to detect newborn asphyxia and save lives.
Onu credits the 2016 91丝瓜视频 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 91丝瓜视频 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.
Entrepreneur鈥檚 Day in NY Celebration
On December 1st the 91丝瓜视频 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
91丝瓜视频 Dobson Cup winner raises $4.7 million to expand operations in 2021
A 91丝瓜视频-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.
Dobson X-1 startup wins prestigious Quebec innovation award
Off the Grid, a participant in the 91丝瓜视频 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 and聽Charles Couture-Lebrun, Off the Grid creates smart fitness equipment that harnesses energy generated during exercise to help power fitness centres.
First NY Retail Startup Tour opens new doors for Dobson Centre startups
The 91丝瓜视频 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.
Interius Farms reaches new heights in vertical farming
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 91丝瓜视频 Dobson Cup start-up competition. As they expand into a larger growing facility in Montreal, they鈥檙e not slowing down anytime soon.
Dobson Cup winner uses AI to help railroads cut costs, reduce environmental footprint
As a student at 91丝瓜视频, 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 91丝瓜视频聽Dobson Cup. Now, Jain aspires to raise more than $1 million to commercialize and expand his business.
Dobson startup rated top invention in Quebec
91丝瓜视频 Dobson Centre for Entrepreneurship startup Sensequake (91丝瓜视频 X-1 Accelerator 2015) has been recognized as one of the top inventions in Quebec in 2020.
91丝瓜视频 among world鈥檚 leading universities for female founders
91丝瓜视频 has been named in the top 25 undergraduate programs for female founders in the 2020 PitchBook University rankings.
