The McGill Dobson Centre for Entrepreneurship has received a $2 million donation from the John Dobson Foundation, which supports entrepreneurial development in Canadian universities.
The funding, which will be spent over a 10-year period, will be used to fund and support the centre’s McGill X-1 Accelerator, an intensive 10-week summer program dedicated to accelerating and preparing startups at McGill University for investment and launch.
“This significant gift made by the John Dobson Foundation will ensure that we continue to serve the vibrant entrepreneurship culture at McGill University.”
“The McGill Dobson Centre for Entrepreneurship has played a central role in creating young McGill entrepreneurs,” said Gregory Vit, a professor at the university and the director of the McGill Dobson Centre. “Many recent McGill startups have had an important impact on the economies of Montreal and Quebec. This significant gift made by the John Dobson Foundation will ensure that we continue to serve the vibrant entrepreneurship culture at McGill University. I’m highly confident that our entrepreneurs, in the not too distant future, will have a major positive impact on the planet.”
The McGill X-1 Accelerator, which is now in its third year, runs annually from June to August and is open to teams of which at least one member must have an affiliation with McGill. At the end of the program, the accelerator’s startups pitch their ideas to McGill alumni, investors, and entrepreneurs at Demo Days in Montreal, Toronto, San Francisco, Boston, and New York City.
The McGill X-1 Accelerator’s current cohort includes eight teams that are building businesses related to technology and science.
“The foundation is delighted to continue Dobson’s long-standing relationship with McGill with what represents one of the largest gifts ever granted by the foundation’s board,” said Ari Kiriazidis, president of the John Dobson Foundation. “The board is extremely proud to be associated with one of the most prestigious universities in Canada through the Dobson Centre and its various programs.”