In 2024, the Dobson Centre supported over 530 active startups, which collectively raised $4.1 billion in funding and securing 258 active patents. The Centre has successfully addressed funding gaps at every stage with 50% of its startups raising up to 500K, 35% between $500K and $10M, and 15% have exceeding $10M. The Centre has extended its support to founders from 127 universities worldwide, creating over 12,000 jobs across 46 countries. Backed by 143 investment firms and a vast entrepreneurial network spanning 25 countries, the Centre counts 228 ecosystem touchpoints and global partnerships. Among its notable alumni are Sonder (NASDAQ: SOND), Taiga Motors (TSX: TAIG), and Acesis Biomed, all of which have achieved public listings.

Over the past five years, Dobson startups have increased their fundraising efforts tenfold, from $400M in 2019 to $4.1B in 2024, thanks to the Cenre’s structured and personalized pathways. Its current programming includes 14 programs spanning ideation to fundraising across social impact, life sciences, technologies, and sustainability. Recognized for excellence, the Dobson Centre ranks among the Top 10 Best Incubators/Accelerators in the World by the prestigious Prix Galien and was named the Most Impactful Initiative in North America by the ACEEU. PitchBook has ranked it #1 in Canada for producing the most successful undergraduate startups and #1 for supporting women entrepreneurs for the fourth consecutive year, with half of its startups having at least one female co-founder. It also holds the title of #1 in Quebec for producing the most successful companies and founders.

Since 2023, the Centre has actively tracked its contributions to the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with its startups making measurable progress across all 17 goals. Aligning with its own mission to partner for the goals (Goal 17), the Dobson Centre is proud to host the Hult Prize, a globally recognized social entrepreneurship competition. Engaging students from 1,324 universities across 113 countries, the competition provides mentorship, skills development, and investor access, culminating in a $1 million grand prize. By supporting the Hult Prize, the Centre reinforces its role as a hub for social innovation.

Committed to model sustainable workplace practices, the Dobson Centre has aligned its operations with global standards. In 2024, its new space included an automated lighting system that saved 236.5 kWh, preventing 362.75 kg of CO₂ emissions, and water dispensers that eliminated the use of 1,536 plastic bottles. Additionally, the Centre offset its carbon footprint by planting over 20 trees through the McGill Bayano Reforestation Project, ensuring a lasting environmental impact.

The Dobson Centre is dedicated to empowering entrepreneurs to drive positive change by building bridges across four levels:

1. Bridging Across Borders
In 2024, we expanded globally, engaging 143 investment firms and 228 ecosystem partners across 25 countries, including:
• MESH (Mass General Brigham & Harvard): As MESH Core’s only Canadian partner, 14 Dobson startups in life sciences accessed 2,300+ clinicians, the #1 innovation hospital network, and 600+ funding opportunities.
• Hôtel-Dieu de Paris: Six life sciences startups had exclusive workshops on the French healthcare system, gaining mentorship and access to European research networks.
• Hult Prize: the Dobson is the host for the local and national competitions, fostering social entrepreneurship through mentorship, global networking, and pitch development.
The Centre also supported 20+ international startups this past year entering Montreal’s market.

2. Energizing the Local Ecosystem
Since opening in February 2024, Dobson’s new space hosted 27 events, 24 collaborators, and 675+ participants. Key local partnerships include:
• McGill University Health Centre (MUHC): Supports health innovators in Quebec’s largest academic health system, providing clinical settings for product validation.
• AsterX Québecor: A venture capital firm backing Quebec’s student entrepreneurs.
• Business France: Facilitates French startups expanding into Canada.
• CTS, Montreal InVivo, C2 MTL, MTL INTL: Collaborations with local incubators, accelerators, and economic missions to align international delegations and attract foreign investment.
• Intentions Inc.: A radio and podcast series highlighting innovative founders across Quebec and Canada.
These partnerships solidify Dobson’s role as a global innovation hub, connecting local talent with international opportunities.

3. Campus-wide Engagement
Dobson connects McGill’s research community with commercialization pathways:
• McGill Innovation Fund: Ensures research-funded teams access Dobson programs for commercialization.
• McGill Engine: Provides prototyping and product development resources.
• Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences & Healthy Brain Healthy Lives: Channels top research projects into Dobson’s life sciences programs.
• McGill Office of Sustainability: Integrates climate action into university activities, guiding projects in the Sustainability Projects Fund.
These collaborations ensure innovative ideas at McGill translate into real-world impact.

4. Empowering Student-led Initiatives
Dobson offers free access to student-led entrepreneurial programs, fostering leadership and innovation:
• Student Associations & Entrepreneurial Hub: We mentor over 15 organizations, including the Canadian Undergraduate Biomedical Engineering Conference, Desautels Graduate Entrepreneurship Club, and McGill Ventures, making our space a thriving hub.
• Global Impact Competitions: by hosting the Hult Prize, we engage thousands of students in addition to the student ambassadors who are taking the lead in organizing with the international committee and recruiting for the competition.
• Student-Led Consulting & Investment Groups: We collaborate with ThinkR Consulting Club and Front Row Ventures to provide business consulting for startups in market and financial analysis. This fills a gap for early-stage teams while giving the groups real-life experience.
Through these initiatives, we empower students to experience entrepreneurship in their own way.

Guided by a clear long-term vision to build innovative companies with a purpose, our center continually evolves, addressing changes in the landscape of innovation across different industries, in entrepreneurial education, and in international fundraising trends to sustain our impact over time. One reason we are hyper-focused on the ideas coming out of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, as well as in the sustainability streams, is because we believe those innovations will lead to global betterment and are directly contributing to the 17 UN SGDs. As a matter of fact, we revised our contributions to the UN SDGs and are proud to report that all our start-ups are working to promote at least one of the 17 UN SDGs.

The Dobson Centre also prides itself on focusing on diversity at four levels in the conceptualization and implementation of entrepreneurship education: gender diversity, cultural diversity, diversity of expertise, and generational diversity. This is why our start-ups only need one McGill-afflicted founder, resulting in us supporting founders from 127 international universities, including 12 in Québec. With the Entrepreneurial Women Lean Start-up Program designed to address the unique challenges of women founders, the Dobson Centre has been a leader in gender diversity. Since 2019, 50% of our start-ups have been co-/founded by women, and in 2024 Pitchbook ranked us, for the fourth consecutive year, as the #1 in Canada for developing successful undergraduate women founders.

As we embark on our next mandate, our mission remains clear: to work hand in hand with partners across the globe, ensuring that Canadian innovation reaches the world in ways that create real and lasting impact