/innovation/taxonomy/term/964/all en /innovation/channels/event/mif-lunch-learn-14-finding-non-dilutive-funding-355347 <p>In the early days of a spinoff or start-up business, <strong>securing </strong>adequate funding is critical. But in many cases, founders have to give up some ownership of their company to investors.</p> Mon, 12 Feb 2024 15:22:34 +0000 junji.nishihata@mcgill.ca 73978 at /innovation /innovation/article/fourth-edition-mif-puts-spotlight-life-science <div> <div> <div> <p>Entrepreneurial spirit is thriving at º«¹úÂãÎè, as shown by a record-breaking 31 applications to the º«¹úÂãÎè Innovation Fund (MIF) this year. Since its inception in 2020, the MIF has been a catalyst for cutting-edge innovation, and this year’s cohort marks the most competitive pool of candidates yet. The seven selected teams are all in the area of life science working to deliver groundbreaking technologies and solutions to global challenges.</p></div></div></div> Mon, 20 Jan 2025 15:25:36 +0000 Junji Nishihata and Sara Bauman 74682 at /innovation /innovation/article/cao-creator <p>Professor Changhong Cao from º«¹úÂãÎè’s Faculty of Engineering is no stranger to the MIF. An Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and a Chwang-Seto Faculty Scholar, Cao is also an MIF veteran having won both the <i>Discover</i> ($25,000) and <i>Develop</i> ($50,000) MIF awards. Manifesting a bold entrepreneurial impulse, he has harnessed these resources to push the boundaries of his groundbreaking research in microchip-based characterization technology.</p> Thu, 09 Jan 2025 19:06:52 +0000 Sara Bauman 74671 at /innovation /innovation/article/right-treatment-right-patients <p>In these polarized times, there seems to be one thing everyone agrees on: Canada's healthcare system is in crisis.</p> Wed, 20 Nov 2024 18:14:35 +0000 Sara Bauman and Charlotte Bawol 74666 at /innovation /innovation/article/here-paternity <p>Disruption. If there is one buzzword in the modern economy, this is it. Every entrepreneur claims to be doing it, every investor is looking for it, but how many are actually capable of it? And what does it really mean anyway?</p> <p>The phrase ‘disruptive innovation’ has been bandied about since the late 1990s thanks to Harvard professor Clayton Christensen, who identified it as a process whereby a product or service takes root at the bottom of the market and eventually displaces established competitors.</p> Wed, 20 Nov 2024 19:24:10 +0000 Junji Nishihata 74667 at /innovation /innovation/channels/event/mif-lunch-learn-17-what-many-founders-forget-hidden-risks-skipping-insurance-and-hr-360670 <p>Launching a startup requires many elements to come together: a team, a business plan, customers but fail to consider safeguarding their venture with insurance and HR tools.</p> Fri, 25 Oct 2024 16:13:07 +0000 junji.nishihata@mcgill.ca 74598 at /innovation /innovation/channels/event/mif-lunch-learn-16-making-killer-pitch-sticks-357223 <p>One of the fundamental activities of the entrepreneurial journey is the business pitch. But often academics struggle at condensing years of research into a succinct version that is capable of convincing investors.</p> Mon, 06 May 2024 13:53:38 +0000 junji.nishihata@mcgill.ca 74161 at /innovation /innovation/channels/event/mif-lunch-learn-15-finding-dilutive-funding-356174 <p>Before finding customers, many startup and spinoff businesses need to find funding.</p> Fri, 15 Mar 2024 15:55:48 +0000 junji.nishihata@mcgill.ca 74044 at /innovation /innovation/article/mif-team-search-unicorn-battery-technology Professor Philippe Ouzilleau and Yee Wei Foong are creating an alternative to lithium-ion batteries which is less environmentally costly, and simpler to both manufacture and recycle. With the help of the º«¹úÂãÎè Innovation Fund (MIF) the team is getting closer to making this a reality. Fri, 15 Mar 2024 16:39:17 +0000 Charlotte Bawol 74046 at /innovation /innovation/article/matter-fact-it-rocket-science-iron-based-fuel-powered-mif New technology by º«¹úÂãÎè entrepreneurs and their spinoff Altiro Energy uses iron as a fuel alternative to greenhouse gas producing fossil fuels. With support from the º«¹úÂãÎè Iinnovation Fund (MIF), they aim to test the project on a commercial scale and decarbonize the future of energy. Thu, 01 Feb 2024 18:35:05 +0000 Charlotte Bawol 73941 at /innovation /innovation/article/dont-throw-nutrients-out-growing-water-making-hydroponics-more-efficient <p>If you go to the grocery store in Montreal, you will likely buy fresh produce. Let’s say, you get a pack of Driscoll strawberries. You may not realize it, but those strawberries are grown in California and had to travel over 4,500 km to get to you, polluting the environment every kilometer of the way.</p> Mon, 18 Dec 2023 20:50:10 +0000 Charlotte Bawol 73868 at /innovation /innovation/channels/event/mif-graduate-info-session-360658 <p>Attention graduate and post-doctoral students! Did you know that the º«¹úÂãÎè Innovation Fund (MIF) is the largest entrepreneurial competition at º«¹úÂãÎè? And did you know it can be a springboard into a career as a startup founder?</p> Thu, 24 Oct 2024 18:48:18 +0000 junji.nishihata@mcgill.ca 74593 at /innovation /innovation/article/shake-it-no-longer-future-energy-absorbers With the support of the º«¹úÂãÎè Innovation Fund, a team of º«¹úÂãÎè researchers are seeking to develop and commercialize a multistate lightweight shock absorbing technology that could transform safety equipment, reduce concussions, and contribute to sustainability. Fri, 12 Jan 2024 16:20:24 +0000 Charlotte Bawol and Junji Nishihata 73917 at /innovation /innovation/article/longer-cell-life-paves-way-drug-discovery <p>We should all be thankful for the advances of modern medicine, particularly over the last decades. Cancer, for example, once considered a death sentence, is steadily being beaten back. Since 1991 mortality rates from this disease have <a href="https://www.cancer.org/research/acs-research-news/facts-and-figures-2022.html" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">declined by 33% in the US.</a> Much of this improvement is due to the development of new drugs. </p> Wed, 06 Dec 2023 21:20:29 +0000 Charlotte Bawol and Junji Nishihata 73828 at /innovation