It is with great sadness that we learned of the passing of Chuck Yeager. As an US Air Force officer and test pilot, he was the first pilot to break the sound barrier. He captured the imaginations of many and became an icon for decades following his feat, notably being featured in a book and film.
Why the "X-1" Accelerator?
The X-1 Accelerator is a 10-week summer program which is designed to accelerate McGill’s most promising startups by connecting them to McGill’s entrepreneurship network.
"The name of the program captures well its objective of enabling startups to go from uncertainty (X) to certain success (1) as a result of going through the program." highlights Professor Gregory Vit, former Academic Director of the Dobson Centre.
The program, which was launched by Professor Vit and the Dobson team in 2015, offers chosen founders the tools and knowledge to develop their startup into an investment ready company. Through the wealth of learning opportunities offered during the 10 weeks, the participants leave the program having gained greater clarity of their target market and customers, as well as the business acumen to effectively sell their vision to investors.
“We used the X-1 as a metaphor for propelling our students and startups to success by gaining momentum and eventually “breaking the sound barrier” to success.” mentions Patrick Vespa, former Dobson Program Manager.
Meet the startups who took part in this year’s accelerator.
