Entrepreneurship

5th round of the MIF sees cleantech, medtech and AI winners

junji.nishihata@mcgill.ca — Wed, 21 Jan 2026 14:46:47 +0000

Over the course of three days in early December, the judges of the �鶹��ý��վ Innovation Fund (MIF) selected the 5th cohort of teams to be supported in its program. With awards going up to a maximum of $100,000, the MIF is the largest entrepreneurial competition at the university. Now entering its fifth year of operation, the MIF has supported 31 unique teams and awarded nearly $2 million in funds.

The following teams were selected for the 5th cohort of the MIF:

Discover teams ($25,000 award for early-stage projects):

When Hearing Is Healing

Sara Bauman — Tue, 22 Apr 2025 16:30:25 +0000

Ask the parent of any newborn child, and they will often tell you that the most satisfying sound a child makes is when they are sleeping. Something in the simple act of a baby’s breathing fills the heart with quiet joy. But it is not the same for many preterm infants, whose lungs are not yet developed. Breathing for these children can be fraught with problems and often only possible with some kind of mechanical assistance.

MIF Lunch & Learn 14: Finding non-dilutive funding

junji.nishihata@mcgill.ca — Mon, 12 Feb 2024 15:22:34 +0000

In the early days of a spinoff or start-up business, securing adequate funding is critical. But in many cases, founders have to give up some ownership of their company to investors.

Fourth edition of the MIF puts spotlight on life science

Junji Nishihata and Sara Bauman — Mon, 20 Jan 2025 15:25:36 +0000

Entrepreneurial spirit is thriving at �鶹��ý��վ, as shown by a record-breaking 31 applications to the �鶹��ý��վ 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.

Cao the Creator

Sara Bauman — Thu, 09 Jan 2025 19:06:52 +0000

Professor Changhong Cao from �鶹��ý��վ’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 Discover ($25,000) and Develop ($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.

The Right Treatment for the Right Patients

Sara Bauman and Charlotte Bawol — Wed, 20 Nov 2024 18:14:35 +0000

In these polarized times, there seems to be one thing everyone agrees on: Canada's healthcare system is in crisis.

From Here to Paternity

Junji Nishihata — Wed, 20 Nov 2024 19:24:10 +0000

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?

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.

MIF Lunch & Learn 17: What Many Founders Forget - The Hidden Risks of Skipping Insurance and HR

junji.nishihata@mcgill.ca — Fri, 25 Oct 2024 16:13:07 +0000

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.

MIF Lunch & Learn 16: Making a killer pitch that sticks

junji.nishihata@mcgill.ca — Mon, 06 May 2024 13:53:38 +0000

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.

MIF Lunch & Learn 15: Finding dilutive funding

junji.nishihata@mcgill.ca — Fri, 15 Mar 2024 15:55:48 +0000

Before finding customers, many startup and spinoff businesses need to find funding.

MIF Team in search of unicorn battery technology

Charlotte Bawol — Fri, 15 Mar 2024 16:39:17 +0000

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 �鶹��ý��վ Innovation Fund (MIF) the team is getting closer to making this a reality.

As a Matter of Fact, it is Rocket Science: Iron-Based Fuel Powered by MIF

Charlotte Bawol — Thu, 01 Feb 2024 18:35:05 +0000

New technology by �鶹��ý��վ entrepreneurs and their spinoff Altiro Energy uses iron as a fuel alternative to greenhouse gas producing fossil fuels. With support from the �鶹��ý��վ Iinnovation Fund (MIF), they aim to test the project on a commercial scale and decarbonize the future of energy.

Don’t Throw Nutrients Out with the Growing Water: Making Hydroponics More Efficient

Charlotte Bawol — Mon, 18 Dec 2023 20:50:10 +0000

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.

MIF stars shine in anniversary pitch competition

junji.nishihata@mcgill.ca — Tue, 04 Nov 2025 15:15:51 +0000

It was a night for the ages. To celebrate the fifth anniversary of the founding of the �鶹��ý��վ Innovation Fund (MIF), a special one-time pitch competition was held: the MIF Evolution. The event was designed to showcase the tremendous range of talent that has been nurtured over this period of time, and the teams did not disappoint.

Back in the saddle: the �鶹��ý��վ Innovation Fund (MIF) returns

junji.nishihata@mcgill.ca — Tue, 09 Sep 2025 16:41:35 +0000

The �鶹��ý��վ Innovation Fund (MIF) returns for a fifth year with its unique formula of supporting research-based innovations with a rich program of support, training and advice. Since inception, the MIF has emerged as one of the largest entrepreneurial programs at �鶹��ý��վ with over $1 million awarded to 26 unique teams.

The core of the MIF program is the generous funding packages it provides to team across three different levels: