Our Top 12 Trending Stories of 2024

Here are the people and events behind some of this year’s most compelling Waterloo stories

By Jordan Flemming

University Relations

The University of Waterloo demonstrated its commitment to innovation and global problem-solving through significant achievements in 2024. AI played a pivotal role, with four Waterloo-founded startups securing $2 million each in seed funding from Y Combinator. These ventures harness AI to advance mental health care, serverless computing, language models, and computer-aided design, showcasing the University's entrepreneurial strength. Waterloo also developed AI-powered optimization tools and contributed sustainable solutions in nanotechnology and medical imaging.

Notable milestones include the unveiling of a wearable device that uses radar technology to non-invasively monitor glucose levels, eliminating the need for needles. The University also launched the Innovation Arena, a health-tech hub accelerating research and commercialization in Southwestern Ontario. These advancements underline Waterloo's leadership in addressing global challenges, with AI and technology driving transformative progress.

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