Turning ideas into action

Sehaj Raj Singh (BA '25) recently graduated after a five-year journey through Waterloo's Arts and Business program, where he finished with an Honours degree in Economics and Business and a minor in Entrepreneurship. Drawn to Waterloo's focus on innovation and interdisciplinarity, he found a perfect fit in ARBUS, a program that blends critical thinking and communication with practical business skills and co-op experience. 

What drew you to Economics and Business at Waterloo?

What sealed the deal for me was Waterloo’s entrepreneurship ecosystem. There’s an energy here, a startup mindset to experiment, build, fail fast and bounce back faster. I knew if I was going to hustle, this was the place to do it.

Economics was a discipline I genuinely enjoyed, not just because it made sense, but because it made everything else make sense too. It’s one of the most transferable subjects out there. It trained me to think clearly, act rationally and break down complex problems, and that’s a skill set that quietly wins in any room.

You won the Velocity Future City Innovation Challenge. What made you decide to enter the competition, and what was the process like of collaborating with an interdisciplinary team?

This was hands down one of the most fulfilling moments of my undergrad. I used to sit in the audience at Velocity pitch competitions, completely inspired by students turning bold ideas into real solutions. In my final year, I stumbled upon the Future City Innovation Challenge. No pre-existing team or startup required, just ambition and a good idea.

I met three incredible teammates – one in architecture, one in urban planning and one in computer science. We came up with the idea of Permitly, a platform to tackle Canada’s housing crisis by fast-tracking planning and building permits. Tech, policy, design and business all coming together.

That didn’t just get us to the finals. I got to pitch to two mayors … and we won. One of the judges, a huge home developer in Ontario, even invited us to Ottawa to explore making it real. Standing there, pitching Permitly, felt like the perfect full-circle moment. From being in the crowd to being on stage, I’m just glad I bet on myself.

What are you most excited for post-graduation? What’s next?

I joined Caivan Communities this summer working as an Analyst in their Land Development Engineering team. Their CEO, Frank Cairo (BES '05), was one of the Velocity judges who we visited in Ottawa, so in many ways Permitly led me to this opportunity. And so that drive to be a part of something bigger sparked conversations, opened doors and gave me a taste of what it means to turn ideas into action. 

I’m excited to be in a place where I’m adding value, learning fast and living up to the Waterloo reputation of pushing boundaries.