The last four University of Waterloo Global Impact Reports have featured at least one story on a Kindred Credit Union Centre for Peace Advancement participant. The journey of Cassie Myers, Founder and CEO of Grebel Peace Incubator participant Lunaria Solutions, was highlighted in 2022 issue for her team’s work on using data to advance diversity, equity and inclusion. Incubator participants are not afraid of tackling complex, international problems, and the Centre provides them the network and support to help them refine their solutions and expand their influence. Lunaria joins the lineup of Incubator participants and alumni that make waves beyond their immediate context, creating far-reaching change in pursuit of a more equitable, peaceful future.
Check out the other Global Impact Stories featuring Centre Participants: “Demine Robotics – Building robots with a humanitarian mission”, “SheCycle – Breaking the cycle of poverty”, “Helping refugees and volunteers connect” [print only], “How society fails older adults” [print only]
Ventures engaged in the Grebel Peace Incubator program gain access to the University of Waterloo’s thriving innovation ecosystem and a wealth of tangible and relational resources through the Centre for Peace Advancement. 26 peace start-ups have been supported by the Peace Incubator since its opening in September 2015, each benefiting from the program’s culture of inclusion, collaboration, and community-mindedness.
The Grebel Peace Incubator aims to advance expansive and innovative understandings and practices of peace locally and globally. Every venture that passes through the program contributes to the incubator’s legacy in its own way, and Lunaria is no exception. Lunaria combines intuitive training and analytics for employers and consultants to grow their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) capacity. Since joining the Centre in 2018 under the leadership of Cassie Myers, Lunaria has defined its place at the forefront of DEI organizations.
For more on Myers’ growing influence, read Peace Incubator participant receives national changemaker award.
In 2021, Lunaria’s reputation grew beyond Waterloo’s innovation ecosystem. Myers and her work have since been featured by the Globe and Mail, Invest Ottawa, Waterloo Chronicle, Waterloo News, HIRE Waterloo, and the Living the startup podcast.
In January 2022, Myers and Lunaria were featured in the University of Waterloo’s 2022 Global Impact Report in the “Social and Economic Prosperity” section for their work on helping organizations create workplaces where people of all identities can flourish. Also, as part of Waterloo’s 2022 Innovation Summit focused on “The talent evolution: Thriving in a dynamic talent economy,” Myers spoke on a panel about how to create a sustainable talent pipeline, providing her perspective on the importance of DEI.
This month, Myers was featured in the Elevate Entrepreneurship video series by Waterloo’s Concept by Velocity. Myers shared about why sustainable development and finding your path is important for entrepreneurs, as well as offering some advice to other young business people.
Lunaria’s success attests to the growth ventures in the Grebel Peace Incubator can experience with support from fellow entrepreneurs, Centre staff, and participants in University of Waterloo’s wider innovation ecosystem.