The Fall 2025 Innovation Open House was an opportunity for aspiring entrepreneurs and students alike to connect, network, and discover untapped resources that could be useful for their various endeavors.
The event was hosted at Fed Hall by Velocity, and a variety of different organizations in the UWaterloo innovation ecosystem took part. All of the organizations, such as Math Innovation, Socratica, Ideas Clinic, Black Innovation Hub, Future Cities Institute and more, had booths explaining their ventures and goals to students.
Next to the Centre for Peace Advancement’s table, the Conrad School of Entrepreneurship and Business enticed attendees with their colorful stickers and informed students about the many opportunities for mentorship and workshops through and alongside the academic courses they offer at UWaterloo.
The GreenHouse Social Impact Incubator at United College also had a booth speaking to their curricular and co-curricular offerings. Some of their future events are open to the wider public such as the Youth Climate Action Fund Showcase on October 2nd and Green Innovation Labs and Health & Accessibility Community Sessions where community partners can present challenges for students to tackle.
At the Grebel Peace Incubator booth many students inquired about Map the System and were keen to have the opportunity to further their experiences and education. Jordan Li, a previous campus winner and Campus Lead was able to share about her experience and the benefits that come with joining, for example, learning systems thinking, working in an interdisciplinary team, finding ways to represent complex systems visually, and going deeper into prominent issues.
Aside from Map the System, the Grebel Peace Incubator attracted many young entrepreneurs looking to see how they could get support for their start-ups. Many individuals also inquired about the Grebel Gallery and wanted to know how and when they could visit the current exhibit, Trending Tomorrow, Picturing Today, and when the next exhibit,
Mapping Diasporic Identities, would be installed. Overall, the positive attitude of everybody visiting the booth was encouraging.
This semester’s Innovation Open House also included a “Speed Networking” event. This activity allowed students and other attendees to briefly chat with representatives from different ecosystem partners to learn more about their programs, events, and opportunities. The Centre for Peace Advancement Coordinator was impressed by the number of ambitious and inspired first year students she met through this activity.
The Open House concluded with an open mic where early-stage entrepreneurs were invited to come to the stage and give a “60 second pitch” about their ideas, interests, and needs. This was a fun way for people to get out of their comfort zones, while being in an environment where
promoting themselves or their start-ups is not only acceptable but encouraged.
Overall, the Innovation Open House was a unique chance for students and entrepreneurs to meet and network with other like-minded individuals and innovation partners on campus. The Centre for Peace Advancement team looks forward to meeting a new group of innovators next term!