Current graduate students

As the winter 2024 term comes to a close, it’s time for a competition roundup to celebrate the successes of Conrad School students!

Graduate students in the Master of Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology (MBET) full and part-time programs as well as undergraduate students in BET 300, BET 320, or Enterprise Co-op (E Co-op) performed splendidly in both on- and off-campus competitions!

In total, we had 25 Conrad School students compete this term! Congratulations to all!

The University of Waterloo is awarding Entrepreneurial PhD Fellowships to support outstanding, business-minded Waterloo doctoral students interested in commercializing their research. 

Up to ten successful fellowship applicants will be enrolled in the Master of Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology (MBET) part-time program at the Conrad School of Entrepreneurship and Business. Fellowship recipients can complete the three-year part-time program alongside their regular doctoral studies, tuition-free. Normally, domestic tuition for the program would total almost $35,000. 

“This exciting initiative keeps Waterloo at the forefront of entrepreneurship education and program innovation,” says Vivek Goel, president and vice-chancellor of the University of Waterloo. “As traditional academic career paths continue to evolve, these fellowships will support our talented Ph.D. students with creating research-based ventures that solve meaningful problems – bringing new technologies and solutions to market and driving economic growth.”

Working as a communicator in a health care setting, Seun Adetunji could see the impact medical jargon was having on people with English language barriers and disabilities. During repeated interactions with doctors and medical staff, she could see that patients and caregivers were overwhelmed hearing medical language and instruction.

Seun decided to do something about it. She created MedInclude, an AI-based data processing platform that can help health-care providers transcribe patient notes into lay terminology in real time.

Within just a year of starting the Master of Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology (MBET) program, Chinazom Uwaoma had already founded two promising startups, both aimed at driving social impact in Canada and around the world.

Inspired by his experience finding housing when he first arrived in Waterloo region, he and fellow MBET student Ernest Onuorah created MergeToOwn, an online platform that reduces barriers for first-time homebuyers by supporting successful co-ownership.

And he didn't stop there. Chinazom also created ESOTE, a platform that uses AI technology to support startups around the world to easily recruit junior and intermediate co-op students from Canadian postsecondary institutions.

It was a question from a rural farmer in Ghana that planted the seed of a new business in Lydia Konlan's head. "How do I find markets for my products?"

This led her to create FarmicleGrow (formerly Rural Agrihub), a business that uses demand data to understand customer and wholesale business needs that can be shared with rural farmers so they can successfully bring their products to market.  

When she was diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2019, Rachel Bartholemew (MBET '14) learned the surgery and radiation would affect her pelvic health for the rest of her life. She began researching rehabilitation options and discovered women were still using devices known as dilators, which were invented in 1938. So, she founded Hyivy Health, a startup that is developing a rehabilitation system to help women recover from everything from cervical cancer and gender-affirming surgery to childbirth.