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Friday, September 19, 2025

Fall 2025 Problem Lab Pitch Competition

The Conrad School of Entrepreneurship and Business is proud to host and sponsor the Problem Lab’s Fall 2025 Problem Pitch Competition Finals, where Waterloo students showcase their research-driven approaches to tackling today’s most pressing challenges.

Unlike traditional pitch competitions that focus on solutions, the Problem Pitch challenges students to dig deeper, spotlighting their ability to understand the root of a significant problem. This emphasis on problem analysis is what often sparks the most transformative innovations.

Finalist teams will present their research to a panel of industry leaders and alumni for a chance to win $7,500 in prize funding.

Monday, September 15, 2025

Conrad School launches Academy of Research Commercialization (ARC) to accelerate deep-tech ventures

The Conrad School of Entrepreneurship and Business is proud to announce the launch of the Academy of Research Commercialization (ARC), a new initiative designed to empower University of Waterloo doctoral students in turning deep-tech discoveries into investor-ready ventures.

Tuesday, September 9, 2025

Where are they now: how Conrad School undergrad alumni built Zero Experience and shaped the future of innovation

When Covid-19 hit and students started losing their co-op placements, two Conrad School BET 300 students and Problem Pitch alumni Holden Beggs and Jackson Mills teamed up to give their peers experience anyways.

That idea changed everything. It became The Zero Experience, an all-online program that has now reached over 5,000 learners worldwide and been recognized in Forbes 30 under 30 Class of 2025.

“Zero was born from our experiences with the Problem Lab, entrepreneurship at Conrad, research across national labs, and too many side projects to count,” says Holden. “We saw common threads in successful innovation, but also a big gap: there was no true first step for students who didn’t yet have ‘a great idea’ or didn’t feel like innovators.”

students eating
Wednesday, September 10, 2025 12:00 pm - 2:30 pm EDT (GMT -04:00)

Student Entrepreneur Networking Lunch

Join us for a dynamic lunchtime gathering at the Conrad School of Entrepreneurship and Business on Wednesday, September 10 at 12:00 noon.

This is your chance to connect with fellow students who are building ventures, hear from recent alumni founders, and exchange ideas about the entrepreneurial journey. Whether you’re already working on a startup, curious about launching your own venture, or simply eager to meet like-minded innovators, this event is for you!

Enjoy great conversation, fresh inspiration, and a delicious lunch—on us!

Come for the food, leave with new ideas and connections.

Limited spots available: register today!

We are official event hosts with Waterloo Tech Week 2025, a celebration of what’s been built here, and what’s still to come. We’re building something great together. September 8-11, 2025. waterlootechweek.ca

Group shot From left to right — Larry Smith, Felix Arndt, Hayley So, Sharlene He, Nicholas Cheng, Monica Tsang.
Saturday, August 2, 2025

Problem Pitch Competition Finals: Spring 2025

On Friday, August 1, 2025, the Conrad School of Entrepreneurship and Business proudly hosted and sponsored the Waterloo Ventures Problem Lab's Spring 2025 edition of the Problem Pitch Finals competition.

The Problem Pitch Competition challenges students to deeply understand and articulate a significant problem before proposing solutions. This approach fosters strong analytical and research skills, with funding awarded to support venture research and development (R&D). 

Dr. Nada Basir headshot
Thursday, August 7, 2025

New research explores stalled identity transitions and how women navigate fertility treatments in the workplace

Dr. Nada Basir, Associate Professor at the Conrad School of Entrepreneurship and Business, is the lead author of a forthcoming Feature Article in the Journal of Applied Psychology (JAP) — one of the Financial Times Top 50 academic journals in the world. 

The paper, titled “Disrupted Selves in Transition: How Women Navigate Fertility Treatments in the Context of Work,” co-authored with Dr. Jamie Ladge (Boston College) and Dr. Serena Sohrab (Ontario Tech University), examines how deeply personal experiences can shape, and at times unsettle, one’s professional identity. 

Ameya Kale MBET headshot
Tuesday, August 5, 2025

Foundations of a founder: MBET alumni Ameya Kale on learning to build what matters

For Ameya Kale (MBET '22), entrepreneurship began not in a classroom, but in the kitchens of home chefs across India. After launching a home-cooked meal delivery platform, he found himself captivated by the startup world, but acutely aware of how much more there was to learn. 

“I was drawn to the Waterloo region’s vibrant startup ecosystem and the MBET program’s reputation for blending academic insight with real-world application,” he says. “I wanted to immerse myself in a community where I could learn how to navigate early-stage ventures more effectively.” 

Ameya’s goal coming into the program was clear: find his footing in a product-focused role, help shape solutions from the ground up, and connect with other founders to better understand the entrepreneurial journey. 

problem pitch promo
Friday, August 1, 2025 12:30 pm - 3:00 pm EDT (GMT -04:00)

Problem Pitch Competition: Spring 2025

Join us for the Problem Lab's Problem Pitch Spring 2025 Competition hosted and sponsored by the Conrad School of Entrepreneurship and Business.

The Quantum Valley Investments® Problem Pitch competitions challenge students to research an important problem and pitch their research to a panel of judges. Funding of $7,500 is awarded to support the student team that demonstrates the most thorough understanding of their chosen problem to develop a solution.

The Student Teams FINALISTS are:
$Billion Problem category

  • Citrus - A. Amechi, Engineering
  • Falcon - I. Tan, Environment, D. Hood, Mathematics, M. Zhang, Engineering
  • Evolv - N. Cheng, Science


Open Problem category

  • ClickNShare - H. So, Health
  • The Trust Gap - A. Salsali, A. Garcia Polo, Engineering
  • Systemic Financial Infrastructure - J. Jin, Mathematics


Register today to secure your spot on Friday, August 1!

Cropped head shot of Sharlene
Wednesday, July 23, 2025

Professor Sharlene He awarded 2025 SSHRC Insight Development Grant for research on human creativity and generative AI

The Conrad School of Entrepreneurship and Business is proud to announce that Professor Sharlene He has been awarded a 2025 Insight Development Grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) for her project, “The Psychology of Innovation with Generative AI: Understanding Human Ideation Processes.”

Silas Ifeyani_headshot
Thursday, July 17, 2025

From the classroom to campus impact: how BE 600 helped shape Silas Ifeanyi’s leadership journey

Silas Ifeanyi came to Waterloo with industry experience and a passion for entrepreneurship. Through BE 600: Management and Leadership at the Conrad School, he refined his leadership style and now applies those lessons every day as an Engineering Educational Developer at the Pearl Sullivan Engineering IDEAs Clinic.

From leading student teams to driving innovation in nanotechnology and MedTech, Silas is a prime example of how technical expertise + entrepreneurial mindset = real impact.