Current students

The Conrad School of Entrepreneurship and Business at the University of Waterloo recently held its semi-annual MBET Pitch Day, showcasing the entrepreneurial spirit of students in the Master of Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology (MBET) program. 
This high-energy event provided valuable opportunities for students to receive feedback from experts in the entrepreneurial ecosystem, helping them refine their business models and pitching skills. 

We're excited to showcase Christianna Ioannou in today's Alumni Impact Series, where we highlight the inspiring paths of our Master of Business, Entrepreneurship, and Technology (MBET) graduates. Christianna, who graduated from the Conrad School in 2023, is an entrepreneur whose journey has been defined by resilience, adaptability, and a relentless passion for tackling real-world challenges.

Monday, November 25, 2024

Global Entrepreneurship Week: A Recap

Every November, Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) unites innovators, entrepreneurs, and dreamers around the world in a celebration of creativity, new ventures, and groundbreaking ideas.

This year’s theme, "Entrepreneurship is for Everyone," resonated deeply with our mission to foster an inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Throughout the week, we were inspired by the stories of individuals who have both shaped and been shaped by the Conrad School’s dynamic environment. From insightful discussions with faculty to hands-on workshops led by award-winning entrepreneurs, GEW underscored the transformative power of entrepreneurship.

In an exciting development that could transform concussion detection, HeadFirst, a pioneering biotechnology startup founded by MBET alumni Andrew Cordssen-David, is working on a revolutionary rapid saliva-based test.

Cordssen-David, a former University of Waterloo varsity hockey player and graduate of the Master of Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology (MBET) program, is leading this effort to create a faster, more objective method for diagnosing concussions.

Thursday, November 21, 2024 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm EST (GMT -05:00)

Women in Entrepreneurship Day: Workshop With Julie Ellis

Big Gorgeous Goals
How Bold Women Achieve Great Things
 
We have been inundated with ways to plan and set goals. We have tried countless systems and tracked outcomes. We long for more success, more dreams, and bigger goals - not another day of checking things off the list.
 
We want more. As women, we are used to wearing many hats in our lives: entrepreneur, executive, caregiver, household CEO, friend, mother, and daughter.  Stepping out and setting Big Gorgeous Goals isn’t always at the top of our to-do list. We are moving at warp speed, yet it remains unclear whether the goals we pursue will ultimately take us to our desired destination.
 
In setting, embracing, and pursuing Big Gorgeous Goals, we venture outside our comfort zone to realize our full potential.
 
Come and learn why stepping into your magnificence is worth every minute of your time. You will understand why shedding doubts and chasing goals, even when others claim they are impossible, is worth every bit of the process.  Julie shares her experiences growing a mom-inspired basement start-up label company into an international sensation, eventually being acquired by a giant in her industry.
 
Julie shares stories and lessons on why getting uncomfortable is worth it, leveraging your network, and saying no to embrace a strategic yes.  You’ll be inspired to strive for greatness, viewing obstacles as opportunities.
 
Are you ready to embrace big gorgeous goals and step into your magnificence?

Join us on November 21 at noon for this workshop at the Conrad School of Entrepreneurship and Business, Engineering 7, 2nd Floor. 

 

I began my career in Advertising and Marketing Communications, drawing on a foundation in Visual Arts and Graphic Design. Thirteen years ago, I founded Bedouin, a design consultancy dedicated to creatively addressing the evolving needs of clients across startups, enterprises, and government. This path led me into the tech ecosystem, where I launched two startups. While they showed early signs of traction, they ultimately didn’t succeed because I lacked the foundational knowledge needed to build a successful startup.

In September, the Conrad School of Entrepreneurship and Business welcomed a new set of University of Waterloo PhD students to the Master of Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology (MBET) classroom through the highly successful Entrepreneurial PhD Fellowship program.

The fellowships were awarded to support outstanding, business-minded Waterloo doctoral students who are interested in commercializing their research. The following recipients will complete the three-year part-time MBET program alongside their regular doctoral studies, tuition-free

The PhD in Entrepreneurship and Organization program officially began in September 2024, marking a new chapter in the exploration of entrepreneurship research. The Conrad School of Entrepreneurship and Business is happy to introduce our first cohort of PhD in Entrepreneurship and Organization students.

This groundbreaking program aims to push beyond traditional research boundaries, offering an in-depth examination of both the theoretical and practical dimensions of entrepreneurship. Distinguished by its interdisciplinary approach, it merges key areas such as business strategy, organizational behaviour, innovation management, and leadership theory.

As we wrap up the Spring 2024 term, we’re thrilled to celebrate the achievements of our Enterprise Co-op (E Co-op) students in the recent Product Video Showcase Competition. This competition was designed to spotlight the incredible work done by our students during their work term, and the results were nothing short of spectacular.

The challenge was clear: create a compelling 90-second video that showcases a product or service developed during the work term. Unlike startup pitches, the focus was on illustrating the product’s features and how it can be used by potential customers. The goal was to produce a video that could serve as an ongoing piece of marketing content for social media campaigns and other promotional efforts.