Future students

The Conrad School of Entrepreneurship and Business is proud to host and sponsor the Problem Lab’s Winter 2026 Problem Pitch Competition Finals, where Waterloo students showcase their research-driven approaches to tackling today’s most pressing challenges. For the 2026 academic year, themes will align with the Global Futures themes as outlined by the University.

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

After the closure of his first venture during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kamal Lutfi entered the Master of Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology (MBET) program seeking a structured path to relaunch as a founder in Canada’s innovation ecosystem. MBET provided the clarity, community, and disciplined approach he needed to rebuild his entrepreneurial foundation.

Kamal credits the program with reshaping his leadership, strengthening his customer-development discipline, and teaching him to leverage Waterloo’s innovation network. He learned to treat each iteration as a hypothesis and to view failure as valuable data.

Today, Kamal is building a purpose-driven venture grounded in validated opportunity and long-term impact. He continues to stay connected to the Conrad School through mentorship, sharing real-world experience, and creating opportunities for future founders. His journey reflects MBET’s core mission: transforming setbacks into strategy and empowering resilient, evidence-based entrepreneurship.

The Conrad School of Entrepreneurship and Business is set to host the Problem Lab’s Problem Pitch Fall 2025 Competition Finals, where student teams will demonstrate the depth of their research into important real-world problems.

Sponsored by Quantum Valley Investments®, the competition awards $7,500 to the team that shows the strongest understanding of the problem they aim to solve.

This year’s finalists represent a wide range of challenges and innovative thinking, supported by a panel of accomplished judges from the entrepreneurial ecosystem.

This week, Waterloo News shines a spotlight on professor Larry Smith, who marks a remarkable 45-year milestone of teaching at the University of Waterloo. Over four decades, Smith has become a pillar of the university’s entrepreneurial spirit, helping build its reputation for innovation, risk-taking, and real-world relevance. 

Nicole Troster (MBET ’18) is helping women-led service businesses scale with clarity, confidence, and customer-centric strategy. After more than 15 years supporting entrepreneurs and co-founding ELLA, Nicole launched Coeurage Labs to fill a growing gap in Canada’s entrepreneurship ecosystem.

Inspired by her own family’s journey and driven by a commitment to empowering founders, Nicole combines evidence-based frameworks with deep customer understanding to help entrepreneurs build sustainable, scalable companies. 

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.