Staff

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.

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.

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

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.”

The Conrad School of Entrepreneurship and Business in the Faculty of Engineering is proud to share that Professor Chris Holt has been named a recipient of the 2024 Outstanding Performance Award!

This award is a reflection of the energy, drive, and passion Professor Holt brings to the classroom. His dedication to student learning, his ability to make complex concepts accessible, and his commitment to fostering a dynamic and inclusive learning environment make him a standout educator at Waterloo.

headshot_Nikki McDonald_women's hockey UWaterloo

Meet Nikki McDonald, a student in the Master of Business, Entrepreneurship, and Technology (MBET) program at the University of Waterloo and a powerhouse on and off the ice.

In our latest blog, Nikki shares how her journey as a student-athlete shaped her path to entrepreneurship. From battling imposter syndrome to co-founding NextPlayNetwork, a platform that helps student-athletes transition into professional success, Nikki's story is all about clarity, persistence, and adaptability.

“Purpose goes beyond entrepreneurship and athletics; it’s the reason behind long hours and hard sacrifices.”

Read her full journey and what it takes to build a venture — and chase championships — at the same time.

Entrepreneurship scholar and global leader joins the Conrad School to advance innovation and interdisciplinary growth.

The Conrad School of Entrepreneurship and Business is excited to welcome Dr. Felix Arndt as its new director, effective July 1, 2025. A global leader in entrepreneurship, innovation, and sustainability, Dr. Arndt brings deep academic expertise and a proven track record of turning research into real-world impact.

We are thrilled to have Dr. Arndt lead the Conrad School into its next chapter of growth, global engagement, and interdisciplinary innovation.

From a motorcycle crash in August 2022 to founding a peer‑powered mental wellness platform, Jerome Mugambi embodies the resilience and community mindset fostered in Waterloo’s MBET program.

Within twelve months of the accident, he rode coast‑to‑coast across Canada to confront fear head‑on, built a nationwide motorcycling community, and reignited his passion for basketball through youth coaching.

Today, his startup OpenUp uses AI‑assisted mentor matching to make mental health support radically accessible, an idea refined through League  of  Innovators, DMZ, YSpace, Innovation  Factory, and Builders Club  Waterloo.

Join us at the Conrad Blender Meetup: a dynamic networking event and info session on the Problem Pitch Competition Billion Dollar Category!

Connect with fellow students exploring entrepreneurship through Enterprise Co-op, BETS, and the MBET program.

Discover this term’s two exciting Problem Pitch categories: Open Problems and Billion Dollar Problems, reviewed by Professor Larry Smith. Hear from past winners and get inspired to pitch your own big idea!

Don’t miss this chance to ignite your entrepreneurial journey!
We can’t wait to see you there!

The Conrad School of Entrepreneurship and Business at the University of Waterloo is thrilled to announce that Dr. Marc Hurwitz has been named a recipient of the prestigious Distinguished Teacher Award (DTA) for 2025.

The DTA is the highest accolade for teaching awarded by the University of Waterloo. Professor Marc Hurwitz’s selection for this prestigious honor speaks to his deep dedication to fostering student success, his innovative approach to teaching, and his profound influence on students both inside and outside the classroom.

The Conrad School has a unique history with this award, having had three faculty who were previous winners: Dr. Larry Smith, Dr. Howard Armitage (founder of the Conrad School), and Dr. Wayne Chang.

Staff

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

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

Problem Pitch Competition: Spring 2025

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

Celebrating Excellence in Teaching

Skating into startups: how athletics shaped my entrepreneurial path

The Conrad School welcomes new director Dr. Felix Arndt

Alumni Impact Series: Jerome Mugambi - Transforming trauma into community‑driven mental wellness

Conrad School Blender and Problem Pitch Competition Billion Dollar Category Review

Professor Marc Hurwitz receives prestigious Distinguished Teacher Award

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