Blog

Three factors motivated me to apply to the MBET program, and finally pursue my dream of starting my own business: family support, a passion for innovation, and an interest in improving the efficiency of the use of natural resources. I was able to see how these three motivating factors are represented in the Kitchener-Waterloo community when I recently attended the Business Excellence Awards.

The Business Excellence Awards are a way for the community to recognize and congratulate fellow outstanding businesses and individuals who are making an exceptional contribution to the Kitchener-Waterloo community.

I’m a non-technical entrepreneur. Before my last term at the Conrad Centre, my experience with Near Field Communication (NFC) was no more than using the access card to enter the building. Yet, in 2013 I surprised myself with my involvement in two startup ideas related to NFC.

My first NFC experiment began when my focus shifted for my project in BET 604 (New Technology-based Venture Creation) from Ontario wine exports to an anti-counterfeiting merchandise software, GenuineAce.

Whether or not an entrepreneur should make their hobby into a career is a large debate within the business community. This path does not work for everyone, but through the Master of Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology (MBET) program, I have been able to take my hobby and turn it into a premise for my business, The Mod Market.

After injuring myself racing motocross, I decided to try a safer motorsport hobby so I turned to automotive tuning. I love the artistic expression, representation of individual taste, and illustration of a car enthusiast’s personality that each vehicle embodies.

In January I had the opportunity to travel to the region of Kerala, in South-west India to participate in an International Conference on Entrepreneurship and Women: The Role of Business Incubation & Social Business Development. The conference was primarily based out of Assumption College, a women’s college that is affiliated with Mahatma Gandhi University.

At the conference, I had the chance to talk to and build relationships with a number of students and faculty at Assumption College. These students are keen, well spoken and many are driven to start their own business.

I was elated to be part of one of the teams selected in the top 5 finalists for the RBC Next Great Innovator Challenge. Following the announcement, our team banded together to strategize a winning plan of action. We had to take our "RBC+" socially responsible investing solution for using big data to the next level!

When the week of the competition finally arrived, I think my team members and I were all both nervous and excited. The anticipation grew in the days leading up to our final moment of truth.

As an English major, working at the Conrad Business Centre had its share of challenges. Surprisingly enough, what I was challenged by the most was the business terminology everyone used. As my Co-op term comes to an end, I’d like to share with you how working here has demystified some simply mysterious terms for me. On top of that, I would like to talk about my experience working alongside this year’s cohort of Master of Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology (MBET) students.

Ecosystem. When I first came to Conrad, I heard this word a LOT. Actually, it was more like a phrase: “the entrepreneurial ecosystem” or “the Waterloo ecosystem”.

Clearpath is different. Are you?

Master of Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology (MBET) alumnus Matt Rendall launched his startup company Clearpath Robotics during his time at the Conrad Centre. He continues to keep the company’s entrepreneurial spirit alive by hiring fellow MBET graduates.

Clearpath Robotics is the leading employer of MBET graduates. We have reached out to each alumnus and asked them how obtaining an MBET and working at Clearpath has helped them to reach their career goals.

Melissa Young Sing

Previous Master of Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology (MBET)student, Melissa Young Sing, recently sent us an e-mail after finding an unexpected note while she was packing up her room. This note was a list of goals Melissa had written at the beginning of her year as an MBET student.

Believing in the value proposition of this note, Melissa wanted us to pass this along to prospective and current MBET students. She even included a picture of her hand-written note. Having forgotten that she even wrote these goals down, finding this artefact was a pleasant surprise. Here is what the list included.

Last week I was invited to attend my first ever recruitment event: Re:Engineering Leadership, which took place at Waterloo on Tuesday, October 1 from 5:00 – 8:30 p.m. in E5. This was a graduate studies fair where hopeful Engineering students thinking of graduate studies were able to ask questions and get more information.

What made this event really cool, though, was the fact that there were four other schools in attendance, all named Canada’s top engineering destinations: University of Alberta, University of British Columbia, McGill University, and University of Toronto.

I first came across the MBET program in 2009 while I was doing an online search for graduate programs in entrepreneurship. Having attained Graduate Business Education (MBA) before, MBET initially struck me as any other graduate business degree, but after reading more about it, I was intrigued.

When I eventually came on board in September 2012, I brought with me my industrial experience, previous education, and a firm desire for formal, hands-on entrepreneurial education in an institution like The University of Waterloo that represents a global brand in learning, research and innovation.