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 event opened with welcome remarks from David Rose, Associate Director, MBET; Nada Basir, Associate Director, Undergraduate and Non-Degree Programs; and Larry Smith, Founder of the Problem Lab and the Problem Pitch competition.
Six finalist student teams presented their in-depth research into big, impactful problems, followed by rigorous questions and analysis from the judges. Attendees noted the panel’s thorough examination of each team’s problem statement, context, scale, and failure analysis.
The winning students, each awarded $7,500 in funding to advance their research, were:
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Hayley So, Faculty of Health– Open Problem Category
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Nicholas Cheng, Faculty of Science – $Billion Problem Category
The judging panel included Larry Smith, Founder, Problem Lab and Problem Pitch competition; Felix Arndt, Eyton Director, Conrad School; Sharlene He, Assistant Professor, Conrad School; and Monica Tsang, Master's student in Systems Design Engineering.
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).
Stay tuned for the fall 2025 pitch competition!
Photo: From left to right — Larry Smith, Felix Arndt, Hayley So, Sharlene He, Nicholas Cheng, Monica Tsang.