News

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 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). 

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.”

Silas Ifeanyi came to Waterloo with industry experience and a passion for entrepreneurship. Through BE 600: Management and Leadership at the Conrad School, he refined his leadership style and now applies those lessons every day as an Engineering Educational Developer at the Pearl Sullivan Engineering IDEAs Clinic.

From leading student teams to driving innovation in nanotechnology and MedTech, Silas is a prime example of how technical expertise + entrepreneurial mindset = real impact.

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.

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.

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.

Each term, undergraduate students from the Enterprise Co-op (E Co-op) program compete for financial awards during their opening weeks in the program.

Students compete in a pitch competition for two awards, the E-Launch and the Norman Esch Enterprise Co-op awards each worth $5,000.

Aileen Agada, an MBET alumna and founder of BeBlended, was recently spotlighted on CTV News for her innovative approach to connecting Black women with skilled hairstylists.

Virangi Shah, a first-year PhD student in Entrepreneurship and Organization at the Conrad School of Entrepreneurship and Business, has achieved a remarkable milestone in her academic journey. Her paper, accepted at the prestigious Administrative Sciences Association of Canada (ASAC) 2025 conference, marks an exciting achievement for the rising scholar and exemplifies her drive to make a significant impact in the field of entrepreneurship.

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.