Media

Palihapitiya lifting ‘self-inflicted’ fear of failure from budding entrepreneurs

From lessons learned while on academic probation to his view of Waterloo Engineering as one of the top schools on the planet, celebrated alumnus and Silicon Valley venture capitalist Chamath Palihapitiya shared his humour, honesty and insight during a free-wheeling discussion on campus today.

Medella members, winners of a national startup award, pose for a team picture.

A student startup with strong ties to Waterloo Engineering has taken first prize in Canada in the annual James Dyson Award competition for its work on smart contact lenses to monitor glucose levels for people with diabetes.

A tight timeline was only fitting when engineers at the University of Waterloo took on a special project for the Canadian track cycling team headed to the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

Lending their expertise in a world where winners and losers are typically decided by tiny fractions of a second, Professor John McPhee and research engineer Carin Yeghiazarian had just one week in June to produce a small but technically complex piece of hardware.

A sophisticated optical imaging device developed by a company with strong ties to Waterloo Engineering has been sent into orbit for use by researchers aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

With only three minutes to pitch their company to a panel of judges, contestants at the Velocity Fund Finals (VFF) must be articulate and engaging, condensing complex ideas into understandable information.

And stakes are high.

A startup company with deep roots at Waterloo Engineering is receiving $1 million in government funding to further develop and test an innovative digital X-ray imager for use in developing countries.

KA Imaging, a venture involving professor Karim Karim and engineering graduate Amol Karnick, was one of six projects named for financial support in an announcement by Grand Challenges Canada.

Three professors from Waterloo Engineering have been cited for recognition by their peers at a gala that will bring together industry innovators, business leaders and policy makers in November.

Organized by the Ontario Society of Professional Engineers (OSPE) and Professional Engineers Ontario (PEO), the prestigious annual event will showcase the contributions engineers make to economic growth and technological advances through their work as innovators and entrepreneurs.

The award recipients from Waterloo are:

At least seven Waterloo Engineering alumni are in the running for prestigious Ontario entrepreneur awards sponsored by professional services firm Ernst & Young.

Dave Kroetsch of Aeryon Labs is one of seven Waterloo Engineering finalists for prestigious entrepreneur award.