Entrepreneurship

It’s in our DNA

Waterloo is an entrepreneurial ecosystem where technological leaders and startup founders share the same goal: to bring innovative and world–changing ideas to the global marketplace.

inspiration
We offer a variety of events and programs that inspire innovators, including:
- Guest lectures
- Velocity Alpha program
- ConradConnect Live events
- Waterloo Innovation Summit
- Hackathons
- Startup weekends
- Entrepreneurship Society
- First-year residence entrepreneurship experience
- A creator–owns intellectual property policy
- Problem Lab
- Hack The North
- Be A Star
- Waterloo Entrepreneurship Residence Connection
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education
We offer an array of hands–on learning opportunities, including:
- Entrepreneurship courses
- Entrepreneurship option in Engineering
- Minor in entrepreneurship available to all students
- Graduate Diploma (GDip) in Business and Entrepreneurship
- Bridging Entrepreneurs to Students (BETS)
- Certificates
- Master of Business, Entrepreneurship, and Technology (MBET)
- world’s leading co–operative education program
- Enterprise Co-op allows students to pursue an entrepreneurial co-op option
- Capstone Design Projects
  - Engineering
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discovery
From workspaces to an entrepreneurial residence, we offer places to explore new ideas,including:
- Velocity Residence
- Velocity Science
- GreenHouse
- Research Entrepreneurs Accelerating Prosperity (REAP)
- Labs, workshops and facilities
- Sedra Student Design Centre
- Exploring commercialization of entrepreneurship research
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incubation and acceleration
We help turn big ideas into big business with financial support, mentorship and expertise, including:
- Waterloo Commercialization Office
- Conrad Enterprise Co–op
- St. Paul’s GreenHouse
- Velocity Foundry
- Velocity Garage
- Accelerator Centre
  - Waterloo
  - Stratford
- Norman Esch Foundation
- Educating the Engineer of the Future Trust
- $1 million+ startup funding available annually through Conrad scholarships, Faculty of Engineering awards and Velocity Fund
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connection
Our entrepreneurs have access to a diverse network of resources close to home and around the world, including:
- Mentorship opportunities
- Communitech
- Ontario Centres of Excellence
- 5,200+ co–op employers in 63 countries
- Local, national and international investors
- Access to other national and international incubators, hatcheries, centres and competitions including:
  - Y Combinator is a Bay area–based Accelerator that provides seed funding for startups in return for a portion of equity in the companies. They fund in batches and host a demo day 10 weeks in.
  - HAX Accelerator (formerly HAXLR8R) is focused on hardware startups and offers end–to–end support in both Shenzen, China and San Francisco. HAX invests in its cohort companies for a return piece of equity.
  - Bolt is a hardware accelerator based in Boston and San Francisco and is a venture capital fund that provides engineering support, access to prototyping shops and help with manufacturing.
  - Techstars is a mentorship–driven seed stage investment program that runs a three–month program in Austin (TX), Berlin (DE), Boston (MA), Boulder (CO), Cloud (San Antonio, TX), Chicago (IL), New York City (NY), Seattle (WA), and London (UK) once each year. Techstars offers funding in return for a co–founder title and equity in the company.
  - The Next 36 is a Canadian accelerator program that provides mentorship, capital investment and founder education and training. Every eight months 36 entrepreneurs are selected to be part of the program.
- Preferred partners network
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A full spectrum of support

Hundreds of companies and thousands of student success stories trace their roots to Waterloo’s one–of–a–kind entrepreneurship ecosystem — fuelled by creator–owns intellectual property policy, experience–rich learning in the world’s largest co–operative education program, and a bold, progress–driven culture that embraces innovation and risk.

Explore our opportunities

There’s no one–size–fits–all definition of an entrepreneur. That’s why University of Waterloo offers a full spectrum of support, from the early stages of inspiration and discovery, to the incubation and acceleration of commercial and social ventures. Entrepreneurs thrive here.

Velocity
From idea, to product development, to commercialization, the University of Waterloo’s Velocity program provides the knowledge, tools, space, and network that startups and entrepreneurs need for success. Programs and supports include the largest free startup incubator in the world, a residence for entrepreneurs, science lab, workshops, mentorship programs, and more. Velocity does not charge fees or take equity from startups that participate in its programs.
- Velocity Residence is a dorm for University of Waterloo students who wish to learn more about building a startup or work on their current companies.
- Velocity Start is a series of workshops, panels and sessions that runs each term to help educate people about building a successful business.
- Velocity Science is a partnership with the Faculty of Science that provides students with the lab space, mentorship, and resources to initiate and develop world-class science startups.
- Velocity Fund provides seed funding to help entrepreneurs build businesses, and awards $375,000 in equity-free grants every year.
- Velocity Garage offers 37,000 square feet of workspace, mentorship, equipment, and a peer community of more than 70 startups.
Learn more about Velocity

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Entrepreneurship Society (EntSoc)

EntSoc aims to build inclusive innovation by exposing students in all faculties to Waterloo’s entrepreneurial ecosystem while connecting them with the resources and opportunities they need to develop their ideas into successful ventures.

Learn more about EntSoc

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Conrad Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology Centre
An academic hub for entrepreneurship, the University of Waterloo’s Conrad Centre develops entrepreneurial leaders through dedicated undergraduate courses, options and minors, its unique Enterprise Co-op program and its flagship Master of Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology (MBET) degree.
- Master of Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology (MBET) combines academic learning with real–world experience to offer a dynamic and unique entrepreneurial business education.
- Undergraduate entrepreneurship courses teach essential skills for entrepreneurship at every stage, from idea generation, to venture creation, to commercialization and growth.
- Minor in Entrepreneurship allows students across campus to explore their entrepreneurial ambitions through business and entrepreneurship courses as well as an entrepreneurial experience in either venture creation or corporate entrepreneurship.
- Entrepreneurship Option in Engineering allows engineering undergraduates to enhance their technical background with business skills and entrepreneurial experiences in venture creation or corporate entrepreneurship.
- Enterprise Co–op (E Co–op) allows students to spend a co–op term building their own business for co–op credit in a supportive environment with expert guidance and mentorship.
- Bridging Entrepreneurs to Students (BETS) connects first-year University of Waterloo engineering co-op students with seed and early stage startup companies who would not otherwise have the resources to hire full-time staff.
- Awards and scholarships support undergraduate students as they pursue their entrepreneurial ventures.
- Graduate Diploma in Business and Entrepreneurship empowers graduate students to complement their technical skills with business and entrepreneurship education.
Learn more about Conrad

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Research Entrepreneurs Accelerating Prosperity (REAP)

REAP offers extracurricular opportunities for students to innovate with platform entrepreneurship. Students have the opportunity to research, explore and develop applications in the off–campus Felt Lab, which focuses on digital display and the Internet of Things.

Learn more about REAP

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Engineering Innovation
With more than 600 companies founded by students, faculty and alumni, Waterloo’s Faculty of Engineering is ground zero for entrepreneurs. Fast-moving co–op culture enables students to quickly adapt, while identifying and solving challenges facing our world. Enhanced experiential learning opportunities including collaborative student teams and Capstone Design projects, combined with intensive curriculum, ensure that Waterloo engineers are uniquely qualified to embrace risk and thrive as entrepreneurs.
- Capstone Design Projects is the culmination of the undergraduate student experience, creating a blueprint for innovation in engineering design.
- Sedra Student Design Centre over 20 000 square feet of space dedicated to design teams and student projects. Currently home to 28 student–led teams.
- Engineering Machine Shop offers an extensive array of machine and fabricating tools for a broad range of research, teaching and testing.
- Educating the Engineer of the Future Trust funding viable engineering student projects in the critical startup phase.
- Faculty awards are available to support innovations from Capstone Design projects for teams who are ready to commercialize their research work.
Learn more about Engineering Innovation

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Waterloo Commercialization Office (WatCo)

WatCo at the University of Waterloo helps researchers commercialize innovations by developing startups or licensing technology to existing companies. Services include intellectual property (IP) management, commercialization support and access to funding programs.

Learn more about Watco

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St. Paul’s GreenHouse

Based at St. Paul’s University College at the University of Waterloo, GreenHouse is Canada’s only live–in social impact incubator focused on social innovation and entrepreneurship. GreenHouse startups apply innovative approaches to pressing societal problems to create economic growth and improve the human condition.

Learn more about St. Paul’s GreenHouse

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Accelerator Centre

The Accelerator Centre (AC) is dedicated to building and scaling sustainable, globally competitive technology firms; and to commercializing advanced research technologies emerging from academic institutions, including the University of Waterloo.

Learn more about Accelerator Centre

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Stratford Digital Media Campus

Dedicated to exploring and advancing the realm of digital media, the University of Waterloo Stratford Campus connects content creators, digitizers and disseminators with industry and community to help bring new ideas and products to market. The campus is also home to the Stratford Accelerator Centre, which provides digital startups with mentoring and support services to help them grow and succeed.

Learn more about Stratford

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By the numbers

30+
support and for–credit programs in the entrepreneurial ecosystem
175+
companies established through velocity
$425M
in funding raised by Velocity companies

It’s in our DNA

A full spectrum of support

Explore our opportunities

Velocity

Entrepreneurship Society (EntSoc)

Conrad Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology Centre

Research Entrepreneurs Accelerating Prosperity (REAP)

Engineering Innovation

Waterloo Commercialization Office (WatCo)

St. Paul’s GreenHouse

Accelerator Centre

Stratford Digital Media Campus

By the numbers