The Quantum Valley Investments® Problem Pitch competitions challenge you to research an important problem and pitch your research to a panel of judges. Funding is awarded to support teams that demonstrate the most thorough understanding of their chosen problem to develop a solution.
What students will get out of this competition.
The competition explicitly challenges students to research an important problem thoroughly before attempting to solve it. By participating, students learn how to examine a problem from many different perspectives, which helps them develop their research and analysis skills. This foundational approach is expected to lead to better ideas and strategies for creating impactful solutions.
Students can research problems in one of two categories: Open Problems of their choosing or $Billion Dollar Problems from short list of specific topics provided for this Fall term,
- Assessing Tech Talent
- Climate Emergencies
- Educational Games
- Human-Proof Cybersecurity
- Non-Networked IT
- Creativity Tools
- Carbon Capture
Register your interest for the upcoming Problem Pitch Competition here.
Applications will be reviewed by Problem Lab Team, and selected 4 to 6 student teams will be notified to move forward in the competition for either the Open Problems or $Billion Problems categories. Student team decides which category they wish to apply, but cannot apply to both. The online register application form shows which category to select declare.
It is highly recommended that students read the Problem Lab methodology prior to entering the competition.
For more information, contact problemlab@uwaterloo.ca.
Applications for this Fall 2025 term will close Sunday, October 5, 2025 by 11 p.m. EST.
New updated application deadline has been extended to Sunday, October 12, 2025 by 11pm EST.