How two alumni started a company together ... eventually
As a Waterloo alumnus, you've probably heard a lot of entrepreneurial stories. But Sefunmi and Helen's will stand out.
Sefunmi Osinaike (BASc '17) knew he wanted to start a company. He even did an entrepreneurship co-op term as a student. He also knew that he wanted his friend Helen Huang (BSc '17) to be a co-founder.
Helen was not on the same page. Entrepreneurship just wasn’t on her radar, and she was happy in her full-time role in the tech industry. But today, they're the co-founders of Co.Lab, where they help people of all backgrounds succeed in the tech industry.
How did they get to this point? Listen to this episode or find it in your favourite podcast app
(1:19): Helen explains the basics of their company Co.Lab.
(2:43): Sefunmi talks about why he came to UWaterloo as an international student.
(3:55): UWaterloo was Helen's "plan B" for her university career.
(5:07): Helen explains how she got into tech co-op jobs as an Earth Sciences student.
(7:30): Lessons and benefits of enterprise co-op (e co-op).
(12:31): Sefunmi's "dream team."
(15:39): Taking a break from entrepreneurship, and knowing when to try again.
(17:44): Finding a problem to solve: helping people become product managers in the tech industry.
(21:33): Why ebooks were a doable first step to creating courses.
(26:30): How did an ebook become a company?
(33:33): The road to get into tech isn't easy, but worth it for workers and tech companies.
Co.Lab programs: Learn more about Sefunmi and Helen's programs that help people break into tech jobs
Enterprise co-op (called e co-op in the episode): Learn more about the program that allowed Sefunmi to start his first company.
Co.Lab ebooks: Read the books that Sefunmi and Helen wrote for people pursuing a career in tech.
