Global Futures

As a hub of entrepreneurship and innovation, it’s no surprise that companies and founders linked to the University of Waterloo have a noticeable presence among those featured within BetaKit’s Most Ambitious List.

Waterloo ranks as the top university in Canada for startup founders and 21st in the world according to the Pitchbook University Rankings. Recently released data shows that Velocity, Waterloo’s core entrepreneurship incubator, has more than 500 companies with a combined enterprise value of $40 billion.

The University of Waterloo is pleased to announce the appointment of Aaron Pereira as executive director of WatSPEED, the University’s professional, executive and corporate education arm. 

The University of Waterloo startup ecosystem has long been a driver of innovation across its campuses, in Waterloo region and around the world. Entrepreneurship is woven deep within the Waterloo DNA and continues to grow and prosper because of a solid foundation of support and resources.

For 100 years, Canadian-trained engineers have participated in The Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer, an annual event at which they take an oath to uphold their profession’s values and in return, receive an iron ring—a small but mighty symbol of their solemn commitment to serve society. 

For University of Waterloo alum Stephanie Thompson (BASc ’01), the ring is a unifier, reminding all who wear it to do work that pays attention to technical excellence but also, crucially, to how the work they do impacts people’s lives.  

Tech companies with University of Waterloo connections continue to climb the annual Narwhal list of Canadian unicorns.

The list assembled annually by the Narwhal Project, a group that monitors and analyzes the technology sector, offers companies supports to become more efficient and adopt best practices. Each year they evaluate close to 1,000 Canadian technology companies. The total number of unicorns in Canada has grown from only three in 2020 to 26 this year.

Quantum computers promise more than code breaking. They could unlock commercial value in areas like banking, automotive and optimization industries. Businesses need to not only prepare for quantum attacks, but also ready their organizations to tap into the economic benefit of adopting quantum technologies.

Artificial intelligence (AI) and deep tech are revolutionizing how building developers and owners design, build and maintain their properties thanks to Adaptis, a Velocity startup. The decision-making platform supports optimizing cost-benefit and carbon usage from concept to completion by integrating financial, sustainability and operational data.

In its latest seed funding round, Adaptis has secured $4 million USD ($5.5 million CDN) from Building Ventures, including MetaProp, 2048 Ventures, Powerhouse Ventures and Blue Vision Capital.

Chris Albinson, co-founder and managing partner of Canadian venture capital fund True North Fund and co-founder of C100, says Canada is at a critical juncture in its continuing evolution as a global innovator. He says the country and its tech leaders need to work harder to retain the best and the brightest.

If you’re a student with an eye on a career in the not-for profit sector, co-op job searches can sometimes feel a little challenging. A food bank, museum or community services centre might not have funds to hire a co-op student. At the same time, they could really use the extra energy and fresh ideas that a Waterloo Arts student brings — and so many Arts students are driven by a passion to do good work. How to bring them together?