Two Waterloo alumni win Entrepreneur of the Year Awards

Two University of Waterloo alumni have been awarded EY Entrepreneur of the Year honours for their vision and leadership in Ontario. Both John Baker and Matt Rendall founded their companies while still students at the University.

John Baker, president and CEO of Desire2Learn, is the top entrepreneur in Ontario for software and technology, while Rendall, CEO of Clearpath Robotics, has been named young entrepreneur of the year.

John Baker, Dean of Engineering Pearl Sullivan, and Matt Rendall.

“The University of Waterloo is extremely proud that two of our entrepreneurial alumni have been recognized with this prestigious award,” said Feridun Hamdullahpur, president and vice-chancellor of the University of Waterloo. “Our university has fostered a deeply entrepreneurial culture both on campus and in the broader community, with a view to generating the next disruptive entrepreneurs and innovators.  John Baker and Matt Rendall are two outstanding University of Waterloo alumni success stories." 

Education technology pioneer

Based in Kitchener, Desire2Learn is a pioneer in education technology for clients around the world. Baker founded the company in 1999 while he was a systems design engineering student. The recent honour is just the latest in a long line of awards for Baker who has also received a Waterloo Region Top 40 Under 40 award and a Waterloo Region Young Entrepreneur of the Year nod. Baker has also been a four-time recipient of the Deloitte Technology Fast50 award.

Clearpath Robotics, also based in Kitchener, has become a global leader in unmanned vehicle robotics used for mining, military and academic research. Rendall is a Waterloo graduate of mechatronics engineering and holds a Master of Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology (MBET) degree. The MBET is a one-year graduate program run through the Faculty of Engineering's Conrad Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology Centre.

Entrepreneurial impact on Canada

EY’s Entrepreneur of the Year celebrates the contribution of entrepreneurs in Canada who demonstrate exceptional vision, leadership, financial success and social responsibility. The national program is in its 20th year honouring the country’s most impressive entrepreneurs from all areas of business. 

The awards aim to highlight the impact entrepreneurs have on society and to inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs. Overall winners at the regional level go on to a national gala held in Toronto on November 27.

Recently, Desire2Learn unveiled a new learning suite that integrates traditional online learning technology with mobile tools, analytics social sharing and collaboration tools. Baker’s company has offices in Canada, Australia, Brazil and the U.S.

Clearpath Robotics was founded by Rendall and three other University of Waterloo mechatronics engineering students in 2009. Today, its clients include the Department of National Defense, Canadian Space Agency and the US Navy. Recently, it established PartnerBot, a grant program to support university robotics research teams internationally.