A fresh injection of $7.5 million USD seed funding is propelling Upside Robotics into its next phase of growth, giving the Velocity‑based startup momentum to deepen its partnerships with farmers and agricultural companies across Canada.
More than a year after Velocity opened its doors inside the University of Waterloo’s Innovation Arena, its halls hum with the energy of students and founders arriving each day ready to imagine, build and transform. Ideas take shape within Velocity’s collaborative community, evolving in programs, spaces and shared labs before beginning their commercialization journey into the world. But during all this momentum, one essential element had been missing — a visual reminder of the land and community that makes this innovation possible.
HLTH 480 is one piece of a University-wide effort to expand experiential, interdisciplinary learning through capstone courses. Dr. Jennifer Yessis, associate director of professional graduate studies in the School of Public Health Sciences (SPHS), co-leads this Global Futures Network-funded project along with colleagues from Engineering and Environment.
Tim Lichti (BA ’14)
Alum, Faculty of Arts
> Co-founder and CEO, Swap Robotics
> Velocity
Nain Abdi
Undergraduate student, Faculty of Engineering
> Co-founder, Colare
> Co-op and Experiential Education
> Velocity
Dr. Nardine Nakhla
Professor, School of Pharmacy
> Faculty of Science
> Co-founder and CEO, MAPflow
Andrew Cordssen-David (BSc ’22, MBET ’23)
Alum, Faculty of Science and Faculty of Engineering
> Co-Founder and CEO, HeadFirst
> Velocity
> Conrad School of Entrepreneurship and Business
Alex Maierean (MMath ‘24)
Faculty of Mathematics
> PhD student, Institute of Quantum Computing
> CEO and co-founder, Phantom Photonics Velocity
As commercial interest in quantum technologies accelerates, entrepreneurial minds at the University of Waterloo are not waiting for opportunities — they are creating them.
When it comes to innovation, the University of Waterloo has long stood out — not only for its world-class research and entrepreneurial ecosystem but for a distinctive intellectual property (IP) policy that puts creators in control. This creator-owned IP model fosters an environment for innovation to thrive and has become a catalyst for global conversations about how to empower researchers while driving commercialization responsibly.
Waterloo students, researchers and alumni are at the forefront of unconventional innovation, shaping industries and increasing productivity.