Entrepreneurship

A Velocity health-technology startup is designing a new kind of self-adjusting socket for prosthetics.

The company, Vessl Prosthetics, identified a common concern for many amputees who use prostheses – poor socket fit. As Vessl’s CEO and co-founder Sydney Robinson explains, the limb inside the prosthetic can shrink throughout the day. For many amputees, that can mean a poor fit and discomfort.

The Waterloo School of Pharmacy implemented a mass vaccination clinic for COVID-19 immunization in 2021.

With many multidisciplinary teams working together in an environment not built for such a complex clinical system, researchers at the University of Waterloo created an app to support front-line workers. The app streamlined information flow to help solve logistical challenges that arose.

SDG Week Canada is a country-wide collaboration from March 6 to 10, with more than 50 campuses across the country hosting events. The initiative encourages cross-disciplinary engagement with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Around the world it is estimated that 1.8 billion people menstruate every month according to UNICEF. Yet menstrual equality, period poverty and the stigma surrounding periods continues to create barriers for those who bleed.

Waterloo’s globally recognized startup program Velocity launched an initiative that aims to help new companies in the health-tech sector access funding and get products and services in the hands of those who need them.

The initiative – Velocity Health – was officially launched at a kickoff event at the University of Waterloo. The latest stream of the Velocity suite of platforms was created to address the key challenges health-tech startups face.

Able Innovation’s robotic patient transfer platform has found a home in Ottawa.

The company’s ALTA platform, which enables hands-free patient transfer, will be used at Saint-Vincent Hospital, a complex care unit of the Elisabeth Bruyère health network.

It takes a great artist to create a great violin. The result is even more inspiring if that artist is an intrepid scientist and first-rate engineer. George Yu (BASc ’86, systems design engineering) is all of these things and more.

Born and raised in Kitchener-Waterloo, Kemahee Baker (BA’ 17) is a multi-talented artist and dancer, whose creative output is heavily influenced by her culture, music and her personal commitment to celebrating the achievements of Black people.

The entrepreneurship ecosystem at Waterloo Engineering nurtures promising ideas into thriving enterprises. In our weekly Founder Fuel series, we look at new ventures and how they have benefited from that crucial early support.

Youssef Helwa (BASc ’15, nanotechnology engineering, MASc ’17, electrical and computer engineering) arrived at Waterloo not long after Velocity launched and new ventures like Thalmic Labs were creating big buzz.

Startups are shaking the foundation of modern technology, searching for different and better ways to solve today’s problems and imagining different futures.

In addition to the knowledge and experience-sharing among current Velocity students and founders, Velocity staff is unique in the number of alumni who have returned to help students and startup founders accelerate their ideas and ventures.