Entrepreneurship

Banner caption: Artist’s conceptual illustration of the planned Innovation Arena: Julia Nakanishi

The University of Waterloo’s new Innovation Arena has received a $1.5 million gift from local entrepreneur, angel investor and community leader Mike Stork.

The gift supports a $35-million capital project to restore a University-owned warehouse in Downtown Kitchener’s Innovation District. Located at the corner of Victoria and Joseph Streets, the 90,000-square-foot building will be the new home of Velocity, Waterloo’s signature entrepreneurship program.

With the arrival of COVID-19 vaccines, organizations everywhere are preparing for the return of cautious and, understandably, concerned office workers.

As social distancing continues for months to come, finding ways to support in-office workers is at the top of every C-suite’s list. 

Nafiseh Nafissi
MSc ’09, PhD ’13
> Executive vice-president of research and development, Mediphage Bioceuticals

In the midst of a surge in COVID-19 cases in fall 2020, hopeful news emerged: Vaccine trials by several large drug makers showed promise. 

As the pandemic drove people online to work, study and connect with loved ones, Leah Zhang-Kennedy doubled down on her commitment to making digital spaces safer for everyone.

Leah Zhang-Kennedy
Professor, Faculty of Arts
> Stratford School of Interaction Design and Business
> Waterloo Cybersecurity and Privacy Institute

Hamid Tizhoosh was looking for a new idea, a fresh start, when he began talking to doctors about how they do their jobs and how they might do them better.

Hamid Tizhoosh
Professor, Faculty of Engineering
> KIMIA Lab
> Waterloo.ai

WATERLOO, Ont. (February 3, 2021) – Indigenous post-secondary students from across Canada will soon be able to participate in a new entrepreneurship training program.

Hosted by St. Paul’s University College at the University of Waterloo and lead by industrious entrepreneur Jacob Crane, the program will be administered online by the Waterloo Indigenous Student Centre and GreenHouse social impact incubator at the College.

Sarah Cheng (BAFM ’08, MAcc ’09) stepped into the Dragons’ Den with her five-year-old daughter while eight months pregnant. The Waterloo alumnus pitched her small business, Bluish, and ended up striking a deal from Canadian investor Arlene Dickinson.