Entrepreneurship

Started by the Suffragettes in the early 1900’s, the first International Women’s Day took place in 1911. To celebrate the day 107 years later, Velocity decided to interview three female founders that #PressforProgress, and have made a significant social, economic, and environmental impact with their startups.

RACHEL THOMPSON, FOUNDER OF MARLENA BOOKS

This year's World's Challenge Challenge competition saw competitors addressing one of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals and developing a possible solution to tackle the global problem. The issues at hand included clean water and sanitation, access to reliable and affordable electricity, and sustainable agriculture practices to help reduce hunger.

From clean technologies to quantum computing, laboratories to industry, startup ideas to global relevance, what does the future hold for Canadian invention? 

That question was tabled during a panel discussion hosted in partnership with progressive think-tank Canada 2020.

More than 200 Waterloo alumni and students attended the Ottawa event to discuss Canada's relevance in the global market, identifying culture, risk-taking and funding as key factors.

Helmed by economics professor Larry Smith, the Problem Lab is dedicated to the identification and analysis of important problems, those that, when solved, can lead to revolutionary advances in industry.

With $300,000 in seed funding from Mike Lazaridis and Doug Fregin, the principals of Quantum Valley Investments® and founders of Blackberry, the Problem Lab supports students in the critical first stage of entrepreneurial development.

The Problem Lab will be spearheaded by Waterloo economics professor Larry Smith, and is made possible by $300,000 in seed funding from Mike Lazaridis and Doug Fregin, principals of Quantum Valley Investments® and founders of Blackberry.

Friday, January 26 marked the third annual Waterloo Women: Ideas, Makers, Innovators (WIMIn) ideathon event. Students, staff, faculty and alumni joined forces to inspire women to collaborate on developing world-changing ideas leading to potential products, businesses and a shift in mindset on pressing social issues.  The event hopes to leave a direct and sustainable impact in supporting and connecting women and non-binary attendees to become trailblazers in traditionally male-dominated spaces.

Engineering projects that could be the next big thing will be on display at the annual Capstone Design Symposia taking place in March.

Formerly known as fourth-year design projects, Capstone Design is the culmination of the Waterloo Engineering student experience. During their senior year, students, generally working in teams of four, conceptualize and design a project related to their chosen discipline.

Ted Livingston saw the future on a smartphone while he was a Waterloo Engineering student doing a string of co-op work terms at BlackBerry.

Now, more than a decade later, he is determined to both shape that future and make it pay as founder and CEO of Kik Interactive, a mobile chat platform that achieved unicorn startup status - one of six unicorns with roots at Waterloo Engineering - with a US $1-billion valuation in 2015.

Accomplished alumni, outstanding current students and generous supporters were all celebrated when more than 400 people got together last November for the 2017 Waterloo Engineering Awards Dinner.

The annual event honoured graduates in three categories and a foundation dedicated to helping produce engineers, plus hundreds of top students for their academic and extracurricular achievements.

Pearl Sullivan, dean of Waterloo Engineering, wrapped up the evening at the University’s Federation Hall by urging everyone to wear their connections to the Faculty on their sleeves.

With a degree in systems design engineering in his back pocket, Sisun Lee was more than happy pursuing a career as a product manager at Tesla in sunny California.

But when an unlikely side project born of personal experience picked up steam, the 2014 Waterloo systems design engineering graduate took a deep breath and switched gears from electric cars to hangover prevention.