Entrepreneurship

Velocity’s Health Innovation Challenges, in partnership with the Grand River Hospital Foundation (GRHF), offer University of Waterloo students an experiential learning opportunity with local hospitals and organizations. Students hear about the real-world challenges faced by patients and health-care workers in local hospitals and work with Velocity experts to develop practical solutions.  

Waterloo researchers, students and alumni tackle challenges through cross-disciplinary collaboration, developing creative solutions with global impact.

You’re familiar with Waterloo’s iconic inventions like BlackBerry and OpenText, and those mentioned in our 10 inventions you didn’t know came from Waterloo — but you spoke, and we listened. Our readers helped us uncover even more groundbreaking innovations from this vibrant community that continue to shape industries worldwide.

Jeff Shiner (BMath ’92)
Alum, Mathematics
> CEO, 1Password

From its beginnings as a small startup of just 20 employees, 1Password has grown under the leadership of CEO Jeff Shiner into a global powerhouse.

Global and individual health care is experiencing disruption through a variety of technologies. Building disruptive technologies is at the core of what we do, and since our inception, the University of Waterloo has also been disrupting the boundaries of health. In 2024, the University opened the doors of the Innovation Arena, a new collaboration space within the Health Sciences Campus in downtown Kitchener, to further streamline commercialization pathways for businesses, fast-track delivery of health technologies and drive Canada’s next wave of economic growth.

This past year, students, alumni, researchers and staff made significant strides in addressing global challenges and advancing technology. These top 12 stories of 2024 highlight some of Waterloo’s transformative work shaping the future.