Entrepreneurship

The University of Waterloo is appointing Jay Shah, a former startup co-founder and Waterloo alumnus, as director of its flagship entrepreneurship program, Velocity – the largest free startup incubator in the World.

Shah joins Velocity from Google where the entrepreneur has worked since the tech-giant acquired the company he co-founded in 2012.

The Social Impact Showcase will be celebrating the achievements of the 2016 GreenHouse Fellows, a talented group of innovators who are members of an accelerated social entrepreneurship program. The Showcase is hosted by St. Paul’s GreenHouse, a social impact incubator at the University of Waterloo.

The Fellows have made tremendous strides on their startups and will be sharing their progress. Select Fellows also will be awarded Social Impact Fund grants for their next steps.

Salient Energy, a company developing new high-tech batteries that will enable the shift towards renewable energy, was among the top winners at the Velocity Fund Finals, held today at the University of Waterloo.

The University of Waterloo will host the Velocity Fund Finals next week, where Waterloo students and alumni will pitch their innovative startups for the chance to win funding to grow their businesses, and entry into the Velocity Garage, the largest free startup incubator in the world. Velocity is a comprehensive entrepreneurship program at Waterloo.

Making photocopies wasn’t part of Jordan Grant’s job description. Neither were taking minutes, writing reports or any of the run-of-the-mill duties you’d expect to encounter in your first-year work term.

Feridun Hamdullahpur, president of the University of Waterloo, and Jordan Grant, recipient of Waterloo Engineering’s co-op student of the year 2015 award for his Deloitte Tech Exchange competition.

Richard Yim grew up in Cambodia where the fear of stepping on landmines was part of every child’s life. As a young boy, Yim dreamed of inventing technology that would put an end to landmine casualties around the world.

“After war, when peace comes and bullets stop flying, landmines are still in the ground,” says Yim, a new graduate of Waterloo Engineering. “Children shouldn’t have to be afraid to step off the beaten path. They should be able to walk to school and hike and explore their world without fear.”

The leap from engineer to entrepreneur was a logical one for Karen Tsoi (BASc 2009, Electrical; MMSc 2014, Management of Technology), owner of Pastel Dress Party, an online custom bridal party outfitting business. “Entrepreneurs, like engineers, are all about solving problems,” says Tsoi. “Every day I wake up and think about each business problem with an analytical mind, just like the engineer I am. It’s the same approach.”

The University of Waterloo is partnering with a Silicon Valley-based venture capital firm to provide a new entrepreneurship program for students that includes access to a $2 million venture capital fund and expertise from the world’s leading startup ecosystem.

Starting this June the Waterloo Engineering | Spectrum 28 Student Venture Program will provide senior students with early-stage venture support through pop up classes and expert mentorship in addition to the opportunity to compete for funding.