Founders' Circle

The Science and Business Founders’ Circle Program    

tech group meeting

This program aims to connect Science and Business students and alumni who are founders of their own businesses (e.g., start-ups, pro-bono consulting) to other Science and Business students who are interested in this space.

This program will serve as a mentorship program for Science and Business students who are specifically looking to learn more about founding their own start-up or joining a team early in the business life cycle.

In addition to the one-on-one mentorship, mentees will meet with each other through bi-weekly workshops and bi-weekly events. We are looking for students who will commit to full participation in all program activities

Accepted mentees of this program will learn together through workshops,   networking events,  socials and  pitch their ideas to established founders. Additionally, they will tour various start-ups, directly interacting with founders and more!

If you are interested please sign up here by Wednesday, January 3rd, 2023 @11:59PM. Only successful candidates will be contacted.  

Week-by-week break down: 

*Please note that this schedule may be subject to change. Additionally, please note that bi-weekly workshops will be 2 hours long, with the first hour focused on workshop activities and the second hour for working on your final mock-pitch.   

Week 1 

January 9th – 13th

  • Meeting #1 - Introduction

Week 2 

January 16th – 20th 

  • Social between Mentees @ South Campus Hall

    • Opportunity for those who have ideas but are looking to build a team

Week 3 

January 23rd – 27th 

  • Meeting #2 – What is your problem? 

    • A guided brainstorming session on identifying ‘problems’

Week 4 

January 30thFebruary 3rd

  • Tour of Waterloo’s Entrepreneurship Ecosystem  

Week 5 

February 6th  10th 

  • Meeting #3 - Pitching Homeruns 

    • How to craft the perfect pitch 

Week 6 

February 13th  17th 

 

  • Tour a Start-up in Waterloo + Sit-down Chat with the Founder 
                                                                                           READING WEEK

Week 7 

February 27th  March 3rd 

  • Meeting #4 – The Nitty-Gritty Stuff 

    • How to determine company financials 

Week 8 

March 6th 10th 

  • Speaker Panel Event

Week 9 

March 13th – 17th   

 

  • Meeting #5 – Getting off the ground 

    • Finding the correct resources 

Week 10 

March 20th – 24th   

  • MARS Discovery District Visit (Toronto) 

Week 11 

March 27th – 31st   

  • Meeting #6 – Mock Pitch  (Your Turn!) 

Week 12 

April 3rd – April 7th   

  • Social between Mentees @ South Campus Hall