GBDA alum among 10 Waterloo Entrepreneurs to Watch

As part of Global Entrepreneurship Week 2025, the University of Waterloo is spotlighting 10 standout entrepreneurs – Waterloo students and alumni who are challenging norms, redefining industries, and building a better future. These innovators are not only making waves in their respective fields, but are also setting the pace for what’s next in society, health, technology, the economy, and sustainability.  

Among these 10 innovators is Naimah Venezia (BGBDA ‘25) whose passion for finance began early – in Grade 1, she read Rich Dad, Poor Dad and launched her first handmade jewelry business at the age of seven. As she grew older, she noticed a gap in financial literacy among her peers and set out to change that through founding CoinWa, a gamified app that teaches teens essential financial skills before adulthood. “CoinWa covers core concepts like budgeting, saving, credit, and investing through bite-sized modules, challenges, and rewards,” she explains. “It feels more like a game than a lesson, which makes it fun and engaging.” 

Venezia credits her undergraduate degree, Global Business and Digital Arts (GBDA), for preparing her for the multiple disciplines required to be a founder, including building business models, pitching effectively, understanding market needs, applying design thinking to create human-centred experiences, and communicating effectively with technical fluency to developers and investors. “I feel like the program is made perfectly for anyone who wants to start a brand or startup – whether it’s in tech, fashion, or anything,” she says. 

CoinWa has now come full circle for Venezia, who was able to hire Waterloo students through Co-op as the company grew. “I want younger people to grow up with more financial literacy,” she says. With CoinWa growing, that feels like a definite possibility.