Technovation: Current Season

Participants use the design process to create a working digital solution that solves a real problem in the community of their choosing. What you create is up to you (and your team)! Technovation Waterloo guides you through their projects using best practices in tech-entrepreneurship, while also keeping the community you are working with at the heart of everything.

What counts as a digital solution? Here are some examples:

• A mobile app (What we focus on creating at the Waterloo Chapter)
• A web app. Note that websites that are not interactive are not eligible.
• A browser extension or plugin
• A chatbot or AI-powered assistant (for example, on WhatsApp, Telegram, or a website)
• An SMS or voice-based tool
• A data dashboard
• An automated workflow or AI agent
• A Scratch project (Beginner division only)
• Code.org App Lab project
• A coded Robot/Drone/Gadget

The key requirements haven't changed. Your solution must involve coding and/or AI to solve a real problem, being tested with real users, and work. 

Project Components

1. Project Name & Honour Code
2. Video (max. 4 mins) includes:
   • why the problem is important to you and the research you did to understand it
   • how your solution works, why you chose that format, and why it's the best solution for your users
   • evidence of target users providing feedback
   • 2+ iterations of your solution with specific examples of what improved
   • your debugging process
   • what metrics or evidence you used to know your solution actually worked?
3. Technical Work (aka. what you actually created and the code behind it)
4. Project Description (What problem are you trying to solve, and what is your solution?)
5. Project Development
   that describes ethical considerations, how you verified the accuracy of information collected, and your resources used to develop your digital solution
6. Learning Reflection that includes:
   • How did your understanding of the problem change?
   • What is one important skill that you learned through your project?
   • What challenges did you overcome during your project? How?
   • What would you do differently in the future?

Junior Division Projects also include:

7. User Adoption Plan
   that outlines how you tested the solution with users, their feedback, and you update. As well as how you plan to get people to use your solution in the first year

Senior Division Projects also include:

7. Business Canvas

The Waterloo Chapter provides a variety of resources, events, and support opportunities to help teams succeed throughout the Technovation season. Whether you're just getting started or preparing your final submission, you'll have access to guidance from our team, coaches, alumni, and community partners.

Note:Participants are highly encouraged but not required to attend all the workshops!

Weekly Online Workshops 

Wednesdays 4:30 pm - 6 pm via Zoom (starting January 20th, 2027)

Our weekly online workshops guide participants through every stage of the Technovation challenge, including problem identification, user research, AI and app development, business planning, pitch creation, and project submission. Teams also have time to work together in breakout rooms and receive support from coaches, alumni, and program leads during workshops.

App Inventor Coding Tutorials

Tuesdays & Thursdays 4 - 5 pm via Zoom (January 26 - March 11, 2027)

During the first six weeks of the season, we offer weekly App Inventor coding tutorials for participants interested in building mobile apps:

• Beginner App Inventor Tutorials (Tuesdays, 4:00 - 5:00 p.m. ET) for participants who are new to coding and App Inventor.
• Advanced App Inventor Tutorials (Thursdays, 4:00 - 5:00 p.m. ET) for participants with prior App Inventor experience who want to expand their skills and explore more advanced concepts.

In-Person Working Sessions

Saturdays (1–2/month) 10 am - 3 pm

Throughout the season, we host in-person events where teams can collaborate on their projects, connect with peers, and receive support from coaches and volunteers. These sessions are typically hosted at local technology companies and community partners throughout the Waterloo Region.

Team Coaches & Student Ambassadors

The Waterloo Chapter's support model includes:

• Student Ambassadors who check in regularly with teams throughout the season, share updates, answer questions, and help teams stay on track.
• General Coaches who provide guidance on ideation, user research, entrepreneurship, pitching, and project development.
• Technical Coaches who help teams troubleshoot technical challenges and provide support with coding, AI, and app development.
• Coaches may also be available for additional team meetings and support throughout the season.

Coaches & Student Ambassadors

The Waterloo Chapter's support model includes:

• Student Ambassadors who check in regularly with teams throughout the season, share updates, answer questions, and help teams stay on track.
• General Coaches who provide guidance on ideation, user research, entrepreneurship, pitching, and project development.
• Topic Coaches who are knowledgeable in one or more of the topics covered during the Technovation season, such as user research, entrepreneurship, business plans, pitch development, AI, or app development.
• Coaches may also be available for additional team meetings and support throughout the season.

Technovation Alumni Team

Our Technovation Alumni Team consists of former participants who have firsthand experience completing the challenge. Alumni volunteers share insights, provide peer support, assist at workshops and events, and help teams navigate the Technovation journey.

Waterloo Chapter Platform

Registered participants receive access to Waterloo Chapter communication platforms, resources, announcements, workshop recordings, templates, and other materials designed to support teams throughout the season. Including a dedicated team channel to chat and share resources with their team.

Regional Pitch Event

Teams that submit a project to the Technovation Global Challenge are invited to participate in the Waterloo Chapter's Regional Pitch Event at the University of Waterloo. This celebration gives teams the opportunity to showcase their work, receive feedback from judges, and celebrate their accomplishments with friends, family, volunteers, and fellow participants.

The Technovation Waterloo chapter officially supports participants from the Girls Track.

Girls Track: open to participants ages 8 to 18 (as of August 1, 2027) who identify as female, transgender, nonbinary, or gender-nonconforming, in a female-identified team environment. Students assigned male at birth who identify as male are not eligible for this track.

Technovation Girls is a self-select program with no application/selection process.

All events and program materials are available to participants at no cost. Our program is funded through grants and donations (both in-kind and monetary) to ensure it remains accessible to everyone.

We also offer a Tech Loan Program (first come, first served) for participants who do not have access to the necessary equipment, such as:

• A laptop or Chromebook
• A cell phone

We work to ensure that every participant has the tools they need to complete the challenge successfully.

To participate in Technovation Girls Waterloo 2027, participants and their parent/guardian only need to complete the Waterloo Chapter Registration Form.

What happens next?

• All participants registered through the Waterloo Chapter will be added to the Technovation Global Platform through Technovation's roster upload process.
• You do not need to create your own Technovation Global account.
• Once your account has been created, you and your parent/guardian will receive an email from Technovation with instructions to claim your account using a unique code.
• Parents/guardians must complete the required Media Consent and Parental Consent forms through the Technovation Global Platform for participants to be fully registered.

Note: Registration is not complete until the required Technovation Global consent forms have been submitted by a parent/guardian.

To participate in Technovation Waterloo, you’ll need:

• A Google-enabled account (e.g., Gmail) that is NOT a school account (WRDSB accounts will not work).
  This account will be used to access: MIT App Inventor

  ✅ Please ensure you can log into your Google account before the first Coding Tutorial!

• Email that can be used to create an account on the Waterloo Chapter Platform (in-development as of Fall 2026)

• A laptop or Chromebook for:

  • Joining workshops via Zoom
  • Coding in MIT App Inventor (or your chosen language)

• If using a laptop:
  Access to a mobile device (phone or tablet) with the MIT App Inventor Companion app installed to test your code.

• If using a Chromebook:
  Access to either:

  • A mobile device with the Companion app (ideal), or
  • A Chromebook with the Companion App installed

What if I don’t have access to a mobile device and/or laptop?

The Waterloo Chapter offers a Tech Loan Program with a limited number of loaner devices available on a first-come, first-served basis for the duration of the program. More details on how to request a device will be shared during the first two weeks.

We also provide laptops and tablets for teams to use during in-person workshops. You are not required to bring your own device(s) to in-person sessions, but are encouraged to if you can.

No! You do not need to have a team before registering for the Technovation Waterloo program. The first two weeks of the program are dedicated to:

• Brainstorming ideas
• Meeting like-minded participants

During this time, participants are encouraged to form their own teams—whether with friends or with people they’ve connected with who share similar interests.

While the Waterloo Chapter can help facilitate team matching upon request, we do not create teams. Team formation is entirely up to the participants.

Team Details

• Teams can have 1 to 5 members (solo projects are allowed).
• The team’s division is determined by the oldest member in the group.

Having a mentor is not required to participate in Technovation, but it is highly encouraged. Teams are welcome to find and work with their own mentor throughout the program.

Bring Your Own Mentor

If you have a trusted adult who would like to support your team, they are welcome to serve as your mentor.

• Mentors must be at least 18 years old,
• Register on the Technovation Global Platform
• Pass a background check, and
• Complete Technovation Global’s mentor training.

NEW for the 2026/2027 Season: 

While the Waterloo Chapter will no longer officially assign mentors to teams, we have expanded our team support model to include Student Ambassadors, General Coaches, and Topic Coaches.

• Student Ambassadors will be assigned a group of teams and will check in regularly throughout the season to provide encouragement, support, and help teams stay on track.
• General and Topic Coaches will be available at Waterloo Chapter workshops and events to answer questions, provide advice and guidance, and help teams overcome challenges related to their project, business plan, or technical development.
• Coaches may also be available to meet with teams individually when additional support is needed.

Additionally, the Waterloo Chapter's weekly workshops cover much of the content and guidance that mentors traditionally provide through the Technovation program, ensuring all teams have access to the resources and support needed to succeed.

Teams are still welcome and encouraged to work with their own mentor if they would like additional personalized support throughout the season.

Participation in any of our workshops or events is optional but highly encouraged. The Technovation program is what you make it! We recommend taking advantage of all the resources we offer, but you are not required to attend to participate in the challenge.

What if I am unable to attend an in-person event?

We understand that not everyone can attend in-person events. That’s why we ensure that any important content covered during these events will also be available in our online workshops.

The primary purpose of in-person events is to provide a collaborative space for teams to work on their projects alongside coaches and mentors. We find that teams often make the most progress during these sessions, so if you can attend, it’s a great opportunity!

What if I am unable to attend/will be late for an online workshop?

No need to worry if you’re late! You can join the Zoom meeting whenever you’re able. We just ask that you don’t interrupt the presenter to ask what you missed.

If you arrive late or miss an online workshop entirely, you can:

• Watch the recording of the presentation, which will be posted after the workshop.
• Connect with your team members to review any group work you may have missed.

Attendance & Teams

At the beginning of the season, we ask every team to create a team contract outlining:

• Communication expectations
• Meeting schedules
• Other team norms

During this process, it’s important to discuss whether your team plans to attend online and/or in-person workshops regularly.

If your team decides to meet during our workshops, please do your best to attend. When only part of the team shows up, it can leave others to handle a large portion of the project on their own.

We understand that life happens! If you cannot attend a workshop, communicate with your team in advance so they can plan accordingly.