Technovation: Get Involved | Women in Computer Science

Technovation Girls Waterloo is supported by a dedicated team of volunteers and community partners!

Join us by volunteering or partnering with the Waterloo Technovation Girls Chapter!

I have acted as a Technovation Girls mentor since 2018, and every year I learn something new about leadership, teamwork, technology and thinking big!

I am always amazed at how teams start from almost nothing and end up building something innovative and cool, having fun all the while.

Ryan Deschamps, Technovation Mentor

Become a Volunteer

Technovation Girls needs many volunteers to make things happen (all folks welcome). People like you! Read below to find out more about the different ways you can volunteer with Technovation Girls.

Volunteer Roles

General Coach

Role Description

General Coaches apply their lived experiences and knowledge to provide our teams with valuable insights during project creation. Acting as a "sounding board", General Coaches meet with teams one-on-one during online and/or in-person workshops and provide feedback on team project ideas and drafts. General Coaches also serve as "product testers" for project prototypes by testing and providing user feedback.

Do you have experience in tech, coding, or entrepreneurship? You can also volunteer as a Topic Coach!

Time Commitment

2 - 5 hours

Note: Coaches are not required to attend every session, only those for which they sign up to attend.

Outline of Responsibilities

Sign-up to be a coach for one (or more) of the workshops
Monitor and respond to Q&A in the Waterloo Chapter Coach chat.
Provide feedback and advice to teams

Online Workshops

Every Wednesday from 5 - 6 pm between January 20th, 2027 - April 28th, 2027. The full schedule will be released January 2027.

In-Person Workshops & Topics

Approx. one Saturday a month at either the University of Waterloo or a local tech company. The workshop schedule will be announced in January 2027.

Topic Coach

Role Description

Topic Coaches provide feedback to teams in a one-on-one setting at designated workshops. Topic Coaches are knowledgeable in one or more of the topics taught during the Technovation season. Coaches sign up for one or more workshops (virtual and/or in person), in which we cover a topic they are knowledgeable about. During workshops, coaches will check in with each team and provide them with feedback on their current draft of their project. Coaches will also be added to a Q&A chat where students can ask questions about specific topics asynchronously.

Not an "expert" in any of the topics we cover? No problem, sign up as a "general" coach! Your lived experience can help provide valuable insights for our teams as they develop their projects. As a general coach, you will listen to teams describe their project and provide general feedback.

Time Commitment

2 - 5 hours

Note: Coaches are not required to attend every session, only those for which they sign up to attend.

Outline of Responsibilities

Sign-up to be a coach for one (or more) of the workshops (see below for topic list)
Monitor and respond to Q&A in the Waterloo Chapter Coach chat.
Provide feedback and advice to teams

Online Workshops

Every Wednesday from 5 - 6 pm between January 20th, 2027 - April 28th, 2027. The full schedule will be released January 2027.

In-Person Workshops & Topics

Approx. one Saturday a month at either the University of Waterloo or a local tech company. The workshop schedule will be announced in January 2027.

Program Topics

Ideation & Brainstorming
Community Research
Market and Competitor Research
Designing Tech-Based Solutions
Intro to AI: Strengths & Weaknesses in Tech-Based Solutions
Responsible Research and Innovation: Ethical Considerations
Prototyping: Low Fidelity & Wireframing
Coding (We are always looking for coaches with experience with Swift, Python, JavaScript, and other languages to help teams who decide to create their solutions in languages other than MIT App Inventor)

Minimum Viable Product, Pair Programming, and Iterative Development
Testing and Debugging Code
User Testing & Encorporating Feedback
Project Planning
User Adoption
Introduction to Business Canvases
Pitching
Creating and Editing Videos

Event Volunteer

Should I be an Event Volunteer?

Role Description

Event Volunteers are “jack of all trades”, they help with set-up, registration, background logistics, and clean-up. They also help facilitate the event activities and work directly with the Technovation participants (e.g., making sure they stay on track, understand the task, answer questions as they can, and direct participants to resources as needed).

Time Commitment

3+ hours

Outline of Responsibilities

Reply to emails sent 1-2 weeks prior to in-person Waterloo Chapter Technovation events with your availability for the upcoming event
Volunteer for one or more in-person sessions (morning, afternoon, or all-day shift; on average 3 - 6 hours). Visit our Current Season Page for the workshop schedule (typically one Saturday a month during the season).
Review Run of Play/Volunteer Information sent in advance of the event
Arrive at the event at the specified time and assist with logistics

Workshop Speaker

Role Description

Speakers are experts on their chosen subject matter and deliver engaging talks to Technovation participants. Speakers will work with Waterloo Chapter Lead(s) to prepare and present a 15-minute talk on a topic during one of the online weekly workshops (Wednesdays, 4:30 - 6 pm, starting Jan 20th - Apr 28, 2027). An outline of the presentation, resources, and instructions for corresponding activities on the topic will be provided in advance. This is an entirely virtual commitment.

Time Commitment

3 - 5 hours (including prep time)

Outline of Responsibilities

Sign up to present one (or more) of the topics listed below
Attend a 15 - 30 min prep meeting with a Waterloo Chapter Lead. During this meeting you will be provided will all the materials and information needed to prepare for the talk.
Prepare slides and materials for the presentation.
Attend a 15-minute final check-in meeting with a Waterloo Chapter Lead to ensure everything is ready for the presentation
Present and assist in leading the topic activity at the weekly online workshop corresponding to your topic.

Presentation Topics

Researching & Engaging with Communities
Intro to Artificial Intelligence
Market & Competitor Research
Responsible Research & Innovation: Ethical Considerations
Prototyping: Low Fidelity & Wireframing
Project Planning
User Adoption & Business Canvases
Pitching
Storytelling, Video Creation & Editing

Workshop schedule coming in January 2027

Judge

Role Description

At the conclusion of each season, teams pitch their apps and AI solutions to a panel of judges. Judges review submissions from teams, offer feedback and encourage teams to keep building. This helps strengthen team pitches for the global competition. Judges are required to review submissions in advance of the in-person pitch event (approx. 1-2 weeks before), as well as attend the Waterloo Chapter's Regional Pitch Event in May hosted at UWaterloo.

Find out more about the judging process by clicking here.

Time Commitment

10 - 15 hours (5 - 10 hours for reviewing submissions, and ~ 4 hours for the Pitch Event)

Outline of Responsibilities

Register as a Judge on the Technovation Global platform & complete online training
Attend virtual Waterloo Chapter Pitch Event info session
Review assigned team submissions (min. 5 submissions) in advance of the Regional Pitch Event
Attend the Regional Pitch Event and listen to team pitches
Provide feedback to teams and finalise scores. Work with fellow judges to choose winners for each category
Submit final scores on Technovation Global Platform.

Important Dates

Date	Topic
March 2027	Judge Registration opens on Technovation Global Platform
TBD	Waterloo Chapter Pitch Event Virtual Info Session for Judges
May 10th, 2027	Judges receive team submissions for review
May 29th, 2027 (tentative)	Waterloo Chapter Regional Pitch Event

Become a Community Partner or Sponsor

Technovation Girls requires the support of community partners to help run our season.

Partners can:

Host a workshop, which involves providing:
- The event space
- Equipment
- If possible, a water dispenser for refreshments for attendees
Engage staff to be mentors and coaches to work with teams

Sponsors can:

Donate to support our Regional Pitch Event, held in May, where teams pitch their projects to a live team of judges
Fund t-shirts for teams and other swag
Offer prizes (Consider experiences for the girls, like tours of local companies, automatic acceptance into a youth developer program, or a summer internship. We're open to ideas!)

Reach out to technovation@uwaterloo.ca if you are interested in becoming a Community Partner or Sponsor.