News from the Conrad Centre

Expert panel report incites national discussion about business support programs

The Report of the Expert Panel Examining Business Support Programs, chaired by Conrad faculty member Margaret Dalziel, was released earlier this month, provoking a national discussion about the role of government business support programs in economic development.

Conrad students pitch their way to victory in campus competitions

The last week of March was an exciting one for UWaterloo entrepreneurs, with two opportunities to pitch for prizes ranging from $5,000 to $35,000.

Both Waterloo Engineering's Esch Entrepreneurship Awards and the Velocity Fund Finals showcased the ingenuity and entrepreneurial skill of UWaterloo students, while each pitch drove home the truth behind UWaterloo's slogan: ideas start here.

Conrad alumnus named Enactus Student Entrepreneur Regional Champion

Scott Duncan, a recent graduate of UWaterloo’s Mechanical Engineering masters program and Conrad’s graduate Certificate of Completion in Business and Entrepreneurship, has been named Student Entrepreneur Regional Champion by Enactus Canada. The Enactus award was created to celebrate student innovators who are passionate about contributing to the economic, social, and environmental health of Canada.

Conrad Professor Larry Smith shares career and life advice in Time magazine

A college professor and popular TEDx Talk speaker shares his unconventional career advice for students and new grads.

Have you always wanted to show your Conrad pride, but never knew just how to do it? Good news, now you can own a limited edition UW Conrad Roots branded hoodie. Available now, until Monday, May 16. Order yours today!
https://www.promotionalelements.com/uwconrad/

MBET in the Valley

A reflection on the 2016 California trip, by Catherine Bischoff, Associate Director, Outreach and International Programs

There are some experiences that impress and stay with you for a long time – for MBET students, spending a week with some of the most exciting companies and business enablers in San Francisco and Silicon Valley was certainly one of them.

In early April, a group of MBET students, faculty, and staff went to California; we heard aspirational and sobering stories from entrepreneurs, listened to harsh accounts from incubator leaders, learned about investment strategies from VCs, and got a whole lot of love from University of Waterloo alumni who toured us through some amazing spaces.

Beyond the fancy offices, free employee food, and discussions about unicorns and decacorns, I was truly refreshed to attend Stanford’s entrepreneurship lecture series featuring the CEO of a VR startup called Strivr. A former athlete and coach turned entrepreneur, Derek Belch brought it back to basics for the audience of entrepreneurship students by illuminating the struggles of launching a business. The message was loud and clear: “If you want to start something, you have to be prepared to sacrifice and bring endless passion to your work.” In his opinion, the best measure of success is bringing in revenue, not attracting VC. #hustle

What really shone through in all of our meetings and site visits was the recognition and appreciation for the University of Waterloo and its students, who represent us in California with their unsurpassed talent and drive.

Oh, the places we went ... in San Francisco and Silicon Valley:

Plug & Play Tech Center
Canada House/ C100
Costanoa Venture Capital
AirBnB
FitBit
500 Startups
Google
Yahoo
KIVA.org
infogr.am
Galvanize
UstartX
Stanford University Technology Ventures Program

Conrad's Karin Schmidlin produced this short video documenting the MBET trip to California.

Staff Updates

Best wishes go out to Tara Gingerich Hiebert, who begins her maternity leave on Monday, May 9. You will be missed at Conrad, Tara, and we can't wait to meet your new little one whenever he decides to arrive!

A warm Conrad welcome goes out to Mélanie Lafrance, who is taking on the role of Graduate Coordinator while Tara is on maternity leave. Mélanie joins us from the Department of English Language and Literature where she worked as Graduate Coordinator for the past year. Mélanie's first day at Conrad was April 18th. Please be sure to introduce yourself to her next time you are in the office.

The Jamii team is growing!

This week we welcome new team members who will work on the Jamii platform this term.
Brandon Surya, 1st year Global Business and Digital Arts, Junior Designer
Preet Rawal, 1B Engineering, Back-End Developer Co-op
Kesiena Eboh, Masters of Digital Experience Innovation, Learning Modules Designer
Denise Ng, Master of Public Health, Faculty of Applied Health Studeies, Research Assistant on topics related to user experience and engagement
A warm Conrad welcome to all of you!

A big thank you to Amanda Jarvis for being such a wonderful Office and Special Projects Assistant in the Winter term. We are excited to welcome Robyn Peers in the role as of May 2nd. Robyn is an Honours English - Literature and Rhetoric student and will be working at Conrad until the end of August. Be sure to give her a warm welcome next time you are here!

Upcoming events in May

MAY 9 – 10 – OCE Discovery ‘16 – MBET students will attend and exhibit in the Accessibility Showcase.
MAY 12 – Tech Leadership Conference – MBET students and faculty will attend.
MAY 17 – The Accelerator Centre Celebrates 10 Years! – Conrad staff and faculty will be on hand to congratulate our partners at the Accelerator Centre on ten years of success, at this special open house event with His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada.
MAY 17 – Larry Smith No Fears, No Excuses – UWaterloo President and Vice-Chancellor Feridun Hamdullahpur will host a candid conversation with Conrad professor, TED Talk presenter, and author Larry Smith, to discuss his new book, No Fears, No Excuses.
MAY 23 – Victoria Day (University holiday)
MAY 26 – Entre Nous networking session, 4 pm in the Accelerator Centre

About the Conrad Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology Centre

The Conrad Centre is an immersive educational environment for entrepreneurs. Offering the Master of Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology (MBET), the Minor in Entrepreneurship, Enterprise Co-op (E Co-op), and other entrepreneurial programs, the Conrad Centre provides students with the education, network, and experience they need to build an entrepreneurial career.

Located at the University of Waterloo in the heart of Canada's most vibrant and thriving tech ecosystem - Waterloo, Ontario - there is no better place in Canada to experience entrepreneurship.

This message has been sent to you by The Conrad Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology Centre at the University of Waterloo, whose mailing address is The Conrad Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology Centre, University of Waterloo, 200 University Ave. W., Waterloo, ON. N2L 3G1, and whose email address is mbet@uwaterloo.ca. It is sent on behalf of The Conrad Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology Centre at the University of Waterloo, whose contact information can be found at this link https://uwaterloo.ca/conrad-business-entrepreneurship-technology/contact-us

If you no longer wish to receive messages from the Conrad Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology Centre you may unsubscribe by following this link: http://uwaterloo.us7.list-manage1.com/unsubscribe/post or reply to this email with a note that you wish to be removed.

unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences