# Entrepreneurship

**Source**: https://cs.uwaterloo.ca/future-undergraduate-students/co-op-and-regular/entrepreneurship
**Parent**: https://cs.uwaterloo.ca

At
Waterloo,
we
want
you
to
become
a
problem
solver
and
use
technology
to
change
the
world.

The
programs
and
opportunities
that
we
offer
on
and
off
campus
are
ways
that
we
help
you
get
there.

[Ideas
start
here](#Ideas%20Start%20Here)
|
[Velocity](#Velocity)
|
[Enterprise
co-op](#co-op-program)

## Ideas start here

Do
you
have
a
brilliant
new
idea
that
you're
looking
to
develop?
We
offer
the
resources
and
support
that
you
need
to
turn
it
into
a
reality.

Become
a
part
of
a
community
that
values
technology
and
innovation
and
get
access
to:

- **Professional
  support**
  -
  We
  connect
  you
  with
  industry
  professionals
  to
  help
  you
  understand
  the
  world
  of
  business,
  marketing,
  policy,
  law
  and
  more.
- **Mentorship
  and
  guidance**
  -
  Learn
  from
  current
  students
  and
  graduates
  who
  have
  gone
  through
  the
  creative
  process
  of
  developing
  a
  start
  up.
- **Space
  and
  equipment**
  -
  We
  provide
  you
  with
  the
  real-estate
  and
  tools
  to
  grow
  your
  products,
  services,
  companies,
  and/or
  ideas.
- **Ownership
  -**
  Waterloo's
  unique
  [intellectual
  property
  (IP)
  policy](https://uwaterloo.ca/research/waterloo-commercialization-office-watco/intellectual-property)
  allows
  you
  to
  own
  everything
  that
  you
  create.

Remote video URL

[View "Beyond Ideas: University of Waterloo" on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBLHvjHyMuU)

## Velocity

[Velocity](https://velocityincubator.com/) offers programs for all students, researchers and faculty at the University of Waterloo, regardless of experience level. Velocity can help you at all stages of your founder journey. Gain access to connections, practical and authentic business expertise, a deeply supportive network, space to build a team and develop products, and events to inspire and motivate you.

- [Cornerstone](https://velocityincubator.com/programs/students/cornerstone/) is the culmination of the student entrepreneurial process. Test your business ideas by finding and speaking directly with customers. Validate your business plan and gain firsthand knowledge of your target market while joining a network of founders to share knowledge and resources.
- [Up Start](https://velocityincubator.com/programs/students/upstart/)is for Waterloo students and recent graduates who want to transform their work into real-world commercial ventures. Whether you are working on a graduate degree or capstone project, we want to accelerate your success and help you make an impact on the world.
- [Velocity Pitch Competition](https://velocityincubator.com/programs/students/pitch-competition/) offers the opportunity for University of Waterloo student-led teams with innovative solutions and high-potential business ideas to showcase their hard work and compete for grant funding. Participants receive valuable feedback, pitching experience, and idea validation from a network of experienced entrepreneurs and Velocity coaches.
- [Velocity Incubator](https://velocityincubator.com/programs/startups/) is Canada’s most successful incubator and since 2008 has launched more than 400 companies, cumulatively creating $26 billion USD in enterprise value. Velocity works with founders to build extraordinary companies that scale and last by transforming the way businesses are built by rallying resources, building community and breaking down barriers for founders to bring to market solutions that address cross-disciplinary challenges.

Remote video URL

[View "Tour the Velocity Startup Community" on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEbKt6Ho9z0)

## The Enterprise Co-op program

Want
to
work
as
your
own
boss?
Take
advantage
of
our
Enterprise
Co-op
(E
Co-op)
program.
Managed
by
the
Conrad
Business,
Entrepreneurship,
and
Technology
Center,
Waterloo
allows
co-op
students
to
use
their
work
term
to
create
and
oversee
their
own
business.

- Access
  workshops,
  seminars,
  and
  presentations
  from
  successful
  entrepreneurs.
- Receive
  support
  from
  full-time,
  professional
  staff.
- Grow
  your
  ideas
  using
  space
  in
  the
  Communitech
  Hub,
  located
  in
  Downtown
  Kitchener
  next
  to
  companies
  like
  Google
  and
  D2L.

Visit
the
[program
page](https://uwaterloo.ca/conrad-school-entrepreneurship-business/undergraduate/enterprise-co-op)
for
information
on
deadlines,
important
dates,
additional
details,
and
how
to
apply.

## Ideas that started here

**UWaterloo
is
the
birthplace
of
many
high-tech
companies,
including:**

- BlackBerry
- Certicom
- Dalsa
- iAnywhere
  Solutions
- Intelligent
  Mechatronic
  Systems
- OpenText
- RapidMind
- Senesco
  Technologies
- Sirific
  Wireless
- Virtek
  Vision
  International
- Waterloo
  Maple

## International reputation

[Top
50
universities
for
VC-backed
entrepreneurs](http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/236912)

#1
in
Canada
and
#16
in
the
world!

## Leading experts

There
are
over
800
start
ups
in
the
Kitchener-Waterloo
region.

20%
of
the
these
starts
up
were
created
by
Waterloo
grads.

## Measuring success

Over
$90,027,400
has
been
earned
by
our
Velocity
start
ups.

70
start
up
companies
have
grown
out
of
Velocity.