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Startup 101 | Hosted by founders for everyone

Gain firsthand knowledge from founders themselves!



Want to know what an entrepreneurship journey looks like? Need to find funding and unsure of where to start? Startup 101 will kickstart your business knowledge with our simple hour long (sometimes more) themed sessions. Hosted by founders for everyone.

Startup 101 Schedule


September 16, 5-6:30PM – QNC 0101

Entrepreneurship 101

Start the term strong by learning what counts as a startup, how to know if your idea is worth pursuing and what you should do to get started.

Alroy Almeida

Director of Deep Tech at Velocity

More about Alroy

Alroy is a Director of Deep Tech at Velocity

Alroy’s love for Velocity runs deep as it was the birthplace of his own entrepreneurial journey. Though much has changed since his time in the program, Velocity remains steadfast in making founders move further, faster. He is now focused on working with the leadership team to set Velocity’s purpose, goals, and structure for its next stage of growth.

It is also his goal to make Canada the global leader in deep tech. Waterloo Region, in particular, has the talent to build strong businesses underpinned by extremely challenging technologies – materials science, robotics, artificial intelligence, quantum/photonics. Alroy is building out programming and partnerships to support and accelerate these companies.

Previously, Alroy was CEO and Co-founder of Voltera where he worked with a world class team to revolutionize electronics. They reduced traditional circuit board manufacturing time from weeks to hours and introduced scalable manufacturing processes for circuits that are flexible, stretchable, moldable, biodegradable, and biocompatible – features that will forever change how we all interact with the devices around us.
Alroy is a Mechatronics Engineering alumnus from the University of Waterloo. He remains involved in the undergraduate engineering student experience as an Alternate Warden for Iron Ring Camp 15.

Register now

October 1, 5-6:30pm –  MC 2054

Funding a startup for the long haul

When to take money and when to pass on an offer, the basics of venture math and how to do it, and diving into the different available fundraising sources.

Speakers will be announced soon.

Registrations opening soon

October 29, 5-6:30pm –  MC 2054

Founder communications

Effectively communicating about your startup is not an important thing, it’s THE most important thing. Learn more about the art of persuading team members, potential investors and everyone else – on and off stage.

Krysta Traianovski

Assc. Director, Founder Development

More about Krysta

Krysta is the Associate Director of Founder Development, and her goal is to make the University of Waterloo the best place for student entrepreneurs to learn and grow. She connects teams with the right programs, advisors and resources offered by Velocity to help build their entrepreneurial skills.

Krysta believes in making entrepreneurship accessible to everyone, and that the most successful founders can be those who never even considered it as a path. In 2016, she co-founded BrightGuide, a software company working to support persons living with dementia and their family caregivers with activities of daily living. Having three years’ experience as an early-stage startup founder has given Krysta a wealth of experience to draw on when coaching teams. Afterwards, she helped small businesses with their digital marketing and online presence through the pandemic via her consulting company Weave Digital. Her combination of working in software, deeptech and local industries gives her a unique perspective on entrepreneurship. Krysta holds a BSc in Chemistry and an MBET from the University of Waterloo.

Alroy Almeida

Director of Deep Tech at Velocity

More about Alroy

Alroy is a Director of Deep Tech at Velocity

Alroy’s love for Velocity runs deep as it was the birthplace of his own entrepreneurial journey. Though much has changed since his time in the program, Velocity remains steadfast in making founders move further, faster. He is now focused on working with the leadership team to set Velocity’s purpose, goals, and structure for its next stage of growth.

It is also his goal to make Canada the global leader in deep tech. Waterloo Region, in particular, has the talent to build strong businesses underpinned by extremely challenging technologies – materials science, robotics, artificial intelligence, quantum/photonics. Alroy is building out programming and partnerships to support and accelerate these companies.

Previously, Alroy was CEO and Co-founder of Voltera where he worked with a world class team to revolutionize electronics. They reduced traditional circuit board manufacturing time from weeks to hours and introduced scalable manufacturing processes for circuits that are flexible, stretchable, moldable, biodegradable, and biocompatible – features that will forever change how we all interact with the devices around us.
Alroy is a Mechatronics Engineering alumnus from the University of Waterloo. He remains involved in the undergraduate engineering student experience as an Alternate Warden for Iron Ring Camp 15.

Registrations opening soon

November 12, 5-6:30pm –  MC 2054

Avoid startup mistakes: lessons for a smooth launch

A must-attend session for anyone looking to learn about the top mistakes people make launching a startup, so they can sidestep them on their own journey.

John Dick

Sr. Director, Founder Development

More about John

John is the Senior Director of Founder Development. He leads Velocity’s early-stage programming on the University of Waterloo campus and develops strategic initiatives that serve to find, develop and connect new founders.

Before joining Velocity, John was Co-founder and CSO of Nicoya for 7 years. As co-founder, he worked on IP creation and prototype development while supporting pitching and early business development activities. As CSO he led its R&D efforts, early product development and customer support through his experience in nanotechnology-based sensor development.

John holds a PhD in Materials from the Imperial College of London and earned his Masters and Bachelor of Chemical Engineering from McGill University. He also completed an MBA from Lazaridis School of Business and Economics at Laurier University.

John believes that an entrepreneurial mindset can and should be developed by any student from any field, regardless of their selected career path. These graduates will be prepared for a growingly precarious future and will improve the productivity and competitiveness of Canadian businesses.

Registrations opening soon