Helping entrepreneurial Waterloo students reach their full potential

Velocity offers programs for all students, regardless of level of experience. We can help you at all stages of your journey. See our free and available resources listed below and start working with us today!

Not sure and need more guidance? Enter into our Innovation Portal intake form. A Velocity representative will guide you in the right direction.

Join Velocity

Supporting students from idea to startup

Gain access to connections, practical and authentic business expertise, a deeply supportive community, space to build a team and develop products, and events to inspire and motivate you.

Find us on campus

Come join the Velocity team during one of our upcoming events at Waterloo or drop by one of the 3 Velocity student creator spaces.

Velocity Science – ESC 319
Velocity Digital – SCH 228
Problem Lab HQ – MC 2037

Check out upcoming events Visit our student creator spaces

Our programs

TAMVOES founders (Female and male) sit at a desk and are looking at a computer screen, working.

Cornerstone

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.

Learn more about Cornerstone

Student talking to Velocity ambassador at event

Up Start

Up Start 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.

Learn more about Up Start

Early-stage University of Waterloo student startup winners of the spring 2022 Velocity $5K stand on stage to accept the large recipient cheques. From left to right: Adanna Amechi (Engineering, Chemical Engineering) of The President Braids; Glaucia Melo dos Santos, (Math, Computer Science) of OrientaMED; Avery Chiu (Engineering, Mechatronics Engineering) u0026 Christopher Samra (Engineering, Mechatronics Engineering) of Symphonic and; an Hung Le (Engineering, Master of Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology) from Tako.

Velocity $5K Pitch Competition

The Velocity $5K 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.

Applications before June 11, 2023

Learn more about the Pitch Competition

Foundations

Transform the way you tackle challenges

Velocity Foundations is a great way to learn about important issues while building an innovative mindset. Over 8-weeks we will explore a big societal challenge and provide expert guidance and innovative tools to find insights and solutions that may have otherwise gone unnoticed.

Learn more and apply

Student founder being coached by Velocity

1:1 coaching

Our network of coaches includes a variety of individuals made up of founders, small business owners, early employees from successful startups, and experienced entrepreneurs.

They are available to meet on-on-one or in a small group to discuss your startup ideas and aspirations and help guide you to turning your concept into a reality.

Learn more about coaching or book a session

Launch Sessions

Each term, we hold Launch Sessions on a variety of topics that will inspire and inform you. Topics range from founders speaking about their grand successes and epic failures to learning how to ace a 3-minute Y-Combinator style pitch.

Our sessions are open to all University of Waterloo students, as well as members of the community. No prior knowledge or idea is required – just come out, have fun and learn something!

Learn more about Launch Sessions

Problem Lab

The Problem Lab identifies and understands important problems to create innovations with disruptive economic and social consequences.

We help established organizations, newly created ventures, and aspiring entrepreneurs recognize obstacles.

Learn more about Problem Lab

The Zero Experience

Don’t know where to start?

Powered by the Faculty of Math and open to all students, the Zero Experience gives you the problem-solving tools to let you make an impact now and discover what you want alongside hundreds of your peers.

Learn more about The Zero Experience

Zero Work

Feeling stuck or overwhelmed?

In just a single weekend, Zero Work gives you the clarity and tools to find the career you’ll love.

Learn more about Zero Work

Mike u0026 Ophelia Lazaridis Quantum-Nano Centre building photograph

WIN / Velocity scholarship

The WIN-Velocity Scholarship supports research-based master’s students from the University of Waterloo looking commercialize their research and build a deep-tech start-up company.

Selected students will receive support from Velocity and funding from the Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology (WIN).

Learn more about the WIN | Velocity scholarship

Outdoors at the University of Waterloo, students mingling and walking on the path

Campus Ambassadors

The Velocity Campus Ambassadors engage, support and connect students with entrepreneurship experiences that help foster ambitious ideas.

Ambassadors are on campus weekly to hand out swag, talk, support & plan events, build community and more!

Learn more about campus ambassadors Apply to become Velocity campus ambassador

Application Deadline for spring term: April 7, 2023

The founder of Sway, Ayush sits with headphones on looking at his laptop in a booth at Velocity

Venture Ready

If you are ready for the next stage, we have programs to support you beyond the University of Waterloo campus.

Our Venture Ready program is a short program that helps founders assess whether their company has the potential to be venture-funded. Learn how to attract venture capital investors and start-up grants, receive advice from our expert mentors on how to build a team, solve early business building challenges, connect with industry experts and key stakeholders.

Participants will be invited to join the Velocity startup ecosystem, receive milestone-based advisory and can start to build connections with other early and late-stage founders from Velocity from our Kitchener downtown location.

Founders must work full-time on their company to be eligible.

Apply now

Curious about Velocity? Join us at our next event

Come meet the Velocity team! Velocity hosts a variety of events on campus every term. From Launch and Info sessions, packed full of information, to hackathons, pitch competitions and more, there is something for everyone.

View upcoming events

Resources beyond Velocity

Meet our partners on campus

Velocity works very closely with four other innovation focused partners on campus to ensure that students have access to the right resources at the right time. Learn more about each partner and their unique offerings to find out how they can best assist you on your entrepreneurial journey. Each partner has different expertise so feel free to work with as many as desired.

Velocity campus partners

Funding opportunities

Beyond the Velocity $5K Grant, there are a wide variety of funding opportunities available to University of Waterloo Students with entrepreneurial aspirations. These range from scholarships and grants to investment opportunities. We want you to receive the best support for your entrepreneurial journey, we hope this helps point you in the right direction to success!

View other funding opportunities