Have you considered building a startup from your research?
Thanks to a generous donation by computer science graduate, Sam Pasupalak (BCS 2012, pictured below with Bill Gates), you could win $20,000 in funding for your startup and acceptance into the Velocity Garage incubator program.
Sam Pasupalak co-founded the artificial intelligence company, Maluuba, which was acquired by Microsoft in 2017. Maluuba focused on teaching machines to think, reason and communicate.
Application process
All interviews will take place at the Velocity Garage in downtown Kitchener during the day on February 6, 2019. After the interview, your team will be notified if selected as the $20,000 winner. The winning team, as well as the top two finalists, will have professional showcase videos produced about their research, commercialization path and startup ambition.
Eligibility
Your team must have at least one co-founder who is currently, or has been in the last 12 months, a University of Waterloo graduate student, who owns (or is anticipated to own) at least 20% of the company.
You are not eligible to apply if your company (if already incorporated) has received more than $100,000 in external investment (convertible debt, equity, etc.), including government grants. Note this does not include personal scholarship funding (e.g., Canada Graduate Scholarship).
Important dates
Applications
open: December
10,
2018
Applications
close: January
20,
2019 at
11:59 p.m.
Applicants
notified
if
moving
on
to
interviews: January
30,
2019
Interviews
at
the
Velocity
Garage: February
6,
2019
Learn more about the application process and tips eligibility. Get your application in before January 20, 2019 at 11:59 p.m. EST.