One of the most important benefits for entrepreneurs in Waterloo is the plethora of startup and tech events in the Corridor area. At these events, experienced CEOs, founders, and investors in Waterloo share their experiences and knowledge with the next generation of startups. Startup events may seem trivial, but the connections and networking at these events can have a make-or-break effect on a growing startup. In fact, many funding advisors recommend that founders who are going through the fundraising process should attend at least three to four startup events per week, when possible, for networking purposes alone.
In the blog post below, we’ve listed plenty of startup events and groups in the Waterloo area for every stage of your startup, whether you’re testing your idea, looking to learn new skills, meet potential co-founders, find investors, or just meet new and interesting people.
Inspirational Startup Events
The are many inspirational startup events and Meetups in Waterloo, where you hear interesting stories from experienced entrepreneurs and begin to meet others in the Waterloo startup community. The great thing about these events is that they are open to the public and very welcoming to newcomers.
- EntSoc
- Fluxible
- Hacking Health Waterloo Region
- LAUNCH Waterloo Meetup
- Startup Open House
- Startup Weekend Waterloo
- StartupTech Unleashed-KW
- TechWaterloo Region Meetup
- True North 2019
- WatCamp
- Waterloo Fintech and Crypto Meetup
- Waterloo Innovation Summit
- Women In Technology Waterloo Region
- Women Who Code Waterloo
Best Practices Startup Events
Waterloo is home to a plethora of beginner knowledge-sharing events. These events are each focused on specific topics related to building a business, and feature expert speakers that share their best practices, tips for success, and pitfalls to avoid. Most of these events are free, but some may charge a small ticket fee that is definitely worth the investment.
- Founder Institute events:
- Co-Founder Networking: Find a Business Partner: 8:00pm, Apr 16, 2025 (America/New_York): https://FI.co/e/366112
- Founder Institute Online Information Session: https://FI.co/infosession
- FI Alumni Panel: Meet Portfolio Companies and Ask Questions: 8:00pm, Apr 23, 2025 (America/New_York): https://FI.co/e/367779
- Investing in Change: Monique Woodard on Building the Future with Cake Ventures: 2:00pm, Apr 24, 2025 (America/New_York): https://FI.co/e/369925
- How to Come Up with Great Startup Ideas: 8:00pm, Apr 28, 2025 (America/New_York): https://FI.co/e/366663
- Co-Founder Networking: Find a Business Partner: 8:00pm, May 05, 2025 (America/New_York): https://FI.co/e/370006
- What is the DNA of an Entrepreneur? Insights from 15 Years of Research: 8:00pm, May 07, 2025 (America/New_York): https://FI.co/e/366500
- Ask an Investor Anything: Q&A with Nathan Beckord: 1:00pm, May 12, 2025 (America/New_York): https://FI.co/e/366493
- Startup Pitch Practice: Share Your Idea and Get Expert Feedback: 1:00pm, May 26, 2025 (America/New_York): https://FI.co/e/370414
- Agile/Lean P2P
- Canada's Technology Triangle .NET User Group
- Data for Good - Waterloo Region
- DesignChats
- Elasticsearch Meetup - Waterloo/Kitchener
- EOS Waterloo
- Internet of Things Waterloo Region
- Kitchener Waterloo DevOps Meetup
- Kitchener WordPress Meetup
- KW Cyber Security Meetup
- KW Ruby Developers
- KWJavaScript
- Lean Product Waterloo
- Manufacturing and Operations P2P
- NetSquared Kitchener/Waterloo
- Rust KW
- Startup Founder 101 Waterloo
- Startup Grind Waterloo
- Startup Laurier
- uxWaterloo
- Waterloo Artificial Intelligence Community
- Waterloo Blockchain Meetup
Events to Network and Form a Team in Waterloo
When you're ready to start building a team, it's time to attend events, talk about your startup project, and meet people that share your interests in Waterloo. While attending any of the events listed in this post can help you meet potential team members, the events below are especially useful
- Android KW
- BNI Canada
- CoFoundersLab
- DevHouse Waterloo Meetup
- Ethereum Developer Meetup (Waterloo)
- Founder2be
- FounderDating
- GeekMeet Kitchener/Waterloo Technology Meetup
- Kitchener Small Business Meetup
- Kitchener Waterloo Business Women's Association
- Ontario Network of Entrepreneurs
- Southern Ontario Automation and PLC Programming Meetup
- Startup Waterloo
- Startups and Beer
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Builder-Focused Events and Hackathons in Waterloo
If you have a technical skillset, or are looking to network and learn from people that have a technical skillset, then it is worth looking into the maker-focused events in Waterloo. These include hackathons, technical Meetups, and other communities that foster people building products.
- NASA Space Apps Hackathon - Kitchener-Waterloo Region
- Catalyst137
- CivicTechWR
- ETHWaterloo
- FaithTech Labs - Working Group
- Hack the North
- HACK4HEALTH
- HackerNest Kitchener-Waterloo Tech Socials
- Hacking Health
- Indie Game Development P2P
- Kotlin Waterloo P2P
- Kubernetes and Cloud Native Kitchener-Waterloo
- KW Go Developers
- Kwartzlab Makerspace
- MyShop Makerspace
- OpenHack Waterloo
- StarterHacks
- Waterloo VR/AR - Virtual and Augmented Reality Meetup
- WPL Tech Events
Startup Bootcamps in Waterloo
Events focused on making concrete progress on your startup. These usually specialize in a particular skill or vertical, and offer comprehensive training.
- Bridging Entrepreneurs to Students (BETS)
- Code Squad Camp
- D2L Night School
- Digital Product Design with Signal UX
- Docker Waterloo
- Fierce Founders Bootcamp
- Founder Institute
- GDG Waterloo
- GPUG PHP User Group
- iOSKW
- Kitchener node.js Meetup
- K∩W - Intersections KW
- KW Big Data P2P
- KW Content Strategists
- Lean Startup Machine
- Microsoft Ventures Startup Bootcamp: Waterloo
- NeuroTechKW
- Product Management P2P
- Shopify Sessions
- StemLabRobotics
- Tech Savvy
- Technical Communication P2P
- Technical Support Innovators P2P
- The Revenue U
- The Zeitspace Sessions
- UX Book Club KW
- Waterloo Artificial Intelligence & Deep Learning
- Waterloo AWS User Group
- Waterloo Data Science and Data Engineering
- Waterloo Region Small Business Centre
- Waterloo Technology Chautauqua
- WatPy
- Web Developers P2P
- WWITPRO User Group
Investor Networking Events in Waterloo
If you already have a team and/or product, then you might be ready to start networking with investors in Waterloo. There are many events in Waterloo that gather angel investors (affluent people that invest their personal capital in early-stage startups or entrepreneurs, and generally provide only a small one-time investment to help the business grow), angel investor groups (networks, or syndicates, of angel investors who pool their resources together to invest more money than would typically be issued with a private angel investment), and venture capital firms (large institutional funds that provide large amounts of funding for later stage companies with impressive and proven growth), like the ones listed below.
- Communitech Fierce Founders Bootcamp Pitch Competition
- Communitech: Pitching to Investors
- Corridor Demo Day
- Golden Triangle Angel Network - RAW
- Startup Pitch Nights Waterloo
- Velocity Fund Finals
Are you looking for expert guidance and feedback to build a startup in Waterloo?
The Founder Institute is an idea-stage accelerator that works with solo-entrepreneurs, and teams, during the earliest stages of building a business. Through an intensive 3.5 month program, FI participants build their business through a proven structured process, and receive feedback and assistance from over 30+ successful entrepreneurs and investors in Waterloo. Upon completing the program, Graduates join a global network of entrepreneurs and receive ongoing help to get funding and build their business. FI Graduates have raised over $1.85BN in funding, and are building some of the world's fastest growing companies.
Learn more about the Founder Institute at FI.co, join a free startup event in Waterloo, or apply to build a startup in Waterloo today.
