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University of Waterloo

The University of Waterloo runs the world's largest post-secondary co-op programme — over 25,000 students across more than 120 programs — and is the single largest source of Canadian tech founders. Its students are the talent pipeline most Canadian startups hire from.

EducationWaterlooFounded 1957uwaterloo.ca
25,000+students in the world's largest co-op program, across 120+ programs (stated on the TechTO stage, April 2022)TechTO
19%of Canadian tech founders graduate from Waterloo (stated on the TechTO stage, April 2022)TechTO

The people

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Working at University of Waterloo

Browse open roles across the community on the TechTO Job Board — Canada’s most connected tech network. University of Waterloo’s roles show up here whenever they post.

Open roles on the TechTO Job Board ↗Or their own careers page: uwaterloo.ca/careers ↗

Jobs live on jobs.techto.org — the only structured source. We link to it rather than scraping career sites, so the board is always the source of truth.

On the TechTO stage

Every talk is searchable — ask the archive about University of Waterloo

About

Waterloo was founded in 1957 and built around co-operative education, which is why it matters to Canadian startups more than its size would suggest. Its co-op programme is the largest in the world, with over 25,000 students enrolled across more than 120 programs, and graduates leave with up to two years of paid full-time experience. Around 19% of Canadian tech founders come out of Waterloo, and Toronto is the single largest destination for its tech co-op students. The campus ecosystem includes the Velocity incubator, Communitech and the Accelerator Centre. Tammy Kim-Newman, then a business developer with Co-operative and Experiential Education, ran a TechTO breakout in April 2022 on how a small company hires that talent and pays for it — the federal Student Work Placement Program refunds 50–70% of wages, and stacks in Ontario with the co-operative education tax credit.

Backers

A publicly funded Ontario university. Not venture-backed.

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Quick answers

Why is a university in this directory?

Because it is the talent supply for a large share of Canadian tech, and it took the TechTO stage in April 2022 to explain how startups can hire from it. Roughly 19% of Canadian tech founders are Waterloo graduates.

How big is the co-op programme?

Over 25,000 students across more than 120 programs, the largest in the world. Students graduate with up to two years of paid full-time work experience, and Toronto is the top destination for those working in tech.

How does a startup pay for a co-op hire?

The federal Student Work Placement Program refunds 50–70% of wages for eligible Canadian students, and in Ontario it can be stacked with the co-operative education tax credit for up to $3,000 more. International students are not eligible for SWPP; Mitacs internships are the alternative route.

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Maintained by TechTO · facts sourced and dated · last reviewed Aug 4, 2026