​Come hear how the best in the game learned from their biggest mistakes.

​Welcome to the most honest night of Waterloo Tech Week.

​Founders pivot, VCs miss deals, and operators make calls that cost the company. None of it ever gets talked about publicly. Three spotlights & honest stories behind the people you look up to, and how they got through it.

​FRV scouts will also be present on the night, so if you are building something or actively raising, we would love to hear what you are working on!

​The Panelists

​Jay Chopra ⤵
Exited Co-founder @ Polarity

​Christian Levan ⤵
Operator @ NationGraph

​Matthew He ⤵
VC @ White Star Capital

​Who This Is For

​Anyone building, investing, or creating. Founders from pre-seed to Series A. Waterloo and Laurier's best engineers, designers, and CS students already shipping projects. Operators, creators, and ecosystem leaders from across Canada. If you are ambitious and hungry to learn from the people who have actually been through it, this room is for you.

​What to Expect

• ​6:45 | Arrival & Introductions

• ​7:30 | Spotlight 1

• ​8:00 | Spotlight 2

• ​8:25 | Break. Food, music, mingle.

• ​8:45 | Spotlight 3

• ​9:15 | Open networking & FRV scout desk live

​Details

• ​📍 Communitech, The Tannery Building

• ​🗓️ Wednesday, September 16, 2026 — doors at 6:45 PM

• ​🍽️ Catering provided

• ​🎟️ Private event — seats are curated and space is limited!

​Brought to you by Front Row Ventures, Stan, Inovia, and Waterloo Venture Group