StartupCampWaterloo - Waterloo Tech Week 2026 (sorta)
Barn Ventures is opening up Builders Club for a Waterloo Tech Week StartupCampWaterloo (well, we have to be out of town so we are doing it early). Those who want to demo and Builders Club members are free. If you want to come watch, buy the founders some pizza.
If you sign up to deme you still need to 1. Show up 2, Get your name on the whiteboard. LFG!
...and yes this posted on wygo too — its an experiment to see if I just use luma to promote for Luma vs newsletters, etc. Thanks for being a part of the experiment!
What is StartupCampWaterloo?
StartupCampWaterloo is Waterloo’s low-stakes, high-trust pitch room. Whether you’re testing a wild new startup idea, refining your story before talking to investors, or simply sharing your vision with the community — this is your place.
Come tell us:
What you’re building
Why it matters
Who it’s for
What you need next
You don’t need perfect slides. You don’t need revenue. You don’t even need a product. You need a story.
The Format
6:45 pm — Doors open, networking
7:00 pm — Kickoff & opening remarks
7:05 pm — 1 min pitches + voting
7:30pm — bottom 5 (by votes) Pitches (5 min pitch, 5 min Q&A & feedback)
7:55 pm — break/social
8:10 pm — the top 5 (by votes) Pitches
8:30 pm -- Wrap-up then social
9:00pm — Start heading home
No judging. No prizes. No investors to impress. Just founders helping founders.
Who Should Pitch?
First-time founders
Ambitious students
Technical co-founders figuring out their market
Founders preparing for accelerators or pre-seed
Builders looking for co-founders, collaborators, or early feedback
Why StartupCampWaterloo?
Waterloo needs rooms where ambitious people can practice telling the story of what they’re building — without waiting for permission, funding, or perfect polish. StartupCampWaterloo helps founders clarify their thinking early, while surrounded by people who have done it before — or are doing it alongside you.
Build your startup in public, before you get “on stage.”
This is supported by Barn Ventures, they put $50K cheques into silly early companies in Waterloo: http://barnvc.com
Oh, and the original ones (some of them) can be found here: http://barcamp.org/w/page/405048/StartupCampWaterloo