October Update: Builders, Bots, and Big Energy
Waterloo didn’t slow down — it found another gear.
Waterloo was never just a place, it’s a pattern. A builder culture forged through co-ops, late nights, and a quiet belief that real work compounds over time. Our people leave, but the current never breaks; it strengthens. From San Francisco to New York to Toronto, Waterloo builders carry the same code: build with substance, stay connected, send opportunity back.
Today, that global brain bank is showing up in a new wave of grassroots energy — communities like Builders Club, Socratica, Den1880, and Catalyst Commons — re-lighting the engine that trained us. We don’t lose talent when it moves; we amplify it. This is what it looks like when a city becomes a network, and a thesis becomes a doctrine: Waterloo builders build from here, everywhere.
Read more here. 30 posts on why building here makes sense.
October was proof of that momentum. Builders Club kept the rhythm strong with sprints, socials, hikes, and the return of a few Waterloo classics. Across the region, founders, students, and operators filled the calendar every week.
⚙️ What Happened in October
Hard Tech Hike (Oct 2) — back on the trails, connecting founders, engineers, and students for real talk outside the office.
SWARM Robotics Hackathon (Oct 3–5) — 500+ robots, one swarm, and a packed weekend at Communitech that showed what happens when Waterloo goes deep on hardware again.
Women Who Launch: Startup Social (Oct 7) — a full room of founders and operators driving new energy into the ecosystem.
Founders & Funders: Techstars Toronto + Waterloo Relaunch (Oct 14) — reconnecting the UW network with investors and alumni, putting Waterloo founders back in the spotlight.
Pancake Social (Oct 16) — syrup-fueled networking at Builders Club — the most consistent un-serious serious event in town.
Techtoberfest + Oktoberfest Tech Mixer (Oct 16–17) — the week Waterloo tech remembered how to party.
Build Canada Waterloo Meetup (Oct 23) — the beginning of something new: a cross-country movement starting in Waterloo, connecting builders nationwide.
Spooky DevHouse Waterloo (Oct 27) — demos and a reminder that building can still be fun.
🎭 Plus: Socratica F25 ran four sessions (Acts VI–IX), blending art, research, and technology into something entirely its own.
📊 In total: 21+ Waterloo Region events — Every week had a touchpoint.
🚀 Programs in Motion
Fall Founder Sprint
The 6-week sprint is underway — dinners, workshops, and Sunday Build Days bringing together founders pushing ideas from 0→1. Expect new launches and progress updates next month.
Supported by Osler and TD Innovation.
🔗 Apply for the Winter Sprint
Hive Chats
Hive Chats are now open to everyone to try — opt-in, 1:1 builder conversations that connect you with someone new every two weeks.
This isn’t mentoring. It’s not sales. It’s not a panel.
👉 It’s real connection, builder to builder.
🌎 Builders Making Noise
Waterloo’s reach keeps going. From Waves’ continued traction, 3E8 Robotics launching, Voltra Energy opening their office in SF, to Normal, Automatix, and Relling shipping from YC. The Waterloo mafia is loud again, and that’s a good thing.
🏠 Community Expanding
Akatos House opened its doors this fall, another builder-driven hub adding depth to the region’s ecosystem.
📢 A Note on Format update!
Starting this month, there’s a small format change.
The weekly and monthly updates will now live under one Substack, but the weekly section is something you can opt in or out of depending on how much noise you want in your inbox.
When this started, Substack didn’t even support that kind of setup, so credit where it’s due: thanks to Waterloo alum Chris Best and the Substack team for building such a great tool.
If you’re reading this, you’re already in the right place. You’ll stay subscribed to the monthly updates automatically and if you want the week-to-week pulse, you can turn it on/off anytime.
October reminded us: momentum is built week to week, event to event, conversation to conversation.
Waterloo’s rhythm is getting louder.
See you in November,
— Jesse
👉 Follow: @TheBarnWaterloo | Builders Club on LinkedIn
🗓 Events: lu.ma/waterlooevents
📬 Weekly update: https://startupbarn.substack.com/s/the-barn-weekly