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Nain Abdi
Undergraduate student, Faculty of Engineering
Co-op and Experiential Education
Velocity
Co-founder, Colare
Student startup makes hiring engineering talent easier
Waterloo student launches Colare through co-op and entrepreneurship programs to reimagine recruitment for engineers
From a young age, third-year electrical engineering student Nain Abdi saw business opportunities everywhere, often turning his hobbies into ventures and ideas into action. That entrepreneurial drive only grew stronger at the University of Waterloo.
Through programs like Enterprise Co-op and Velocity, Abdi is developing his startup, Colare, while earning a co-op credit and gaining access to mentorship and industry connections.
“Waterloo programs are rooted in setting students up for the entrepreneurial path if they decide to take it,” Abdi says. “The idea of starting something yourself is always alive here. For me, it was that entrepreneurial energy combined with Waterloo’s reputation as a top engineering school in Canada that really drew me in.”
Inspired by his own co-op experience, Abdi and his co-founder Esther Thomas built Colare to help companies better assess engineering talent. The platform uses simulation-based assessments to evaluate candidates in real-world scenarios, helping employers understand how candidates think, build and solve before they even come on-site.
The University of Waterloo acknowledges that much of our work takes place on the traditional territory of the Neutral, Anishinaabeg, and Haudenosaunee peoples. Our main campus is situated on the Haldimand Tract, the land granted to the Six Nations that includes six miles on each side of the Grand River. Our active work toward reconciliation takes place across our campuses through research, learning, teaching, and community building, and is co-ordinated within the Office of Indigenous Relations.
