When Kelvin Cui (EngSci 2T2) launched Peripheral Labs, a computer vision startup, he knew he needed to build a team with a very specific mindset — and he knew just where to find that.
“During my undergrad, I was part of the U of T Formula Racing Team, and also aUToronto, which is our self-driving car team,” says Cui.
“There’s no out-of-the-box solution for any of the problems we needed to solve, and the competition is fierce. You need to be scrappy, to work fast, and to be able to take the theory that you learn in class and apply it to the actual challenges in front of you. The ambition, drive and competitive mentality that gets nurtured in those teams is what I wanted for my company.”
Though the seeds of Peripheral were planted while Cui was living in San Francisco and working at an acceleration program called Entrepreneurs First, he knew that Toronto was where he really wanted to be.
“The brain drain is real — if you walk around San Francisco, you run into so many people from Canada, and from Toronto in particular,” he says.
“I recognize the talent that there is at U of T. I thought that if we could offer the pay and experience that you could get with a startup in San Francisco, but enable people to stay here where the cost of living isn’t quite as high, we could hire the talent we need to create a really competitive, research-based company.”
After talking to some of his former teammates from U of T Formula Racing, he heard about the U of T Engineering Partnerships Office, the Faculty’s new co-location space at 800 Bay Street. The space is located adjacent to U of T’s St. George campus, in the heart of downtown Toronto. Cui and his team moved into that space in March 2025.
“Not only are we plugged into the talent pipeline, but we can also partner with the university to design new ways of testing our software, and we can consult with all kinds of experts in virtually any field,” he says.
“It’s been great.”
Peripheral is one of seven partner organizations that are currently co-located at the U of T Engineering Partnerships Office, thereby embedding themselves within a community of companies, researchers and entrepreneurs.
Co-located partners benefit from amenities, resources and convenience while tapping into an ecosystem that fosters rich collaboration. In addition to partner companies, the space is also home to AGE-WELL, a unique Canadian network dedicated to developing technologies and services for healthy aging.
“In creating this space, we were inspired by the Fujitsu Co-Creation Laboratory, which has been around for the better part of a decade now,” says Adriano Vissa, Executive Director, Partnerships at U of T Engineering.
“They license space in the Myhal Centre here on campus, and as a result, are able to work very closely with a wide range of experts across U of T. Over the years, this has led them to expand the number of professors they are working with and evolve the focus of their research program to meet the needs of their industry.
“It’s a really great example of what long-term, sustainable partnerships can do, so we wanted to explore ways to scale that up.”
The Engineering Partnerships Office includes private office space for co-located companies, lounge spaces, meeting rooms and a large bookable event hall. Partners pay a monthly fee that includes access to all the facilities. A compete description of what is available can be found on the U of T Engineering Partnerships website.
Vissa says that what he finds most rewarding is when the new proximity sparks unexpected collaborations.
“Earlier this year, we had a reception in the event space for the GenAI Collective, Toronto Chapter, which connects innovators in AI through in-person gatherings,” says Vissa.
“The CEO of one of our co-located partner companies was in the office that day, and mingled with the student attendees. He was so impressed that he came out to chat with some of them; I don’t know if any of them got hired, but it’s a good example of how putting talented people together in a room can lead to new ideas and new ventures.”
