A tech community that wins together.

We work with entrepreneurs, leaders, and companies to build an inclusive tech ecosystem that welcomes everyone and celebrates success.

TechTO by the numbers

100,000+

Event participants

600+

Events hosted

8

Mics dropped

50,000+

Newsletter subscribers

2,000+

Guest speakers

1

Marriage proposal

How it started

Back in 2014, Alex Norman and Jason Goldlist organized an event for people interested in Toronto’s growing tech ecosystem. They ordered some pizza, picked up some drinks, and invited some guests to exchange stories. More than 100 people showed up to celebrate the local tech community. At the end of the night, enthusiastic participants asked “When is the NEXT event?” TechTO was born.

What we do

We support entrepreneurs and innovators at all stages of their careers and businesses. We host events, both in person and online. We help people develop new skills. We connect people and expand networks. We build relationships and form partnerships. We speak with the media. We advocate for the tech sector. We meet with governments and policymakers. In short, we do whatever it takes to support Canada’s tech community.

Our mission

TechTO aspires to build a community that makes Canada the best place in the world to start or scale a technology company. To make that vision a reality, we focus on three broad goals: improving access to the innovation economy, sharing strategies to accelerate professional success, and promoting the tech community’s contributions to society. Plus, we like to make people laugh.

Our values

Inclusive participation.
Everyone is welcome to join the TechTO community, regardless of their background, experience, or journey. We treat people like individuals. We learn to say everyone’s name. We share the microphone.

Collective success.
Some of the world’s other tech clusters developed reputations for divisive competitiveness. We believe in the spirit of “winning, together.” We celebrate each other’s achievements. We give standing ovations.

Meet, Learn, Grow.
There’s always another person to meet, another idea to consider, and another skill to master. We coach people to reach their individual goals. We encourage experienced leaders to give back to the community.

Founders

Born and raised in Toronto, they worked around the world and then returned home.

Alex Norman

Co-founder

Alex Norman is an investor, advisor, and deep thinker. During his time at Lehman Brothers and McKinsey & Company, Alex provided advice to financial firms and tech companies. After working for startups in New York, Silicon Valley and London (a £400 million exit), he co-founded and sold HomeSav, an ecommerce business. An active investor, Alex is the Canadian partner for AngelList and a partner for N49P, an early-stage venture capital firm he founded. A graduate of McGill University, he earned an MBA from The Wharton School. Alex enjoys running outdoors, watching movies with his wife, and playing Roblox with his kids.

Jason Goldlist

Co-founder

Jason Goldlist is an entrepreneur, advocate, and big dreamer. His eclectic career path began with experiences at McKinsey, Vancouver’s Winter Olympics, and a hotel in Seoul. In strategic roles at A Place for Mom, Jason led initiatives that transformed the failing business into an industry-leading healthcare service. His insights about the tech community have been shared with governments, organizations, and media outlets. An early Wealthsimple employee, Jason helped scale the company to 100,000+ clients. He holds degrees from the University of New Brunswick and INSEAD. Jason enjoys new technology, social gatherings, and cottage time with his family.

Team

No two days are the same, but one thing keeps the team on track: a passion to support the tech community. Also, our GIF game is on point.

Alexandra Reilly

Head of Marketing

A passionate communicator and storyteller that's building relationships, engaging audiences, and growing communities.

Phoenix Ho

Event Operations Manager

Passionate event professional dedicated to creating extraordinary experiences, delivering exceptional results, and bringing people together with enthusiasm

Community Advisors

The technology sector is constantly evolving. We rely on a team of industry leaders to keep the TechTO community on the front edge of innovation.

Alan Cross

Entertainment

Alexandra Panousis

Marketing

Andrew Dick

Entertainment

Belinda Alzner

Product

Chris Jones

Engineering

Christian Wolters

Travel

Helen Kontozopoulos

User Experience & Design

Jared Gordon

Innovation

Jess Weisz

People

Joallore Alon

Engineering

Kenny Goldman

Sales

Kevin Kelly

Engineering

Leah Carr

Finance

Maggie Bergeron

Health

Marie Chevrier

Retail

Matt McCausland

Product

Max Tremaine

Travel

Mike Arsenault

Sales

Nael El Shawwa

Engineering

Nathalia Ribeiro

Entertainment

Rami Karabibar

Investment

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Tanya Gough

Founder at StoryBilder

Where else can you find infectiously fun hosts, interesting presentations, and the opportunity to make dozens of useful new contacts, all in one night?

Thank you to our partners

We’re grateful for the organizations that support our mission of growing and diversifying Canada's technology ecosystem.

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