The honest version of building

The founders who take this stage have been around the ecosystem, participated, and learned. At Together Toronto, four of them showed us what that actually looks like. ​Bryn Davis Williams (DOUBL), ​JJ Tang (Rootly), ​Jocelyne Murphy (Wygo), and ​Rob Imbeault (Backboard) at MaRS.

Here's what stuck:

Creativity is your only unfair advantage. JJ answered Slack at 2am for a year to keep one client. Then bought his competitor's elevator screen ads and ran their churned logos on loop. Bryn ran 150 body scans at a trade show without stopping to eat. You don't need more budget. You need to stop waiting for permission.

The pivot is data, not defeat. Bryn's rule: the problem stays, the solution changes. DOUBL started as a bra company. It's now retail data infrastructure. Two customers signed in 100 days. If you're still obsessed with the problem, you're not failing - you just haven't found the right solution yet.

You can't scale what you won't let go of. Jocelyne watched communities collapse across 42 cities, always the same reason: one person holding everything. Rob said the same about culture at 350 people. What got you here is what stops you next.

Price for the problem, not the competition. Rob didn't price Assent against rivals. He priced it against the next two hires the customer would've made without him. The budget already exists. You're just redirecting it.

Together Toronto's full talks are landing on YouTube this week. Subscribe so you don't miss them.

Before Toronto Tech Week, we're taking the community national.

THIS WEEKEND IN VANCOUVER✈️

TechTO × Althra Hackathon

May 10 | FUNK. Coffee Bar | 9AM-7PM

Mother's Day. The one day we acknowledge what it takes to remember everything for everyone. Build AI that does the same. 10 hours. Full access to Backboard.io, memory layer ranked #1 on LoCoMo. No infrastructure. Just build. A family archive, a grief tool, a personal assistant that actually learns you. Whatever you make - it has to remember.
YC-backed judges. Cash prizes up to $1,000 CAD. First-time shippers welcome.

Vancouver Rocketships & Web Summit Social

May 11 | D/6 Bar & Lounge | 4PM-9PM

Canada's fastest-growing startups take the stage. VCs nominate, founders pitch, then 300+ builders and investors stay for the social. Vancouver is stop one of the national tour. The shortlist feeds directly into the annual Canadian Rocketships List.

The Power Table

May 12 | 6PM-9PM

A curated dinner for founders of Vancouver's fastest-growing companies and recently-exited CEOs. Candid conversation, no agenda, no strangers by the end. Seats are limited and approval-based: [email protected]

🗓️ TiEQuest Summit 2026: Monday, May 25 @ 8:30am - GET TICKETS

🗓️Beyond the Trade - A New Era for Canadian Fintech with Questrade: Tuesday, May 26 @ 4:30pm - REQUEST TO JOIN

🗓️ People First, Product Second: A Consumer Deep Dive with Maveron: Wednesday, May 27 @ 1:00pm - REQUEST TO JOIN

🗓️ Beyond the Bubble: An Intimate Chat with Will Hsu and Alex Norman: Wednesday, May 27 @ 4:00pm - REQUEST TO JOIN

🗓️ TechTO Summer Social: Wednesday, May 27 @ 6:00pm - GET TICKETS

Don’t forget to lock in your year of TechTO! Subscribe to our full events calendar

Members got into Monday's Together Toronto for free. That's what the $249/year gets you - free access to every Together and vertical event, exclusive discounts on all member events, and a private Slack where the conversation keeps going after the event ends.

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