Lessons from Feld

🔥 TORONTO TECH WEEK REPLAY

We’re so excited to finally release all of our TechTO recordings from Toronto Tech Week.

Toronto Tech Week was busy- TechTO produced 17 events in just one week! We’ve got hours of footage, and over the next month we’ll be dropping a few talks per week so you can catch the highlights (or rewatch your favorites) even if you weren’t among the thousands who joined us live at the TechTO HQ at StartWell.

💡 In this fireside chat, presented in partnership with Golden Ventures, Fasken and ChaiTech,  Brad Feld - legendary VC and co-founder of Techstars - dives deep into the philosophy of Give First, and why it’s the cornerstone of every thriving startup community.

Here’s what you’ll learn:

• The real meaning of “Give First” → It’s not about charity, it’s about investing in community without expecting an immediate return - and why this mindset builds stronger networks.
  
  

• How founders can put it into practice → From hosting small meetups to mentoring one-on-one, even simple acts compound into long-term opportunities.
  
  

• Why mentorship should evolve into partnership → The best mentor-mentee relationships eventually become peer-to-peer, with both sides learning and growing.
  
  

• Tactical founder advice → Use tools like the “Five Whys” to ask better questions, navigate challenges, and avoid jumping to the wrong conclusions.
  
  

• Stories of resilience → How Brad and others weathered the dot-com crash and came out stronger by leaning into the Give First ethos.
  
  

• Dispelling myths about VCs → What founders often get wrong about investors, and why authenticity and alignment matter more than buzzwords.
  
  

👉 If you’re building a company or a community, this talk is packed with timeless lessons on resilience, generosity, and long-term thinking.

^{Thank you to our production and venue partner StartWell for supporting us during Toronto Tech Week. Learn more about StartWell’s campus and production options at https://startwell.co.}

📷 RECAP

This week we welcomed the top Sales leaders from across the industry to share their tips and best practices for today’s sales professionals.

From building a top sales team, learning how to work together, and staying curious about how sales is evolving, we covered the biggest questions for today’s sales leaders.

Here’s a few points that stood out to us:

• Michelle Oke, shared lots of advice for those looking to break into Sales. Her biggest takeaway for those wanting to impress a sales leader, be curious, ask questions and do your research. The best sales leaders have always done their research, whether it be for recruitment or understanding your client, knowledge is key and differentiates you from the rest.
  

• Helen Hsia, shared great advice for engaging your customers: You need to meet the people that are making up the industry you are trying to problem solve for so, Network, network, network.
  

• Thomas Waites, gave us some insights on building a winning sales culture, and it all comes down to believing in your team. Give them the tools they need to succeed, set goals, and don’t forget to make it fun.
  

• Jon Levesque, offered his perspective on the new Top of Funnel, sharing real life examples of how you can sell better. Find real customer use-cases that will help your future customers solve problems.

Check out the full conversations from the evening, and let us know your thoughts:

Join us for the Sales Toronto event on November 12th -  REGISTER HERE.

✨ UPCOMING EVENTS

Together Toronto is back on September 8!

The biggest monthly tech meetup in Toronto is happening again! With more than 500 attendees every time, this gathering offers unparalleled opportunities for networking, learning, and growth.

Join some of the biggest names in tech and the rest of the Canadian tech ecosystem for an evening of powerful content and connections.

Here’s a what people had to say about the last Together Toronto event:

Meet the speakers:

• Emma Stern (Felix Health) co-founded Canada's first fully integrated digital healthcare platform and now serves 1M+ Canadians across 16+ treatment areas- with a focus on stigma-free, inclusive care.
  
  

• Colin Gagich (Inference Labs) is building verifiable and decentralized AI infrastructure at the intersection of AI and Web3.
  
  

• Raz Zohar (Mave) discovered real estate agents spend 35+ hours per transaction on admin work, so he built an AI assistant that works via text messaging. Just raised a $2M pre-seed.

MORE TO BE ANNOUNCED!

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

🚨 CONTEST ALERT

When was the last time you finished an epic day around a moonlit campfire? What about one that included dockside yoga, keynotes, fireside chats, a Women's lunch, high ropes course, climbing wall, DJ dock party, lakeside leisure activities and nightly entertainment - with other entrepreneurs, investors and innovators - you now call friends?

Don't let your answer be never! The TechTO WIN! TO GET IN contest is your ticket to an all-inclusive experience at the reIGNITE Conference! 

Before Friday August 29^th  enter the contest by filling out this quick form. It is that EASY!

The TechTO community can also use promo code FIREITUPTO before September 5  to save $400 on regular price tickets for reIGNITE Conference.

💼 NEXT BIG GIGS

Check out the next big gigs in tech we think you’ll love:

• Join the TechTO team as our next Community Marketing Specialist - this your chance to bring content and stories to life for the Canadian tech ecosystem.
  

• StackAdapt is hiring a Full Stack Engineer, offering you the chance to be directly involved in the development of their advertising platform, producing production level code that will have a direct impact on product success.
  

• Join Motion as a Customer Success Manager, and offer your support and guidance to clients (agencies and DTC brands) on creative strategy and how to best utilize Motion to support their workflows. It’s a chance to lend your creative thinking to how clients will be supported and help reinvent the customer success process.

Looking to hire or get hired? Check out the TechTO Job Board to see 1,000+ opportunities and learn how to get your companies jobs featured.

👀 MORE FROM TECHTO

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