Startup Grind Toronto

Tired of being the one in the hot seat? We’re flipping the script.

On May 26th, Startup Grind Toronto is heading to the Smart & Biggar offices for a Reverse Pitch Night. We’ve invited a panel of active investors to step up to the mic and pitch you.

Who should be in the room?

Venture-scale Founders: Especially those in the "build and scale" phase looking for the right capital partners.
Founders Navigating a Raise: If you’re preparing a term sheet or refining your pitch, come see how the other side thinks.
Deep Tech & Product Innovators: Founders building IP-heavy products who need to bridge the gap between innovation and legal defensibility.
The Tech Ecosystem: Investors and builders looking to connect during the height of Toronto Tech Week.

What you’ll take away:

Watch top-tier VCs reveal their 2026 thesis—what industries and stages they are actually betting on right now.
Gain insights into the legal foundations of a successful scale-up, from corporate structure to navigating venture deals.
Learn how to treat your intellectual property as a strategic asset that drives your valuation.
Direct access to the partners at LaBarge Weinstein and Smart & Biggar alongside Toronto’s leading founders and investors.

Agenda

5:00 PM: Drinks, Pizza & Networking

5:45 PM: Reverse Pitches & Q&A

6:30 PM: More Networking

About Our Partners

Smart & Biggar: Canada’s leading intellectual property firm, dedicated to helping innovative companies protect and maximize the value of their IP assets on a global scale.

LaBarge Weinstein: A premier boutique law firm specializing in the startup lifecycle, from venture capital financing to high-profile M&A and IPOs.

Stop guessing what investors want. Come hear them pitch it to you.

Agenda

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Hosted By

Ankur Sethi, Director

Ankur Sethi is a seasoned entrepreneur and venture capitalist with over 17 years of experience building and scaling consumer businesses across technology, finance, and healthcare. He has led ventures from inception to over $350 million in annual revenue and $2 billion in valuation, combining operational excellence with a deep understanding of evolving consumer behavior.

Daria Tilikanova, Co-Director

Daria Tilikanova is a business and startup coach who helps founders and service-based entrepreneurs build scalable businesses with clear strategy, strong positioning, and predictable revenue systems.

Originally from Russia, she founded and sold two education companies before moving to Canada, where she shifted into full-time mentoring for early-stage and growing founders.

Daria has worked with 200+ entrepreneurs across tech, education, wellness, and agency-based businesses, guiding them from first clients to stable growth and team building. Alongside her private practice, she is a Venture Fellow at Winner Capital, supporting startup evaluation and founder readiness for investment.

Her coaching combines business structure, mindset work, and execution clarity - helping entrepreneurs grow without burnout or chaos.

Lydia Emanuel,

I run a consultancy that focuses on Talent Strategy and Operations for fast-moving companies. Instead of just hiring people, I build the systems that help businesses scale without the chaos.

I also lead Events and Sponsorships for Startup Grind Toronto, connecting the best brands to our local tech community.

Diana Subbotkina,

I help grow the Toronto startup ecosystem through Startup Grind Toronto, connecting founders, investors, and operators through curated events, partnerships, and community initiatives.

My work focuses on bringing the right people into the room and creating opportunities for meaningful connections and growth.

Shabs Badsha,

Sukanta Goswami,

Inquisitive entrepreneur connecting and collaborating with earlystage ventures by investing time and energy in bringing new ideas and concepts to the market.

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Global Partner

Carta (http://www.carta.com/launch?utm_campaign=20240423-nam-general-smb-startup_grind_partnership&utm_medium=social&utm_source=startup_grind)
Carta helps people manage equity, build businesses, and invest in the companies of tomorrow. Carta Launch is the only free cap table product, helping new founders get started. The company is trusted by more than 40,000 companies, over 7,000 funds and SPVs, and over two million equity holders to manage cap tables, compensation, valuations, liquidity, and more. For more information, visit carta.com.

Partners

Smart and Biggar (https://www.smartbiggar.ca/)

Winner Capital (https://winner.capital)
Winner Capital is an early stage to growth stage syndicate fund investing across North America

LaBerge Weinstein (https://www.lwlaw.com/)

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Startup Grind is a global startup community designed to educate, inspire, and connect entrepreneurs. We host monthly events in more than 600 cities and 125+ countries featuring successful local founders, innovators, educators and investors who share personal stories and lessons learned on the road to building great companies. Our monthly fireside chat interviews, startup mixers and annual conferences provide ample opportunities to connect with amazing startups and the people behind them, tap into a strong support network, form meaningful connections and gain inspiration for the startup journey ahead. For more information visit StartupGrind.com or follow us on twitter @StartupGrind.

Complete your event RSVP here: https://www.startupgrind.com/events/details/startup-grind-toronto-presents-reverse-pitch-night-smart-amp-biggar/.

Hear from Kathleen Chan (Founder and CEO at Calico), Jonah Midanik (Managing Partner at Forum Ventures) and Goodmans Partner, Danielle Levesque, as they share their experience of venture financing as a founder, investor, and lawyer to growing technology companies.

This session is curated specifically for Seed+ founders and active venture investors looking to navigate their next funding round.

The Agenda:

8:30 AM: Arrival & Networking

9:00 AM: Keynote Masterclass

10:00 AM: Refreshments & Networking

The Perks

Spend the morning with a founder, investor and lawyer who have extensive experience with venture financing.
Network with a select group of growth-stage peers and institutional investors - high-level conversation without the noise is guaranteed!
Enjoy refreshments provided by our hosts at Goodmans.

Secure your seat to master your venture capital strategy.

Agenda

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Hosted By

Ankur Sethi, Director

Ankur Sethi is a seasoned entrepreneur and venture capitalist with over 17 years of experience building and scaling consumer businesses across technology, finance, and healthcare. He has led ventures from inception to over $350 million in annual revenue and $2 billion in valuation, combining operational excellence with a deep understanding of evolving consumer behavior.

Daria Tilikanova, Co-Director

Daria Tilikanova is a business and startup coach who helps founders and service-based entrepreneurs build scalable businesses with clear strategy, strong positioning, and predictable revenue systems.

Originally from Russia, she founded and sold two education companies before moving to Canada, where she shifted into full-time mentoring for early-stage and growing founders.

Daria has worked with 200+ entrepreneurs across tech, education, wellness, and agency-based businesses, guiding them from first clients to stable growth and team building. Alongside her private practice, she is a Venture Fellow at Winner Capital, supporting startup evaluation and founder readiness for investment.

Her coaching combines business structure, mindset work, and execution clarity - helping entrepreneurs grow without burnout or chaos.

Lydia Emanuel,

I run a consultancy that focuses on Talent Strategy and Operations for fast-moving companies. Instead of just hiring people, I build the systems that help businesses scale without the chaos.

I also lead Events and Sponsorships for Startup Grind Toronto, connecting the best brands to our local tech community.

Diana Subbotkina,

I help grow the Toronto startup ecosystem through Startup Grind Toronto, connecting founders, investors, and operators through curated events, partnerships, and community initiatives.

My work focuses on bringing the right people into the room and creating opportunities for meaningful connections and growth.

Shabs Badsha,

Sukanta Goswami,

Inquisitive entrepreneur connecting and collaborating with earlystage ventures by investing time and energy in bringing new ideas and concepts to the market.

---

Global Partner

Carta (http://www.carta.com/launch?utm_campaign=20240423-nam-general-smb-startup_grind_partnership&utm_medium=social&utm_source=startup_grind)
Carta helps people manage equity, build businesses, and invest in the companies of tomorrow. Carta Launch is the only free cap table product, helping new founders get started. The company is trusted by more than 40,000 companies, over 7,000 funds and SPVs, and over two million equity holders to manage cap tables, compensation, valuations, liquidity, and more. For more information, visit carta.com.

Strategic

Goodmans LLP (https://Www.goodmans.cq)
Canadian Corporate Law Firm

Partner

Winner Capital (https://winner.capital)
Winner Capital is an early stage to growth stage syndicate fund investing across North America

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Startup Grind is a global startup community designed to educate, inspire, and connect entrepreneurs. We host monthly events in more than 600 cities and 125+ countries featuring successful local founders, innovators, educators and investors who share personal stories and lessons learned on the road to building great companies. Our monthly fireside chat interviews, startup mixers and annual conferences provide ample opportunities to connect with amazing startups and the people behind them, tap into a strong support network, form meaningful connections and gain inspiration for the startup journey ahead. For more information visit StartupGrind.com or follow us on twitter @StartupGrind.

Complete your event RSVP here: https://www.startupgrind.com/events/details/startup-grind-toronto-presents-breakfast-masterclass-goodmans-llp-venture-financing-and-term-sheets/.

What does fundraising look like in 2026?

The capital landscape has shifted. The "growth at all costs" era is over, replaced by a focus on sustainable unit economics, AI-driven efficiency, and strategic resilience. Whether you are raising a pre-seed or gearing up for a Series A, the rules of the game have changed.

Join Startup Grind Toronto on May 28th at Startuptive for a tactical deep dive into the current state of venture capital. We’ve assembled a powerhouse panel to give you a 360-degree view of the fundraising journey:

Swish Goswami (CEO and Founder, Stealth Startup, formerly Head of Growth @ Boardy, CEO of Surf) breaks down how to leverage modern growth tactics and AI to build the traction that investors can't ignore.
Kayli Smith (Co-Founder & CEO of Friendlier) shares the raw, "boots-on-the-ground" experience of successfully raising capital and scaling a circular economy startup in today’s evolving economy.

Miryam Lazarte (Founder & CEO of Global Startups Accelerator; General Partner, GSA Ventures): Offers a unique dual perspective as both an accelerator leader and a venture capitalist focused on global scale.

Wael Jabir (Moderator | Chief of Staff at Hustle Fund): Represents an early-stage venture firm investing in "hilariously early" startups. Wael brings insights from Hustle Fund’s massive 600k+ media ecosystem and their 2,600-member global angel community.

This isn't just a panel; it’s a masterclass in modern storytelling and financial strategy. Come for the insights, stay for the high-energy mixer with fellow founders, beer, and pizza.

The Agenda:

6:00 PM: Doors Open & Pre-Event Networking

7:00 PM: Fundraising in 2026: Panel Discussion & Q&A

7:45 PM: Founder & Investor Mixer (Pizza & Beer provided)

Stop pitching like it's 2021. Come learn how to win in 2026.

About Our Venue Partner

Startuptive is a collaborative coworking community designed for ambitious founders, remote teams, and independent professionals. We offer flexible workspace options, high-speed internet, curated events, and a supportive environment that helps you focus, connect, and grow your business. Whether you’re launching your first startup or scaling your next big idea, Startuptive is where productivity meets community.

Agenda

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Hosted By

Ankur Sethi, Director

Ankur Sethi is a seasoned entrepreneur and venture capitalist with over 17 years of experience building and scaling consumer businesses across technology, finance, and healthcare. He has led ventures from inception to over $350 million in annual revenue and $2 billion in valuation, combining operational excellence with a deep understanding of evolving consumer behavior.

Daria Tilikanova, Co-Director

Daria Tilikanova is a business and startup coach who helps founders and service-based entrepreneurs build scalable businesses with clear strategy, strong positioning, and predictable revenue systems.

Originally from Russia, she founded and sold two education companies before moving to Canada, where she shifted into full-time mentoring for early-stage and growing founders.

Daria has worked with 200+ entrepreneurs across tech, education, wellness, and agency-based businesses, guiding them from first clients to stable growth and team building. Alongside her private practice, she is a Venture Fellow at Winner Capital, supporting startup evaluation and founder readiness for investment.

Her coaching combines business structure, mindset work, and execution clarity - helping entrepreneurs grow without burnout or chaos.

Lydia Emanuel,

I run a consultancy that focuses on Talent Strategy and Operations for fast-moving companies. Instead of just hiring people, I build the systems that help businesses scale without the chaos.

I also lead Events and Sponsorships for Startup Grind Toronto, connecting the best brands to our local tech community.

Diana Subbotkina,

I help grow the Toronto startup ecosystem through Startup Grind Toronto, connecting founders, investors, and operators through curated events, partnerships, and community initiatives.

My work focuses on bringing the right people into the room and creating opportunities for meaningful connections and growth.

Shabs Badsha,

Sukanta Goswami,

Inquisitive entrepreneur connecting and collaborating with earlystage ventures by investing time and energy in bringing new ideas and concepts to the market.

---

Global Partner

Carta (http://www.carta.com/launch?utm_campaign=20240423-nam-general-smb-startup_grind_partnership&utm_medium=social&utm_source=startup_grind)
Carta helps people manage equity, build businesses, and invest in the companies of tomorrow. Carta Launch is the only free cap table product, helping new founders get started. The company is trusted by more than 40,000 companies, over 7,000 funds and SPVs, and over two million equity holders to manage cap tables, compensation, valuations, liquidity, and more. For more information, visit carta.com.

Partners

Startuptive (https://startuptive.com/)
Startuptive is a collaborative coworking community designed for ambitious founders, remote teams, and independent professionals. We offer flexible workspace options, high-speed internet, curated events, and a supportive environment that helps you focus, connect, and grow your business. Whether you’re launching your first startup or scaling your next big idea, Startuptive is where productivity meets community.

Winner Capital (https://winner.capital)
Winner Capital is an early stage to growth stage syndicate fund investing across North America

---

Startup Grind is a global startup community designed to educate, inspire, and connect entrepreneurs. We host monthly events in more than 600 cities and 125+ countries featuring successful local founders, innovators, educators and investors who share personal stories and lessons learned on the road to building great companies. Our monthly fireside chat interviews, startup mixers and annual conferences provide ample opportunities to connect with amazing startups and the people behind them, tap into a strong support network, form meaningful connections and gain inspiration for the startup journey ahead. For more information visit StartupGrind.com or follow us on twitter @StartupGrind.

Complete your event RSVP here: https://www.startupgrind.com/events/details/startup-grind-toronto-presents-fundraising-in-2026-panel-amp-mixer/.