Scaling Agile

**[GrafanaCON Local](https://grafana.com/events/grafanacon-local/) Toronto - featuring the latest in AI Observability** Join us for a local edition of GrafanaCON — a recap of the keynote highlights combined with fresh voices from the Toronto community, all with an AI twist. We'll dig into actually useful uses of AI in observability, and how to add observability for AI workloads. Free to attend. Pizza and drinks provided. **Talks** 🎤 **Grafana 13: The road to AI-native observability** — Marylia Gutierrez, Principal Software Engineer @ Grafana Labs This talk will walk through Grafana 13 and the most impactful improvements across the platform. Learn how Grafana is continuing to invest in AI to become the first fully AI-native observability platform, and the default choice for agents. 🎤 **Scaling Grafana Assistant: Context, confidence, and AI observability** — Edward Qian, Staff Software Engineer @ Grafana Labs AI agents are only as powerful as the context they receive. In this session, we'll share lessons from building Grafana Assistant and offer practical tips for bringing the right context to get the most out of AI agents. 🎤 **AI tools to optimize your development workflow** — Cristiano Ventura, Senior Software Engineer @ Grafana Labs The way we write software has changed. AI systems read code, plan, execute shell commands, run tests, open PRs, and ship work end-to-end. This talk will showcase useful AI tools and concepts to improve your development workflow. **Agenda** 5:30 PM — Doors open, food + networking 6:00 PM — Talks begin \~8:00 PM — Networking continues 8:30 PM — Wrap *Note that by registering for this event you consent to related event & product communications from Grafana Labs and agree to our [code of conduct](https://grafana.com/events/events-code-of-conduct/).*

Join founders, investors and tech talent at this curated **startup networking event in Toronto.** Meet ambitious builders, exchange ideas and discover new opportunities in a dynamic community environment. **RSVP: [Use this link](https://www.eventbrite.com/e/startup-networking-toronto-founders-investors-talent-mixer-tickets-1987710363204?aff=oddtdtcreator)** **Please note that RSVP is managed via Eventbrite to control attendee lists — don’t ignore it to avoid issues with on-site payment.** **💡 Why This Event Is Different** Most networking events end with exchanged LinkedIn profiles. This one focuses on real conversations and real opportunities. We bring together founders, investors, engineers, operators and talent in a curated environment designed to create meaningful connections. Through interactive networking rounds, open conversations and pitch opportunities, participants can share challenges, exchange insights and build relationships that last beyond the event. **🤝 What to Expect** * **Interactive Networking** Structured networking rounds where participants briefly introduce themselves, share current challenges and explore collaboration opportunities. * **Talent Corner** Recruiters and hiring managers can briefly share open positions, while engineers and operators can introduce their skills and interests. * **Startup Conversations** Open discussions about fundraising, product development, growth and startup challenges. **👥 Who Should Attend** • Startup founders • Investors and angels • Engineers and builders • Operators and product managers • Recruiters and HR professionals • Sales and business development professionals • Job seekers interested in startups • Newcomers to the Toronto tech ecosystem

https://secure.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/5/8/b/f/600_466702719.jpeg Be part of a supportive community of regular people looking to improve their wellness, shed a few pounds and have some fun! Come to our introductory class and learn about our effective and informative 5 week program! Lose up to 10 lbs** in 5 weeks and have the opportunity to win prizes for losing weight! Best of all; learn how to keep the weight off! • Weekly Nutrition Class • Weekly Weigh-in • Personal Wellness Coach to help you! • Support and Motivation • Learn how to keep the weight off! ** As part of a healthy lifestyle you can generally expect to lose around half a pound to 1 pound per week!

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 --- 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 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/) --- 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/.

Startup networking event in Toronto for founders, builders and investors. Meet the right people, share ideas and turn conversations into real opportunities. **RSVP:** [Use this link](https://www.eventbrite.com/e/startup-networking-toronto-founders-investors-talent-mixer-tickets-1987710363204?aff=oddtdtcreator&keep_tld=true) ***Please note that RSVP is managed via Eventbrite to control attendee lists — don’t ignore it to avoid issues with on-site payment.*** **👥 Who This Event Is For** • Founders building startups or validating ideas • Aspiring founders looking to start or join a startup • Builders, engineers and operators open to collaboration • Investors and angels looking to discover early-stage opportunities • People new to the startup ecosystem and looking to connect **🎯 What You Can Get From This Event** • Meet founders, builders and people actively working on startups • Share your ideas and get direct feedback from the community • Discover collaborators, team members or potential co-founders • Connect with investors and people involved in the startup ecosystem • Access real conversations that can lead to opportunities Ascent Valley is a global startup ecosystem connecting founders, builders and investors through events, community and platform. We focus on building structured environments where people don’t just network, but collaborate, share ideas and create real outcomes. Our approach: **[Idea → Process → Result](https://ascentvalley.com/)**

**Looking for a co-founder or startup collaborators in Toronto?** Join founders, engineers, product builders and entrepreneurs for a curated evening designed to help people connect and build startups together. **RSVP:** [Use this link](https://www.eventbrite.com/e/meet-your-co-founder-in-toronto-startup-networking-event-tickets-1988215265380?aff=oddtdtcreator) ***Please note that RSVP is managed via Eventbrite to control attendee lists — don’t ignore it to avoid issues with on-site payment.*** **💡 What Makes This Event Different** * Many people have ideas. * But building a startup alone is difficult. * The best startups are built by strong teams. * This event is designed to help ambitious founders, engineers and builders meet potential co-founders and collaboratorsin a structured networking environment. Instead of random conversations, we create opportunities for participants to share ideas, discuss projects and discover people they might build something meaningful with. **🤝 What You’ll Experience** * ***Interactive Co-Founder Networking*** Before the session begins, participants vote on the topic or challenge they want to explore together. The most popular topic becomes the focus of the networking session. Participants are then divided into small groups to work around that shared challenge. This format helps people quickly connect, understand each other’s thinking, and discover potential collaboration opportunities. It’s networking with a purpose — not just introductions. * ***Startup Pitches*** Selected founders present their startups to the audience and investors. Each pitcher shares their idea, product, or progress and receives visibility, feedback, and potential connections with investors and collaborators. This is an opportunity to showcase what you’re building and spark meaningful conversations after the session. * ***Chill Networking*** After the structured part, participants can continue conversations in a relaxed environment. **👥 Who Should Attend** • Entrepreneurs with startup ideas • Engineers and technical builders • Product managers and designers • Growth and marketing specialists • People looking for a co-founder • Early-stage founders building their first startup • Anyone interested in joining a startup team **🌍 About the Community** This event is part of the **Ascent Valley ecosystem** — a global community where founders, builders and investors meet to share ideas, collaborate and build meaningful projects. *Our mission is to create environments where ambitious people connect, collaborate and grow together.*

**​LEADERSHIP IN THE DAWN OF AI - For Leaders Carrying the Human side of AI Transformation** **Katherine Lynne, author of** *What Are We? Humanity in the Age of AI* **hosts this AI & Leadership talk and Q&A.** *Get tickets! https://luma.com/q3hmkm6c In-person and live streamed.* Corporate leaders, Teacheres, Parents & Anyone looking at the human side of this moment will appreciate this talk and opportunity to connect. *​“I’m responsible for leading people through a moment that nobody has ever experienced. I don’t understand it myself.”* This event is created for you, the leader holding the human side of AI transformation. ​Right now, leaders everywhere are being asked to engage with AI at a pace that feels impossible, steady teams who are worried about their futures, maintain culture in the middle of upheaval, and somehow project confidence while privately navigating their own uncertainty. You might be carrying the emotional weight of an entire organization including the fear and the questions no one wants to say out loud. ​Hosted by Katherine Lynne, author and coach to business owners and senior leaders for over 30 years, this talk and conversation speaks directly to the emotional, cultural and identity-level shifts happening inside us all. ​Drawing on themes from What Are We? Katherine invites leaders to reflect on identity, purpose, and responsibility now, as AI is shuffling the deck and rattling our ideas of creativity, intelligence, and value. This talk aims to inspire curiosity, courage and willingness to rethink what leadership is and will needfully become. ​This is your moment to take a breath, to remember what is important, to re-center and fortify yourself for the road ahead. ​The talk and Q& A will last approximately 75 minutes with opportunity for real-life connecting afterwards. ​**Theme:** Relevant to all industries ​**Audience:** This event will be of particular interest to leaders feeling the human impacts and delicate balances of this new and unprecedented time as AI accelerates. ​**Format:** Talk Q&A, Fireside chat, Networking ​**Event Access:** All are welcome. ​Toronto Tech Week is a citywide celebration of the people building what’s next. From May 26–29, 2026, founders, investors, and builders come together for hundreds of community-led events across Toronto, connecting tens of thousands of people around Canadian tech. [Torontotechweek.com](https://torontotechweek.com/?utm_source=luma).Come join this talk LEADERSHIP IN THE AGE OF AI with author Katherine Lynne Get tickets! https://luma.com/q3hmkm6c In-person and live streamed.

**DevOps Toronto is officially back, and we’re kicking off 2026 with an in-person meetup!** After a pause, we’re excited to bring the community together again for an evening of learning, connection, and great conversations 🤝 This is a great chance to reconnect and meet fellow DevOps, cloud, and platform engineering professionals in Toronto. **What to expect:** 🎤 **2 technical sessions** 1. Crawl, Walk, Scale: Building Maturity into your internal development platform by Jeferson pereira 2. Bring Your Own AI: Running LLM Models in Your Lab by Alexander Kharkevich 🤝 **Dedicated networking time** with the community 💡 Real-world insights, hands-on learnings, and meaningful discussions **📅 Event Details:** 📅 **Date:** 28th May 2026 ⏰ **Time:** 5:00 to 7:30 PM EST 📍 **Venue: 7th Floor, AWS Office,** **18 York St, Toronto, ON M5J 0B2, Canada** **🎤 Interested in speaking?** We’re actively looking for speakers to take the stage and share their experiences with the community. 👉 **Submit your talk here:** [https://sessionize.com/devops-toronto-2026/](https://sessionize.com/devops-toronto-2026/) ✨ Let’s bring the DevOps Toronto community back stronger than ever. 🔒 **Note:** This is a **community-driven event**. We respect your privacy and **will never share attendee information for any monetary or promotional purposes**.

Can your agents scale without bankrupting your API quota or your compute budget? Join this session to explore a production-ready architecture that uses the LLM Council pattern, Google’s Agent Development Kit (ADK) for Java and Spring AI, all deployed on Cloud Run. And discover how replacing probabilistic reason-and-act (ReAct) loops with LLM Council enable goal-oriented action planning (GOAP) creates agents that are not only smarter but also significantly lighter and faster – making them the perfect workload for serverless execution. **About the venue** Free Times Cafe has bistro-style seating and a full food and drink menu. Please consider helping to support the venue by planning to have supper during the talk. **Speaker Bio** Dan Dobrin is an App Architect in Google Cloud, helping customer teams adopt modern AI technologies, cloud-native patterns, practices and technologies in GCP. Dan focuses on building GenAI applications, adopting AI coding assistance tooling with Gemini, Native Java Images, Spring AI, event-driven architectures, production-readiness and performance optimization. Prior to joining Google Cloud, he has built highly scalable, low-latency, frameworks for technology, security and financial services organizations.

### Each Crossroads & Connections workshop is a fast, friendly mash-up: short demos, paired practices and intentional reflection. We keep it light, embodied, and social—so wisdom lands in your muscles and your circle, not only your mind. There isn’t one technique that fixes everything, for everyone, in every situation. ### What is it? We pair complementary domains to spark shared flow, fresh insight, and unforgettable “aha!” moments. You leave with lived skills, not just notes. * **Dialogue** gets you out of solo spin: small-group formats expose blind spots and sharpen “shared reality,” so your next move matches *this* person and *this* moment. * **Imaginal** practice is guided “as if” rehearsal you look *through*, not *at*: walking the beats before the scene means your body recognizes turns when stakes rise. * **Mindfulness** steadies the camera: attention stops jerking around, drama gets de-amplified, and you can catch the instant you’re narrating motives and swap in one honest question. * **Embodiment** makes it actionable through direct, non-verbal experience and how your inner experience matches your outer expression. Facilitators: Varies Fee: $30USD - Or a 10-pack for $200USD [Please visit here](https://awakentomeaning.com/crossroads-and-connections/) for registration and more information.

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. Sponsor Highlight Deel is the all-in-one global HR platform helping companies hire, pay, and scale international teams from day one — no local entities required. From onboarding contractors and employees in 150+ countries to running compliant payroll in 100+ currencies, Deel simplifies global hiring, HR, equity, and equipment management through one centralized platform — so founders can focus on building, not paperwork. As part of the Startup Grind community partnership, eligible new clients can access up to $5,000 in Deel credits through Startup Grind Toronto. Learn more: Startup Grind x Deel Credits Agenda --- 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/.

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 --- 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 --- 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/.

Join other experienced and aspiring agile coaches and professionals to: * develop and practice your coaching skills in a peer-to-peer environment * share current successes and challenges in your work environment and get support from each other * learn together, build better relationships and experiment with new ideas

QA or the Highway is a one-day, affordable, regional, professional conference featuring real-world experience and thought leadership in the QA and testing industry. This is a ticketed event please register here: https://www.qaorthehwy.com/ Featured Keynote Speakers: **Matthew-Hope Eland** **(Wizard at Leading EDJE)** \- An AI Specialist and Wizard at Leading EDJE who is known to teach software engineering\, AI\, and data science concepts in the most ridiculous ways possible\. Matt has used machine learning to settle debates over whether Die Hard is a Christmas movie\, reinforcement learning to drive the behavior of digital squirrels\, data analytics to suggest improvements to his favorite TV show\, and AI agents to play board games and create an AI agent with the personality of a dog\. Matt is the author of "Data Science in \.NET with Polyglot Notebooks" and "Refactoring with C\#" as well as several LinkedIn Learning courses\. Matt helps organize the Central Ohio \.NET Developer Group\, runs several blogs and a YouTube channel\, has a Master’s of Science in Data Analytics\, and is a current Microsoft MVP in AI and \.NET\. **Tatyana Arbouzova** **(CEO at Innovate QA)** \- Tatyana Arbouzova is an engineering and business leader with a strong background in Quality Engineering across multiple industries\, including Big Tech\, Healthcare\, and Entertainment\. She has held leadership roles at world\-class companies such as Microsoft\, VMware\, Disney\, and The Pokémon Company International\, where she focused on building quality\-driven cultures and scaling teams to deliver high\-impact products\. With decades of experience\, Tatyana has helped organizations transform their quality practices so teams can deliver software efficiently\, confidently\, and with measurable business outcomes\. Today\, Tatyana advises software companies on adopting AI to optimize quality practices and improve how software is delivered at scale\. She is also a passionate community builder and the founder of Innovate QA\, a thriving Seattle\-based community and conference for quality professionals\.

**Important time note:** Please plan on arriving between 5:30 and 6:00 as the elevators lock after 6 and you'll need to message us and we'll need to come get you. The building address is 4450 Bridge Park The entrance is 6620 Mooney St, Suite 400 You will need to scan your ID at the door to get a visitor badge. **Abstract** Like it or not, AI agents are now capable of turning a quickly written paragraph of requirements into a pull request that is ready to be integrated into real-world production applications and it's now our responsibility to make sure AI doesn't go rogue and take down prod - or corrupt our data by misunderstanding the requirements or our existing schemas. In this session we'll explore strategies to protect our codebases through unit and integration testing, documentation, and code review along with additional ways of providing context and guard rails to our AI agents as they carry out the work we've assigned them to do. By the time we're done, you'll have a firm grasp of the problem and understand some helpful options for protecting your codebase from vibe coding mishaps getting YOLOed into prod. **YouTube Link** https://youtube.com/live/BltmWMH1zG0?feature=share

Join us for Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn! Fresh from a brief stay at a psych hospital, reporter Camille Preaker faces a troubling assignment: she must return to her tiny hometown to cover the unsolved murder of a preteen girl and the disappearance of another. For years, Camille has hardly spoken to her neurotic, hypochondriac mother or to the half-sister she barely knows: a beautiful thirteen-year-old with an eerie grip on the town. Now, installed in her old bedroom in her family's Victorian mansion, Camille finds herself identifying with the young victims—a bit too strongly. Dogged by her own demons, she must unravel the psychological puzzle of her own past if she wants to get the story-and survive this homecoming.

Most people use AI like a search box: they type one sentence, hope for the best, and get frustrated when the answer is generic, wrong, or useless. But getting better results from tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and other AI systems is not about memorizing magic prompts. It is about learning how to give the AI better context. In this beginner-friendly session, we’ll break down how to make AI dramatically more useful by improving the way you communicate with it. You’ll learn how to give clearer instructions, provide examples, set constraints, ask for better output formats, and use follow-up questions to turn a mediocre answer into a genuinely useful one. We’ll cover practical techniques you can use immediately for work, learning, writing, coding, planning, research, and everyday problem solving. We’ll also touch on why these same ideas show up in more advanced AI systems, including RAG, agents, evaluations, and AI workflows. No technical background required. Bring your curiosity, your questions, and maybe one real task you wish AI was better at helping you with. **What you’ll learn:** * Why “better prompting” is really about better context * How to structure requests so AI gives more useful answers * How to use examples, constraints, and output formats * How to iterate when the first answer is not good enough * How these skills connect to more advanced AI workflows This meetup is for anyone who wants to move beyond basic ChatGPT usage and start getting more practical value out of AI. LOGISTICS AND PARKING: The talk starts at 7:00 PM. The first half hour is reserved for everyone to get set up and mingle. Free pizza and drinks! The cheapest parking option is to find street parking, which will only cost you a few bucks. Otherwise, park in the nearby veteran's museum lot for $8. It's highly recommended you avoid the nearby $15 garage parking.

Couldn't make Knowledge? Or want to debrief the dancing robots or Autonomous Workforce? Join us for a Knowledge '26 recap, insights sharing, a couple rounds of golf, and fun at Topgolf. As always, drinks and food will be provided. More details to come — mark your calendar, RSVP, and save your spot today!

Christians in Tech is a community at the intersection of faith and technology. Our meetups are designed to spark meaningful conversations, promote knowledge sharing, and encourage growth—both in your career and your spiritual walk with God. Whether you're an experienced professional or just starting your tech journey, CIT welcomes you. Our Website [https://linktr.ee/citcbus](https://linktr.ee/citcbus) Sponsors and Partners * Improving (Venue Sponsor) * Bethel World Prayer Center (Fiscal Sponsor) * Fruits & Roots (Coffee Partner)