In-Person Event

Pitch Night Toronto: A $1M Fireside + Founder Feedback Live

Pitch your startup to experts

Date

Jul 23, 2026

Time

03:00 pm - 05:00 pm

Address

64 Vaughan Rd 3rd Floor, Toronto, ON M6G 2N4

Timezone

How does a founder go from a Founder Institute idea to a $1M raise? Find out live. Join Founder Institute Toronto for an evening built around one thing: the real mechanics of building and funding a startup. Toronto FI Leader Sunil Sharma sits with Vadym Sydorenko, Founder & CEO of SmartphoneKey — an FI Toronto graduate now raising a $1M round at a $10M valuation, with the first $200K already wired. In an unscripted fireside interview, they'll dig into the raise itself: how Vadym built investor conviction, what the deal actually looks like, the product traction behind it, and the lessons every founder in the room can use. In the second half, founders from the audience take the stage to pitch, and get direct, candid feedback.

Who should Attend?

Anyone who wants feedback from leading entrepreneurs
Anyone who has an early-stage startup and wants expert feedback
Anyone who has an idea for a startup or a tech company
Anyone who needs practice and expert advice on pitching

Who Pitches?

We will be selecting people from the audience to pitch, and will do as many as time allows. To prepare, work on your one sentence pitch at https://fi.co/one-sentence-pitch.

Spectators are welcome!

Even if you don't want to pitch, you are invited to register, hear startup ideas, and watch how the experts analyze and critique new businesses.

For more information about the investors, accelerators, incubators, and tech events available in Toronto, see our list of Startup Resources. Interested in perfecting your pitch? Read our Pitch Deck Guide.