Founders & Funders Launches in Canada during Toronto Tech Week 2026 in Partnership with Startup Ecosystem Canada

As part of Toronto Tech Week 2026, founders and investors gathered for an evening of meaningful connections and fundraising insights at the VC Reverse Pitch event, co-hosted by Founders & Funders and Startup Ecosystem Canada, for their very first edition in Canada.

Founders & Funders is a highly curated founder-investor community that creates opportunities for meaningful connections between startup founders, venture capitalists, and ecosystem partners through networking events and founder-focused programming. Their Toronto event on May 26, 2026 marked the organization's first international event, expanding the community beyond its U.S. footprint and into Canada's startup ecosystem. 

Designed to flip the traditional fundraising dynamic, the event gave venture capital firms the opportunity to pitch directly to founders. Rather than founders presenting their companies to investors, venture capital leaders took the stage to share their investment theses, target industries, fund sizes, portfolio highlights, and what they look for when evaluating startups.

The event attracted a highly curated audience of seed and Series A founders actively raising capital, alongside investors looking to connect with promising companies building the next generation of innovation. 

The lineup of investors who joined included:

• OMERS Ventures
• Forum Ventures
• Graphite Ventures
• BDC Seed Venture Fund
• Relay Ventures

The evening began with networking opportunities that allowed founders and investors to connect before the reverse pitch session. During the presentations, investors provided transparency into their decision-making processes, helping founders better understand how venture firms evaluate opportunities, identify market potential, and determine founder-investor fit.

For many entrepreneurs, fundraising can often feel like navigating a black box. The reverse pitch format helped demystify the process by giving founders direct access to information that is rarely discussed openly. Participants gained valuable insights into investment priorities, emerging sectors of interest, portfolio strategies, and the qualities investors seek in founding teams.

The event also highlighted the continued growth and maturity of Canada's startup ecosystem. With venture firms actively seeking opportunities across sectors such as artificial intelligence, enterprise software, fintech, climate technology, and digital infrastructure, founders were able to gain a clearer understanding of where capital is flowing and how to position their companies for growth.

A key theme throughout the evening was the importance of relationship building. While securing capital remains a critical milestone for startups, speakers emphasized that successful fundraising often begins long before a formal pitch. Building trust, demonstrating execution, and maintaining strong communication continue to be essential components of successful founder-investor partnerships.

Previous Founders & Funders events have reportedly contributed to multiple term sheets and successful funding rounds, reinforcing the value of creating spaces where founders and investors can engage in authentic conversations and build long-term relationships.

As Toronto Tech Week brought together thousands of founders, investors, and builders across the city, the VC Reverse Pitch event stood out as a practical and highly valuable opportunity for entrepreneurs navigating the fundraising journey. By turning the spotlight toward investors, the event offered founders a unique perspective on the venture landscape while strengthening connections across Canada's innovation ecosystem.

For Startup Ecosystem Canada, co-hosting the event aligned with its mission to support founders through access to knowledge, capital, and community. The evening demonstrated the power of bringing together entrepreneurs and investors in formats designed to encourage transparency, collaboration, and growth.