The Community-Led Festival Redefining Canada’s Tech Scene with Taha Hossain and Julia Baird of Toronto Tech Week

In this episode of Tank Talks, we delve into the grassroots movement that's turning heads across Canada’s innovation ecosystem: Toronto Tech Week. Joining us are two of the powerhouse organizers behind the festival: Julia Baird of Golden Ventures and Taha Hossain of Daybreak Studio. With Collision saying goodbye to Toronto, Julia and Taha stepped up to fill the void, co-creating a decentralized, nonprofit, and radically inclusive tech festival that’s rallying an entire city.

From organizing 200+ events across 24 neighbourhoods to collaborating with giants like Shopify and Google Cloud, Julia and Taha break down how Toronto Tech Week came to life, what makes it truly different from traditional tech conferences, and why it matters so much to Canada’s next generation of founders, investors, and builders.

* What’s the future of community in tech?

* How do you run a 5-day, 200+ event festival without a central committee?

* Can a city-scale tech festival really be open-source and inclusive?

How Toronto Tech Week Was Born (00:02:37)

* Why Collision’s exit left more than just a calendar gap

* The spontaneous conversations that sparked a movement

* What it took to rally 40+ early partners and full-city support

Decentralized by Design: What Makes This Festival Different (00:04:50)

* The open-source structure and why it works

* Student-led, VC-supported, builder-run: a new way to “conference”

* Why side events became the main event

Social Media & The Rise of Momentum (00:08:50)

* How Toby Lutke, Twitter, and memes helped launch the idea

* Rallying the community with retro vibes and real voices

* Why the diversity of events is by design, not accident

Designing the Streetcar-Inspired Website (00:11:13)

* Taha’s inspiration from his Toronto commute

* Gamifying city navigation with local flavour

* How retro tech, TTC lines, and nostalgia created an authentic experience

Logistics of a 24-Neighbourhood Tech Week (00:17:44)

* The hidden support of the City of Toronto

* Navigating across the city on foot, by bike, or by subway

* Why decentralization adds to the magic

Building a Global Platform from a Local Base (00:25:08)

* How CDL and other partners brought international attention

* The snowball effect of global participation

* Why leaders like ​Chamath Palihapitiya, Geoffrey Hinton & Harley Finkelstein matter

What to Expect: From Hinton to Homecoming (00:17:44)

* Previewing the biggest events, from BetaKit Town Hall to Netflix’s CTO

* What excites Julia and Taha most on the calendar

* How every community, from AI to CPG, is represented

Hosting an Event? Here's How (00:34:27)

* How the event application process works

* What types of events are welcomed (hint: all of them)

* How organizers can tap into tools, space, and city support

The Ripple Effects: Why This Matters (00:31:22)

* Why Canadians are everywhere but rarely recognized

* Why Toronto Tech Week is a "homecoming" for global talent

* How this might plant seeds for the next wave of innovation

Advice for Founders & Attendees (00:35:58)

* Why Toronto is the easiest place to make real friendships

* What the organizers hope every visitor walks away with

* How optimism and belief drive long-term impact

As cities everywhere chase the next big tech event, Toronto may have just found the blueprint: open, grassroots, volunteer-led, and deeply local. Will other ecosystems follow its lead?

Toronto Tech Week is a weeklong, citywide collection of events to connect and celebrate the tech community. Happening on June 23-27, 2025, it's an open platform for anyone to join or host events to showcase Toronto globally as a city where anything is possible.

About Julia Baird

Julia Baird is the Head of Platform & Operations at Golden Ventures, an early-stage venture capital fund based in Toronto. She’s also one of the founding organizers behind Toronto Tech Week. Julia brings deep experience supporting startups and venture ecosystems and has been instrumental in building the strategic partnerships that power this new community-first festival. When she’s not coordinating 200+ events, she’s championing Canadian tech talent and empowering founders to scale their impact.

About Taha Hossain

Taha Hossain is the founder of Daybreak Studio, a design and technology studio based in Toronto that partners with high-growth startups to craft impactful brand, product, and web experiences. As one of the founding organizers of Toronto Tech Week, Taha led the creative direction behind its now-iconic streetcar-inspired website and brand identity. His work blends playful design with deep cultural context, making tech feel approachable, authentic, and unmistakably Toronto.

Connect with Julia Baird on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliabaird/

Connect with Taha Hossain on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tahahossain/

Visit the Toronto Tech Week website: https://www.torontotechweek.com/

Connect with Matt Cohen on LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/matt-cohen1

Visit the Ripple Ventures website: https://www.rippleventures.com/

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