The New Foundations for High Performing Teams.
OVERVIEW
The playbook for high-performing teams has changed. While change is a constant for team leads across departments and industries - the pace of change has made it harder than ever before to establish strong processes, practices and systems of cooperation.
Most of us are adapting in real time. And most of us are doing it without a map.
So what does high performance actually look like right now? What still works, and what needs to be rethought? What will a great team look like six months from now?
That's what this evening is about.
We've designed an intentional evening, balanced between inspirational talks and intimate, industry specific breakout rooms to dive into these topics and establish some creative consensus.
For Our Keynote - we're pleased to welcome:
Emile Studham, founder of Cooperation Works, author of the forthcoming book The Cooperation Code. Emile has lead cultural development for The Toronto Blue Jays, BMO, Hydro One and dozens of startups. Following Emile, we'll be inviting a curated panel of Team Leads and AI practitioners picks up the threads Emile will setup for us all.
For Our Panel (more panelists to be announced soon)
We're going to have a down to earth conversation to capture a pulse about the most challenging collaboration issues & opportunities that various leaders within different industries are seeing & feeling at the moment.
Moderator:
Jason Goodman | Product & AI Consultant for Brave Teams.
Panelists:
Markus Grupp | Senior Director of Product Design & UX Research at Loblaws Digital
Holly Heglin | Partner, AI & Innovation at Jarvis Consulting Group
The Breakout Rooms
You'll be able to join one of 10 industry-specific breakout rooms — each consisting of five people and a dedicated facilitator.
After the event, you'll receive a customized report with the key takeaways and actionable recommendations from your session.
Food and drinks are on us throughout.
SCHEDULE
3:00 PM — Doors open and refreshments & food served.
3:30 PM — Keynote — Emile Studham, Cooperation Works
3:45 PM — Panel discussion
4:15 PM — Breakout sessions (you pick your room)
4:55 PM — Final thoughts + synthesis
5:00 PM — Networking & refreshments cont.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND
This one's for you if you're a Team Lead, people leader, or Founder who's actively thinking about how to build and sustain a high-performing team right now — not in theory, but in practice.
Team Leads across product, engineering, operations, marketing, and HR
Founders rethinking how their teams work in an AI-accelerated environment
People leaders and department heads who know culture is the work, not a side project
Attendance will be capped at around 60 people.
ABOUT VEN GARDEN
Ven Garden is a Fractional Venture Studio built on a new model of cooperation. Led by Jason Goodman, Fractional Product & AI Lead at Goodman & Co. (www.goodmanandcompany.io) Ven Garden brings together fractional talent who invest their expertise in exchange for revenue share — a different kind of alignment between builders and the ventures they grow together.
Ven Garden's first venture is Aretek (www.aretek.ca) — the innovation layer for the construction industry.
ABOUT VISION TALENT
Vision Talent is a full-service tech talent partner for companies at every stage — from building junior pipelines through hire-train-deploy to finding the right senior leaders when it counts. Their whole approach is built around one thing: getting the right people in place so you can actually focus on the work.
ABOUT TORONTO TECH WEEK
Toronto Tech Week is a citywide celebration of the people building what's next. From May 25 to 29, 2026, founders, investors, and builders come together for hundreds of community-led events across Toronto, connecting tens of thousands of people across the Canadian tech ecosystem.