TechTO x StandUp Ventures: Together With Women @ Espace CDPQ Montreal
TechTO x StandUp Ventures: Together With Women - A Morning of Connection & Conversations
Join TechTO and StandUp Ventures for a special morning dedicated to women in tech and entrepreneurship. Over breakfast, connect with founders, operators, and investors who are shaping the future of innovation in Canada.
This event will feature candid panel discussions with women leaders sharing their journeys: the highs, the challenges, and the lessons learned along the way. You’ll gain insights into building companies, raising capital, and driving change in the ecosystem, all while networking with peers who believe in the power of community and representation.
Whether you’re an early-stage founder, an aspiring entrepreneur, or a supporter of women-led innovation, this is your chance to be part of authentic conversations and connections that matter.
Agenda:
9:00–10.00 AM | Networking Breakfast
10:00–10:10 AM | Welcome & Opening Remarks
10:10 –10:40 AM | The Unfiltered Journey – Later-Stage Founders Fireside
Join Marie Chevrier Schwartz (TechTO) and Lisa Israelovitch (AssistIQ) for a raw, real conversation beyond the glossy headlines- highlighting success, failures, pivots, and leadership lessons including leading through these recent times as a leader who has reached an impressive level of scale.
10:05-10:35 AM | Founder Panel: Building in an AI-Native World
AI is rewriting the rules for how companies are built—faster development, leaner teams, and new capital efficiency dynamics. But is it really that simple?
10:40–11:10 AM | VC Partner Panel: How Venture is Evolving in Real Time
Hear from 4 founding partners at VC funds on how AI is reshaping venture capital—new theses, founder expectations, and portfolio strategy shifts.
11:10–11:20 AM | Closing Remark
11:2- AM–12 PM | Continue Networking and End of the Event
Featured Speakers:
Michelle McBane is the Founder and Managing Director of StandUp Ventures, a pre-seed and seed stage fund investing in women-led and co-led B2B SaaS, digital health, and marketplace startups across Canada and the US. A recognized leader in early-stage venture, Michelle was named the 2025 Woman of Achievement in Venture Capital. Under her leadership, StandUp Ventures has raised two funds and backed some of Canada’s most promising early-stage companies (including all of those featured today!) Beyond investing, Michelle is a champion for inclusive innovation, serving on the CVCA Diversity & Inclusion Committee and shaping national conversations around equity in tech and VC.
Marie Chevrier is the CEO of TechTO, Canada's largest tech community, and Peerscale, a peer network for scale-up executives. As the founder and former CEO of Sampler, Marie led the company in revolutionizing the product sampling industry, helping brands like L’Oréal and Kroger digitize product sampling for millions of consumers. Her journey - marked by both successes and challenges - inspired her to dedicate the next part of her journey toward fostering Canada’s tech ecosystem with a deep focus on supporting the people behind the companies.
Lisa Israelovitch is the Co-Founder & CEO of AssistIQ, where she leads the company’s vision to transform customer experience through AI-powered automation. With deep experience across customer success, operations, and tech leadership, she’s driven growth by blending strategy with empathetic leadership. Lisa holds a background in scaling teams, optimizing support operations, and leveraging data to create seamless user journeys. Under her leadership, AssistIQ has introduced tools that help companies reduce manual workloads, improve response times, and deliver smarter, more human customer interactions.