Fuckup Nights Toronto: April 16
WTF is Fuckup Nights?
Failure is a part of any success story, but we don't talk about it enough. We've all been to plenty of events where people tell you how they hacked, hustled, and created their success, but very few where someone gets up and says "I totally messed up, and this is what you can learn from it."
Fuckup Nights Toronto is part of a global speaker series where stories of failed businesses and projects are shared. Each speaker is given 10 minutes and is able to use 10 images. After each speaker, there’s a Q&A session, as well as time for mingling and drinks!
Agenda:
6:30 - 7:15 pm: Registration, meeting fellow community members
7:15 - 8:45pm: Fuckup presentations + Q&A
8:45 - 11:00pm: DJ and more mingling with fellow community members!
Speakers:
Savanna Hamilton: Olympic Broadcaster. NBA & WNBA Reporter & Host
A trailblazer in sports media, Savanna is recognized as the first Black woman to serve as a national sideline reporter for Sportsnet’s broadcast of the Toronto Raptors and the first full-time Black female host on NBA TV Canada. A former host and producer with Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE), she created Three Course Conversation for the Toronto Maple Leafs and Hold Space: Celebrating Game Changers, a cross-team panel series spotlighting changemakers across the Raptors, Leafs, TFC, and Argos. She also developed The Raptors 905 Podcast, launched SWISH: Inside the WNBA.
Savanna is also a host on CBC Sports’ The U, a weekly multi-platform show spotlighting Canadian university athletics (U SPORTS), recently renewed for a second season. She co-hosts and produces Cinderella Stories, a weekly multi-media women’s sports podcast, and partners with leading brands including DraftKings x NFL Canada, Maybelline New York x WNBA Canada, LG x NBA and many more.
Scott Stirrett: Founder, Venture for Canada, Author of The Uncertainty Advantage
Scott is the founder of Venture for Canada (VFC), where he spent over a decade building a national movement that equips early career professionals with the skills, networks, and mindset needed to thrive in an uncertain economy. Since launching VFC in 2013, he has supported over 10,000 young people in launching their careers and raised more than $80 million to expand entrepreneurial opportunities across Canada.
He is also the author of The Uncertainty Advantage, a practical guide for young professionals navigating today’s unpredictable global economy.
Before founding VFC, Scott worked at Goldman Sachs in New York City. He is a graduate of Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service and has been recognized as a TELUS LGBTQ Innovator of the Year, a Young Impact Leader by Future of Good, a Globe and Mail Changemaker, an Action Canada Fellow, and an Ashoka Fellow.
Dmitro Khroma: Founder Burnout Coach | Fractional Hardware CTO | Ex-CTO, Swytch
Dmitro was Co-Founder & CTO of Swytch Bike, where he scaled a global e-bike hardware business from zero to 100,000+ customers, 75+ person team, and $80M+ in revenue.
He also burned out doing it.
What started as commercial pressure — layoffs, pivots, existential product crises — ended up cracking something open. The skills that got him there (systems thinking, relentless execution, never stopping) were exactly what was destroying him. Learning to lead differently, from the inside out, changed everything.
Today he works as a Fractional CTO, Executive Burnout Coach, and group facilitator, helping founders and leadership teams navigate the human side of scaling: clarity under pressure, team culture, creative thinking and the kind of resilience that doesn't require burning yourself down to find it.
Additional Event Details:
Your ticket covers admission and you’ll be able to enjoy drinks and food available for purchase. Check out the menu here.
We can’t wait to celebrate the resilience of 3 amazing speakers who'll be sharing their failure stories with us. Come with an open mind, ready to embrace failure, and meet other members of our growing #FuckupNightsTO community!
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