In 2023, Avenue spoke to Toast co-founders April Hicke (chief growth officer) and Marissa McNeelands (CEO). That was shortly after they launched their organization, which supports the advancement of women in technology by helping job-seekers and hiring companies find and hire more women in tech. At that time, the duo had already secured 27 partnerships with organizations such as Helcim, AltaML and PurposeMed.
Today, Toast is part of the 1.9 per cent of women-owned businesses that have achieved more than $1 million in revenue. Toast has secured partnerships with more than 125 clients across Canada and the U.S., including some of the countries’ biggest tech companies. It’s welcomed more than 1,600 members (and added more than 10,000 women into their talent pool), and hosted more than 200 events. Bottom line, Toast has helped put more women into roles in the Canadian tech sector and change the conversation about bias in hiring.
In 2024, Toast expanded twice. First, Toast launched chapters in New York City, Los Angeles and Chicago. In Canada, Toast launched Champions, a twice-yearly sponsorship program where male tech professionals are paired with Toast members whom they sponsor in the workplace through advocacy, support and guidance.
“The main difference between a mentor and a sponsor is that a sponsor is someone who raises your hand for you when you’re not in the room,” says Hicke. “That allyship should cost [the sponsor] something — time, money, social capital. Whatever that means to show up as an ally, sponsors show up for you in that way.”
Need to Know: Toast won the Digital Talent Champion Award at the 2024 Start Alberta Tech Awards.