Founder Poker Toronto

Made free by Fasken, Boast AI, and Dentacloud


+ A NEW EVENT SERIESFounder ___________ Torontoa new series of fun events run by founders, for founders.
__________ is whatever you want it to be - read more below!

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A COMMUNITY // NOT A CASINO


Thanks to Fasken, Boast AI, and Dentacloud, Founder Poker includes a sick venue, woodfire pizza, and drinks at no cost.


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IYKYKApply To Join Below

Founder Poker is for Members Only. If you're a member & you don't see emails from us, check your email, or contact Derek.If you want to join our community, read the wall of text & fill out the form.



Apply To Join The Club

Establishing Culture - A Letter From Derek, the creator of Founder Poker Toronto.The goal of FPT (Founder Poker Toronto) is that this community becomes an always-available in-person group of friends for any founder in Toronto. We play poker but, let's be honest, it's not a very serious poker night. Poker's just way more fun than doing yet another "cocktail hour".We're an inclusive group that treats each other like friends, not business prospects. FPT is a haven to unwind and experience the people behind the companies. FPT is reliable; we'll always be here on the 2nd Tuesday of the month. If you're a part of FPT, you're also reliable, and won't no-show if you say you're coming.Our attendance is actually pretty killer for a 'networking event', often in the 90%+ range. Especially amongst members who have been to at least 1 event, where there have really only been a handful of no-shows since we started. FPT however, is not a just some 'networking event'. We're a friend group, so I'll continue to push that 100% of you are accounted for every month. You don't ghost your friends; and I expect you wont ghost us.Why do I do this? Simply because I care about accountability. I feel bad turning away the waitlist when no-shows occupy spots they could have showed up with.FPT is not for profit, and it's not even a not-for-profit. It's a friend group. So, if you contextualize the decisions that FPT makes, a lot of things will make more sense.There's no fee to come (i.e. would you pay a door ticket to see your friends?)There's no Slack group (we're only meant to exist for 1 day each month; the expectation is that for founders on the other days, you're building).There's no official social media (the only way to experience FPT is to actually show up).There's no 'name-tags' (single events in time have name badges; FPT exists each month, and it won't take long before you know your new friends by name).That if you don't show up, expect I'll be in touch to let you know that your no-show made me sad (because I care about my friends, and you wouldn't ghost your friends).Fill out the below to apply to join Founder Poker Toronto. If you're a founder/VC... welcome to the club.

Min 5+ words in the long answer text box or it'll be filtered by the spam check!



What is a Founder? Who is this for?

We are an exclusive hangout for founders in Toronto to share resources, make friends, and to figure out how to best support each other. We also allow select VC/Angel investors to join our club, as they play an integral part in the tech-ecosystem.So, what is a Founder? Or at least, how do we define it?We define a Founder as: You are the person who created a tech or tech-related company, and you pursue this company as your sole full time focus....okay, what's a tech or tech-related company?It all comes down to how a venture scales. Tech companies (vs. a 'normal business') can create scale by producing more technology; instead of say, hiring humans to do serve the core function of the business. This technology is typically unique and defensible; generating IP, etc.Because of the nature of how tech companies scale, they can achieve billion dollar status in 5 years or less; whereas more traditional businesses can take multiple decades to do the same. This means that tech-companies have vastly different problems, desires, and need a different set of resources to win. These are the people we're trying to support.A 'normal business' is like a cafe, a construction company, a real estate firm; all of these can only achieve scale by hiring more people. These people provide a service, and the service is dependent on how the people are trained. If you change out all the staff in a 'normal business', you likely have a completely different business. If you change out all of the people in a tech-company, the product remains the same. Normal businesses are awesome ventures to build, and are way more likely to actually be profitable/successful. But the needs are different; we're trying to cater to Toronto's tech ecosystem.So, who's allowed in?-Startup Founders of Tech Companies who are building full time.
-VCs and Angels who invest in such Tech Companies (subject to approval by FPT).
-Founders of agencies that support the Toronto Tech ecosystem (subject to approval by FPT, and requiring a referral from an active founder who's already in the community)
Approval is a privelege, not a right: We review everyone who applies to join and if we sense something is off, we won't let you in. If we sense that you're just joining to try and sell something, we're going to say no. We may ask for referrals / references from founders who are in the community if we don't know you.If you don't see yourself in those categories above, but you feel you should be allowed in anyways? Well, apply below to join! We'll consider you and respond 100% of the time to all inquiries.



The Poker

OUR COMMUNITYFounder Poker Toronto is a monthly no-stakes poker tournament for 64 founders & aspiring founders here in Toronto. The goal of this community is to make friends, share resources, and network with other active (or aspiring) startup founders in Toronto, all whilst playing cards.It's a community; not a casino.Founder Poker Toronto is networking, friendship building, and company building, accompanied by cards. When you join our community, you can expect a few non-competitive poker rounds over dinner & drinks which culminate in some sponsored prizes.IT'S FREE, AND YOU GET...-Woodfire Pizza from SlowSouth Pizza (veg, vegan, meat options)
-1 Drink Ticket - Valid for any beer, bar rail, or non alcoholic beverage
-Toronto's most exclusive hat... but only if you win
SCHEDULE:6:00PM - 6:45PM: Poker 101 for First Time Poker Players
6:45PM - 7:00PM: Arrival time if you know how to play Poker
7:00PM - 7:30PM: Dinner / Networking
7:45PM - 9:00PM: Round 1 of Poker, 15 min break
9:15PM - 10:00PM: Round 2 of Poker & Winners Announced
THE POKER-We teach Poker 101 before every meetup from 6pm to 645pm
-Texas Hold'em Style (~7 players/table) + 1 dealer.
-We play 2x ~45min-1hour rounds each meetup.
-The winner of each table will go to the Winner's Table for Round 2.
-Chips reset between rounds, so if you bust out, nbd. You're back in!
-If you win your table, make it to the winners table, or place top 3, we'll track your points for the season.
There is an end of year poker event exclusively for the winners, so if you are one of the top-24 placing folks from Jan-Nov, you'll qualify for that!


_________

We also do __________, not just poker.It's whatever we feel like. It just has to be fun.Usually happening sometime in the last week of the month.If you want to host a ____________ event with Founder Poker, let us know!


Upcoming Dates

We (usually) play on the 2nd Tuesday of every month

DateDoingLocation
October 22ndWomxn's PokerIYKYK
Nov 5thDrag BingoAmore Restobar
Nov 16thSecret FinaleIKYKYK
Dec 12thYear End PartyTBD
2nd Tuesday of Each MonthPokerIYKYK
Some other day Each Month_______Wherever it happens


Title Sponsors

Fasken truly knows how to assist founders with the legal hurdles and challenges that they face in the earliest days up to having the depth of talent to assist you when you grow. If you're looking to talk to lawyers that understand what it's like to found in Toronto? Talk to Kate Grant, she'll set you up with the right folks.Learn more at fasken.com

Boast helps companies easily capture more of their eligible R&D tax credits with its scalable, intelligent software and expert services. Governments give away $20 billion in R&D tax credits each year but applying has been difficult and slow. Not with Boast. Thousands of innovative companies leverage Boast to get more money, faster, and with less risk.Learn more at boast.ai

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2024 'Glory' Leaderboard

We play for glory, not for money. These points earn you a right to play for the big prize at the Big December Finale. Tiebreaks will be decided by how many events you came to, and then further tiebreaks will be given in favour of our dealers.

NameFounder OfOverall
Abhijit KeriwalHostelmatch11
Stephanie CurcioNLPatent9
Kate GrantFasken7
Derek JouppiAdvite & Founder Poker6
Varun SetlurProphet6
Osama SiddiqueKruzee5
Javad SiahkamariKon Aerosystems5
Christabel KimStealth5
Prathna RameshFutureSight Ventures5
Arya ShahBanjara5
Timur LuguevEcomtent5
Matthew Wong"Matt's Unnamed Startup"5
Mayuran YogarajahIndex Exchange4
Lily TseThinkDirty4
Saud AzizVault4
Aditi SitolaySynoromed4
Paul CroweMetronome4
Mikerah Q-CHashcloak4
Salim FakhouriStealth4
Sam WuSabba4
Jayson DaleQuiktix3
Masoud AziziSoberfy3
Ashwin SureshkumarDentacloud3
Josh SoferAsk Lilac3
Neil GrunbergStorytime Capital3
Rachel BakerTejo.ai3
Marium KirmaniStarterHacks3
Sennah MostovacMaRS IAF3
Zachary McCueREPWR3
Inaara HasmaniPassage3
Zahin HussainAnkur Capital2
Sentil PillaiPalatar2
Nino MelikidzeImmitracker1
Adrian SavinSyzl1
Godwin ChanMedMe1
Isaac StrangWilderness Union1
Ethi KotiahVeniceFi1
Jayden JungStealth1
Chris JonesCannabis Xpress1
Eunice WuAsepha AI1
Kevin WuGreenfreight1
Aziza WaringSHILO1
Emil KastroCaria Global1
Artem ChaykovskyyStorytime Capital1
Mila BanerjeePronti AI1
Ali MirjahaniFlowjin1
Erica CarnicelliImpression Ventures1
Laura GaborEcologicaa1
Colleen ChangTuuli1
Kajal BansalSpark Career Co1
Fab HepburnCloud Company1
Jackey ChengDentacloud1
Dmitry G.Vendors.ca1
Miro CupakDNAStack1
Michael StychContend Legal1
Max SinclairEcomtent1
Jon ChristensenBidmii1
Nick Di ScipioPantheon Prototyping1
Rory OvasPolar Labs1
Nicole BaranowskiHairstrong1
Erica CarnicelliImpression Ventures1
Trista GileParmazip1
Kirill MoisyeyevThe Fitting Room1
John MaggiriasDentacloud1
Zain SiddiquiThe Fabricats1
Simran NandaSimply Revenue1
Linda MontgomeryMempool Ventures1
Daniel RizziWe-Watch1
Alexis WeiStealth1
Dragos CadaPathPeer1
Shabs BadshaTrustNet1
Dan Benin021 Strategic1
Harrison AmitHovr1
Sara FeldsteinBarumba1
Mohit AroraIndietech1
Sid RaghuvanshiHerald Labs1

About Founder Poker Toronto

Startups are built on favours, love, guidance, and support of the people surrounding their founders. Most people simplify this to one word; their networks.Founder Poker Toronto is a monthly meetup to make friends, share resources, and network with other active startup founders in Toronto. We have the belief that networking doesn't always have to look like a bunch of people in suits and fancy dresses at a cocktail hour after a conference.Simply, come as you are, help people, and be accountable, and you're welcome here at Founder Poker Toronto.

Ticket Availability

For transparency, here is how we do it. First of all, the venue capacity is ~64 people.The first people to be emailed the password are active startup founders. They will have a week to claim their spotThe second group to be emailed the password are aspiring startup founders & agency founders. They have a week to claim their spot.Then, everyone (i.e. including ecosystem partners, VCs, etc.) will be emailed the password.Our meetup first and foremost caters to tech founders - so they get priority! Hope that's cool with you.



2023 Winners

NameFounder OfOverall
Sophia StoneIndietech1
Artem ChaykovskyyStorytime Capital2
Chris TuffordGreen Apple Gives3
Tavis LochheadKadoa4
Alex LamRvere5
Luigi La CorteProvision6
Mohit AroraIndietech7
Derek JouppiAdviteT-8
Rachel Cohen-MurisonViduuT-8

2023 Glory

Name (☑-Finalist)Founder OfPoints
Varun Setlur ☑-10
Dan Pappo ☑Agota Health9
Timur Luguev ☑Ecomtent7
Rich Emrich ☑Acuity Insights7
Sophia Stone ☑Indietech7
Luigi La Corte ☑Provision5
Tony QuSequestr5
Shazia Akbar ☑[Stealth]5
Max BirnerBoxhub5
Nimalan Thavandiran ☑Tissue-X5
Justine Ward LuchiniThirdzy5
Ishika Mittal-5
Mohit Arora ☑Indietech5
Brian Li-5
Derek Jouppi ☑Advite4
Josip VulicAdvite4
Tavis Lochhead ☑Kadoa4
Rachel Cohen-Murison ☑Viduu4
Joe Noss-4
Roy Wainer ☑Townish4
Chris Tufford ☑Green Apple Gives3
Artem Chaykovskyy ☑Storytime Capital3
Alec McIlwraith-BlackFasken3
Josh ScachnowVisto3
Tarun AgarwalTwo Small Fish VC3
Zeeshan Jafri ☑OVRA3
Rahul Kulkarni-3
Lily Tse ☑Think Dirty2
Hannah Brennen ☑ArtHaus2
Marium Kirmani ☑StarterHacks2
Karan SawantRelyft2
Alex LamRvere2
Aria AlimRBCx2
Antonio PericaoNoocleus1
Ian SplinterZap Metals1
Max WooLavaReach1
Juanita Lee-GarciaUpside Foundation1
Evelyn WainewrightHyperscale1
Nadia PulcovaTalentFund1
Ryan WongMana Knight1
Farial KarbasiDesAcc1
Paolo LeoneBranding Centres1
Chelsea VandermeerCaldera Trade1
Michael SousaSingleKey1
Eunice WuAsepha AI1
Matthew WongTriage Tickets1
Daniel LeeAcutehat1
Martin HauckThe People People Group1
Sean BillingsOutPoint1
Daniel RizziWe-Watch1
Alvin ChengIconthin Biotech1
Karem TopalismailogluThe Dressing Room1
Bernhardt GarlippGoodX Healthcare1
Eliana BravosND Connect1
Daniel MossPadder1
Natalia Bakaeva[Stealth]1
Arthur SousaLittl1
Ege YayCloudSale1
Daniel BeninGlissner1
Arron LinRBCx1
Anna BilanArlos1
Jake WoloshynFasken1
Vit VimalTuuli1
Simran Nanda-1
Karan Deep-1
Zainab Bokhari-1
Aman Lohia-1
Amin Sammara-1

2022 Glory

DateFirstSecondThird
May 2022Akshaj JainNael CavazosDerek Jouppi
June 2022Flawnson TongOliver WalerysDerek Jouppi
July 2022Aman LohiaBenjamin ParryOliver Walerys
August 2022Derek JouppiArchie WoodVincent Chang
Sept 2022Dragos CadaMaria O'RiellyNims Thavandiran
Oct 2022Donna YangLewis LiuSameer Dhar
Nov 2022Nino MelikidzeJohn GoffAdam Gronowski
Dec 2022Aman LohiaAdel SahawanehDerek Jouppi