As a founder navigating the current venture capital landscape, you’ve likely felt the shift: the criteria for securing capital are evolving, and AI is increasingly at the center of how companies are evaluated. While technology promises efficiency, it can also accelerate existing biases, making it harder for high-potential startups to break through traditional networks. Innovation Factory is proud to support this community-led session, Who Decides Who Gets Funded, designed to pull back the curtain on the decision-making process.

Join InclusifAI and Innovation Factory for a look at how funding decisions are made, where risk is often misinterpreted, and how you can position your startup to be assessed accurately. Whether you are preparing for a seed round or scaling your operations, this event provides the strategic clarity you need to navigate the path to capital with confidence.

What you’ll learn

This session is designed to provide actionable insights for both those seeking capital and those deploying it. You’ll walk away with:

• Identify evaluation frameworks: Understand the specific metrics and AI-driven signals investors use to interpret risk and potential in today’s market.
• Navigate funding bias: Learn to identify where standard evaluation processes create blind spots and how to present your data to overcome these hurdles.
• Optimize your pitch for accuracy: Gain practical strategies to ensure your company is being measured on its merits rather than just familiar network signals.
• Access the Founder and Funder Lounge: Discover how to leverage curated networking opportunities to build direct, aligned introductions with capital allocators.

For startups and entrepreneurs, understanding the “why” behind a “no” is just as important as the “yes.” At Innovation Factory, our mission is to build stronger founders and foster a more inclusive innovation ecosystem. By examining the mechanics of funding, we empower our community to navigate the financial landscape with better precision, ultimately shortening the path to growth and success.

Who should attend

• Early-stage founders who are actively preparing to raise capital or are currently in-market.
• Investors and capital allocators looking to refine their lens on deal reviews and reduce decision-making bias.
• Ecosystem operators who influence funding pipelines and want to support more equitable capital distribution.

Founder & Funder’s Lounge

Applications are now open for our Founder & Funder Lounge, a highly curated, pre-event session designed for high-potential founders preparing to raise capital. This private activation brings together 20 selected founders and 10 funders actively deploying capital to create direct, aligned introductions.

How to participate:

• Register: Secure your spot for the main event via Luma.
• Apply: Log into the InclusifAI platform and submit your application via the Spotlight tab by May 14th, 2026.
• Review: Applications are selection-based; approved founders will receive a private invitation to the Lounge.

Location:

MNP LLP – Accounting, Business Consulting and Tax Services
1 Adelaide St E Suite 1900, Toronto, ON M5C 2V9, Canada

​About ​Toronto Tech Week

​Toronto Tech Week is a citywide celebration of the people building what’s next. From May 25–29, 2026, founders, investors, and builders come together for hundreds of community-led events across Toronto, connecting tens of thousands of people around Canadian tech. Torontotechweek.com