The Showcase Room: Business Networking Night
Two-part evening: 5 businesses showcase what they do, followed by a 25-seat AI working lab where we work through real business problems live. Toronto, July 8.
🧠 A curated night for businesses ready to make AI practical.
You’ve been to the networking events.You know how they go.
You walk in → collect cards → give cards → repeat the same conversation seven times → go home → follow up with two people → one replies.
Three weeks later… you’re not sure why you went.
This isn’t that.
🪑 Welcome to Volume 02
The Founders Loop is built for founders running real businesses. Established or just starting. A room for the work, the loop, and the technology layer most founders never had time to add.
Volume 01 ran on May 27. Five founders pitched. Fifteen worked the Lab. Read the founders directory at tfl.segmentide.com/founders.
🔄 The format flipped since last volume
Last volume, the Lab came second and the work ran out of time. This volume, the Lab comes first, while the room is fresh. You do the thinking before you arrive. The working hour goes to building, not warming up.
📝 Before you arrive: the prework
Every Lab attendee completes a fifteen-minute worksheet before the event. One goal. Your signals. Your noise. Your bottleneck. One outcome you want from the Lab. You bring it on a device.
If you have not submitted by 24 hours before the event, your seat releases to the waitlist. The prework is the price of admission. It is also why the Lab produces something real.
The worksheet link is in your confirmation email.
🗓️ Run of show
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3:45 PM. Showcase setup. Showcase founders only.
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4:00 PM. Doors open. Walk the room. Meet the showcase.
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4:15 PM. The AI Lab opens. Sixty minutes of working time, in small groups, with Claude, ChatGPT, and the tool that fits your problem.
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5:15 PM. The Showcase. Five founders, five minutes each.
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5:40 PM. Lab share-out. Fifteen attendees, one minute each.
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5:55 PM. Wrap. Tables stay live for networking spillover.
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6:00 PM. Out the door.
🎟️ Two ways to join
🧾 Showcase Table. $50.
For Canadian businesses running three years or more.
You get a table, a chair, space for one roll-up banner, five minutes of stage time, and a table that stays live through the Lab and the networking spillover.
Five spots only. Application required. This is a curated room. Not every application is accepted. We review every submission to balance industries and stages. You will hear back within five business days.
💡 AI Lab Attendee. $25.
For founders and operators who want to bring a real problem and walk out with something working.
You complete the prework worksheet, bring a laptop, and join the sixty-minute working session. At the end, you share what you built in one minute.
Fifteen seats. First come, first served. Worksheet completion required.
🎒 What to bring
A laptop. Your completed prework. A real bottleneck you want help with. The willingness to share what you built in one minute at the end.
For showcase founders, also: your roll-up banner, your business materials, and your five-minute pitch.
👥 Who this is for
Business owners. Founders. Operators. SMEs. Service businesses. Retailers. Agencies. Consultants. Accountants. Product companies. Tech-enabled businesses. People with real businesses, real constraints, and real problems to solve.
People curious about AI, but tired of being talked at about it.
🧑🤝🧑 Hosted By
Charlotte Kirby, The Village Hive
👩🏻🏫Facilated By
Keerthana MahadevanFounder, SegmentideRegional Director, The AI Collective Canada
🔒 Showcase Table Application
This is a curated room. Not all applicants will be selected.
We review every application to ensure a high-quality mix of businesses in the room. Submitting an application does NOT guarantee a spot.
The AI Collective is a global non-profit building the human layer for the AI era. We unite 200,000+ leaders, builders, and stakeholders across 100+ forums worldwide to democratize the frontier, build trust, and coordinate how society navigates the rapid acceleration of technological progress.
All attendees and organizers at events affiliated with The AI Collective agree to our privacy policy and are subject to our code of conduct.
Disclaimer: The AI Collective is a community partner of the event, and does not participate in the payments, fee-handling for this event.
The Founders Loop
The Founders Loop is a Toronto community for founders running businesses outside the digital services lane. Established or just starting. A room for the work, the loop, and the technology layer most founders never had time to add.
The Village Hive Eglinton
The Village Hive Eglinton has everything you need for a productive work day, from coworking to private offices and meeting space. We offer bright, versatile, furnished private offices for individuals/teams or single workstations in our coworking area with many extra amenities and services to help businesses succeed. Our focus is to build a collaborative community of entrepreneurs and remote workers who share space and support each other to thrive.Located in the heart of midtown Toronto, a short distance from TTC, fitness centres, restaurants, coffee shops and more. Our coworking space and furnished offices are available on a monthly or on demand basis. Contact our community manager to help you find the right workspace option!
For more information please visit website.
