THE UNORDINARY Featuring Marissa McNeelands
About this Event
Marissa McNeelands launched Toast one month into her master’s degree.
Within its first week, the company was in 80 publications across Canada.
By year three, she had sold the majority share and stepped away.
That was the rocket ship. This is the conversation about what it actually looked like from the inside.
What this conversation is about
Founder stories that hit the media that fast usually get told one way. The launch numbers. The press hits. The rocket ship metaphor.
What almost never gets told is the part between week one and year three. The decisions. The tradeoffs. The moves that worked and the ones that didn’t. What it actually cost to move that fast. And what “stepping away” from a company you built looks like when the company keeps going without you.
Marissa is bringing all of it. Lindsey is asking the questions. This is the story between the headlines.
How the night runs
• 5:30 PM doors. Drinks, arrivals, settling in.
• 6:00 PM open networking, food, and drinks. Meet the room before the room starts.
• 7:00 PM Lindsey interviews Marissa. Thirty minutes of pointed, specific questions.
• 7:30 PM live audience Q&A. Ask what you came to ask.
• 8:00 PM sponsor moment, drinks, lingering conversation.
• 8:30 PM wraps. Stay for drinks or head home.
About Marissa McNeelands
Marissa McNeelands is the founder of Toast, a recruitment platform built to place women in tech roles. She launched the company one month into her master’s degree. Within its first week, Toast was covered in 80 publications across Canada. By year three, she had sold the majority share and stepped away from a company she’d built into a rocket ship.
Who this is for
Founders and operators wondering how someone else moved that fast. Women in tech watching for the story that finally names what the trajectory actually cost. Anyone who suspects their next move is bigger than the next rung. Curiosity is the only entry requirement.
What this isn’t
Not another leadership event. Not motivational speaking. Not a coach selling a course at the end. Not a room full of strangers trying to sell each other something. You won’t leave with a workbook or a five step framework or a free intro call offer.
Curated room. Real story. No pitch.
Agenda
🕑: 05:30 PM - 06:00 PM
Arrivals.
🕑: 06:00 PM - 07:00 PM
Open networking
🕑: 07:00 PM - 07:30 PM
Main Event
🕑: 07:30 PM - 08:00 PM
Live audience Q&A and Wrap Up
Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
CAD 0.00
