Founder
A builder community that sparks inspiration
A builder community that sparks inspiration
A 1,500-person community of builders in Toronto, and hundreds of deep connections made in a room.
- For
- MakersLounge
- As
- Founder
The challenge
Builders thrive when they share their work. The people building with AI in Toronto had no shortage of ideas; what they lacked was a place to make those ideas real by telling one person, face to face, and getting a reaction. Online you post into a void. In a room, someone asks the question that changes the project.
What I did
I ran it the unglamorous way. Found venues. Invited people, one at a time at first. Built the itinerary for each night so a first-timer knew what would happen and a regular had something new. Bought the signage. Ordered the pizza. Ran the event, then did it again a few weeks later.
The format stayed simple on purpose: show what you're building, meet the people who care about the same problem, leave with one new person to follow up with.
What happened
MakersLounge is now a community of 1,500 builders in Toronto, and the thing it produces is connections: hundreds of them, the kind that turn into co-founders, hires, customers and friends. The most common thing people say about it is that it's a very welcoming environment, which is the whole point. A room where a beginner can show a half-finished thing without flinching is a room where the good ideas come out.
What I'd do differently
Some nights were too loud or too busy, and the people who came hoping for individual attention didn't always get it. The fix is fewer people per room and more hosts who know whose work to ask about, not bigger venues.