Beyond AI: Building Human-Centered Businesses in a Digital-First World

Tech Week is loud. This evening is not.

In a week of pitches, panels, and performances, this is a room designed for something different: honest conversation between people building things that actually matter to them, and who refuse to lose the human layer in the process.

The question we're sitting with: What did you choose to keep human when you could have automated it - and what happened?

Three phases. One evening. Sixty people.

Arrive + Land: You'll walk in mid-week, probably overstimulated. We start with a reset. Tea, breathwork, a moment to actually arrive in your body before we ask anything of your mind. No name tags with company logos. Just your name and what you're building that matters to you.

Lightning Provocations: 3–4 builders take the floor for 5 minutes each. No slides. No decks. Just a real answer to a real question: what did you keep human, and why? A founder who chose not to automate. A designer who chose friction on purpose. A community builder who chose intimacy over scale. After each one, a moment of silence — because some things need space to land.

Intentional Connection: Not networking. Not mingling. Structured 1-on-1 conversations in timed rounds, with prompts that get progressively more real. You'll meet 3–4 people deeply, not 30 people shallowly. The kind of conversations you came to Tech Week hoping to have but couldn't find in a room of 500.

Who this is for: Founders, operators, investors, designers, and builders working at the intersection of technology and human connection. People building software that strengthens relationships. Physical spaces that create belonging. Hybrid models that refuse to sacrifice depth for scale. If you're pro-technology and pro-human, you'll feel at home.

Who this is not for: People looking for a pitch event, a panel, or surface-level networking. This is an intimate, curated evening — applications are reviewed and the room is capped at 60.

What to expect: Warm lighting. Intentional sound. Elevated non-alcoholic and alcoholic drinks. Conversations that surprise you. A room full of people who actually want to be in the room. The kind of evening you'll still be thinking about on Friday.

About Pluto:

Pluto is Toronto’s fourth space for founders, creators, and conscious operators - a curated community hub where work, wellness, and culture converge. We bring together ambitious people building meaningful things, offering a home for deep work, thoughtful connection, and transformative experiences that move ideas—and the people behind them—forward.

About 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