Women in tech in Toronto: groups, events, leaders and companies
More than 24,000 tech companies and about 300,000 tech workers make Toronto Canada’s biggest tech market. Much of the hiring comes from the big banks, insurers and payment companies, which run some of the country’s largest engineering and data teams.
Toronto is also one of the world’s main centres for AI research, built around the Vector Institute and the University of Toronto, with companies like Cohere, Waabi and TD’s Layer 6 AI lab.
The average Toronto tech wage is about US$79,800 a year, behind Vancouver (US$86,900) and Ottawa (US$80,200) but ahead of Calgary and Montreal. See tech salaries in Toronto.
By Heidi Lee, community manager, OutGeek Women in TechUpdated
Where women work in Toronto tech
Women hold about 27% of Toronto tech jobs, but the share is not the same in every role.
Tech salaries in Toronto
Toronto pays well by Canadian standards, but it is not the top-paying city in the country. Vancouver and Ottawa pay a little more on average.
Average tech wage in Canada’s biggest tech hubs
US DOLLARS A YEAR · CBRE SCORING TECH TALENT 2026 (2024 WAGES)Median pay in the Toronto Region
CANADIAN DOLLARS · JOB BANK, GOVERNMENT OF CANADAThe gender pay gap in Canadian tech
Women in tech organizations in Toronto
Groups that meet in Toronto or run a Toronto chapter, for learning, meeting peers and finding mentors.
Canada Learning Code
National charity based in Toronto, started in 2011 as Ladies Learning Code. Beginner-friendly workshops in coding, data and AI. canadalearningcode.ca → DATA AND AIWoven (Womxn in Data Science)
Toronto community and annual conference for women in data and AI, running since 2018, with 7,000+ members. womxndsto.com → DATAWomen in Big Data Toronto
The first Canadian chapter of the Women in Big Data Forum. Panels, career talks and mixers for data professionals. womeninbigdatatoronto.com → DATAToronto Women’s Data Group
Meetup group for women in data science, machine learning, analytics and data engineering. Talks, workshops and hackathons. meetup.com → PRODUCTWomen in Product Toronto
Local chapter of the global community for women in product management. Talks, peer groups and networking. womenpm.org → LEADERSHIPWomen in Communications and Technology
National non-profit for women in telecom, media and tech, with a Toronto chapter. Mentoring and leadership programs. wct-fct.com → FOUNDERSDMZ Women of Venture
Program at Toronto Metropolitan University’s DMZ incubator for women-led tech startups. dmz.torontomu.ca → SALESFORCESalesforce Women in Tech Group, Toronto
Trailblazer Community group for women working in the Salesforce ecosystem. Socials and talks through the year. trailblazercommunitygroups.com → ENGINEERING TECHOACETT Women in Technology
Network for women engineering technicians and technologists in Ontario, with a Toronto Central chapter. oacett.org →Notable women in tech from Toronto
Founders and startup leaders who come up again and again in Toronto tech news.
Raquel Urtasun
Founded Waabi in 2021 to build AI for self-driving trucks, and recently raised $1 billion. Professor of computer science at the University of Toronto and a co-founder of the Vector Institute.Shiz Aoki
Spent a decade as lead medical illustrator for National Geographic, then co-founded BioRender, the Y Combinator-backed tool scientists use to make research figures.Katya Shteyn
University of Toronto computer science graduate and former software engineer who led the build of BioRender’s technology.Michele Romanow
Co-founded Clearco in 2015 to fund e-commerce brands and led it as CEO until 2023. A Dragon on CBC’s Dragons’ Den and a partner at venture firm Athena North.Eva Wong
Co-founded Borrowell in 2014, the fintech that gives Canadians free credit scores and reports. EY Entrepreneur of the Year in Ontario, 2019.Huda Idrees
Founded Dot Health, which lets Canadians see their own health records. Earlier, chief product officer at Wealthsimple and product and design at Wave and Wattpad.Claudette McGowan
Launched AI cybersecurity startup Protexxa in 2021 after senior tech roles at BMO and TD. Member of the Order of Canada (2025) and the Order of Ontario (2026).Alyssa Furtado
Co-founded Ratehub.ca in 2010, the Canadian site for comparing mortgage rates, credit cards and insurance, and was its co-CEO until 2024.Notable tech companies in Toronto
From the big banks and insurers to global tech offices and AI startups.
Banks, insurers and payments
RBC
Canada’s largest bank, with one of the country’s biggest tech and AI teams.TD Bank Group
Headquartered in Toronto. Runs Layer 6 AI, its machine learning lab, in the city.Scotiabank
Headquartered in Toronto, with large technology, data and cybersecurity teams.BMO
Big technology and digital banking teams in Toronto.CIBC
Headquartered in Toronto, with engineering, data and security teams.Manulife
Global insurer headquartered in Toronto, with large tech and data teams.Sun Life
Insurer and asset manager headquartered in Toronto.Intact
Canada’s largest property and casualty insurer, headquartered in Toronto.Moneris
Payment processing company headquartered in Toronto.Global tech offices
Enterprise software, IT and telecom
Thomson Reuters
News and information company headquartered in Toronto, with large engineering and AI teams.Constellation Software
Headquartered in Toronto. Buys and runs hundreds of software businesses.CGI
IT and business consulting firm with large Toronto offices.Rogers
Telecom and media company headquartered in Toronto.AI companies and startups
Cohere
Builds large language models for businesses. Headquartered in Toronto.Wealthsimple
Investing, saving and banking app used across Canada.1Password
Password manager and identity security for people and companies.Tenstorrent
Designs AI chips and RISC-V processors.Waabi
AI for self-driving trucks, founded by Raquel Urtasun.Ada
AI customer service agents for large brands.Want the newest roles from teams like these?
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OutGeek Women in Tech in Toronto
We run two to three recruiting events in Toronto every year, plus private recruiting events for companies. Over the years we’ve worked with most of the hiring teams in the city’s tech market.
Each event features short talks from hiring teams, speed networking with recruiters and engineering leads, and open networking with food and drinks.
Christina D’Almeida
EVENT DIRECTOR · WITH OUTGEEK SINCE 2017Rochelle Hogue
EVENT DIRECTOR · WITH OUTGEEK SINCE 2021Upcoming OutGeek events in Toronto
Women in tech in Toronto: common questions
What is the women in tech scene like in Toronto?
More than 24,000 tech companies and about 300,000 tech workers make Toronto Canada’s biggest tech market, and one of the world’s main centres for AI research. Women hold about 27% of Toronto tech jobs. The city has active women in tech groups for data and AI, product management, founders and people learning to code.
What percentage of tech workers in Toronto are women?
About 27%, based on CBRE data reported by Toronto Global. The share is higher in UX/UI design and product management, and lower in core infrastructure, DevOps and senior engineering.
Where women work in Toronto tech →How much do tech workers earn in Toronto?
CBRE puts the average Toronto tech wage at about US$79,800 a year, behind Vancouver and Ottawa and ahead of Calgary and Montreal. In the Toronto Region, the median wage for software engineers and designers is $56.49 an hour, about C$110,000 a year full-time, according to Job Bank.
Tech salaries in Toronto →Is there a gender pay gap in Canadian tech?
Yes. Census data analyzed by The Dais at Toronto Metropolitan University shows the average woman in Canadian tech earned $71,400 in 2021, compared with $91,000 for men. A 2026 survey by Artemis Canada found women in tech leadership earn about 78 cents for every dollar men earn.
The gender pay gap in Canadian tech →What women in tech groups are there in Toronto?
Groups with a Toronto presence include Canada Learning Code, Woven (Womxn in Data Science), Women in Big Data Toronto, Toronto Women’s Data Group, Women in Product Toronto, Women in Communications and Technology, DMZ Women of Venture, the Salesforce Women in Tech Group and OACETT Women in Technology.
All Toronto women in tech groups →Are there women in tech events in Toronto?
Yes. OutGeek Women in Tech runs two to three recruiting events in Toronto every year, where hiring teams meet women in tech in person, plus private recruiting events for companies. Woven holds an annual conference for women in data and AI, and Canada Learning Code runs workshops through the year.
Toronto tech recruiting events guide →What is OutGeek Women in Tech Toronto?
OutGeek Women in Tech runs recruiting events where hiring teams meet women in tech in person. Our Toronto community has more than 12,000 members. In Toronto we host two to three events a year, plus private recruiting events for companies, led by event directors Christina D’Almeida and Rochelle Hogue. Joining is free at outgeek.org.
About OutGeek Women in Tech in Toronto →Which tech companies are notable in Toronto?
Toronto’s biggest tech employers include the banks and insurers (RBC, TD, Scotiabank, BMO, CIBC, Manulife, Sun Life and Intact), global tech offices (Google, Microsoft, Amazon and Shopify), and homegrown companies like Thomson Reuters, Constellation Software, Cohere, Wealthsimple and 1Password.
Company ratings and open roles →Who are notable women in tech in Toronto?
Founders who appear often in Toronto tech news include Raquel Urtasun (Waabi), Shiz Aoki and Katya Shteyn (BioRender), Michele Romanow (Clearco), Eva Wong (Borrowell), Huda Idrees (Dot Health), Claudette McGowan (Protexxa) and Alyssa Furtado (Ratehub.ca).
Notable women in tech from Toronto →