No VC, No Problem: Building Toast for Women in Tech with April Hicke

In this episode we sit down with April Hicke, co-founder and CEO of Toast, to explore how she's transforming the tech hiring landscape for women with innovative, bias-reducing approaches. We delve into April's unconventional path to entrepreneurship, her strategies for building a purpose-driven company without venture capital, and the systemic challenges women face—and overcome—within the tech industry.

• The origin story of Toast: how personal and industry experiences with gender inequities inspired a new model for tech hiring.
• Why Toast avoids venture capital and the pros and cons of bootstrapping a mission-driven business.
• The dual focus on supporting companies in diverse hiring and empowering women via membership, community, and direct resources.
• Barriers to expansion, including legal challenges to DEI efforts in the U.S., and how Toast navigates international opportunities.
• The importance of mentorship, male allyship ("Champions" program), and building social capital—plus creative initiatives like "Men in Tech" panels that flip the script on common professional narratives.

TLDR:April Hicke demonstrates the power of challenging the status quo in tech by centering women's needs, community, and bias-free hiring, while resisting external pressures to compromise her company’s mission. Her journey reminds us that shifting systems requires bravery, creative problem-solving, and building bridges with allies—especially when advocating for women's equity in male-dominated industries.

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Connect with April Hicke + Toast

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/try.toast

Website: https://www.trytoast.ca/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aprilhicke/

Listen to her Tedx Talk: Your past isn’t your ceiling | April Hicke | TEDxRRU

Keywords

women in tech, tech hiring, bias-free recruitment, AI-powered matching, Toast consultancy, leadership journey, foster care system, airport management, sobriety in leadership, bootstrapping a business, venture capital, financial sustainability, product market fit, US tech hiring laws, diversity and inclusion, pay gap, women's leadership drop, entrepreneurship, access to capital, social capital, mentorship, sponsorship, men as allies, community building, career coaching, salary negotiation, women supporting women, networking, in-person events, self-care for leaders, salary data