Stathletes CEO, Meghan Chayka, on high-performance leadership
Chayka says that continuous adaptation is the key to bigger things, better assignments, and beating burnout.
Adaptability is the answer
Toronto Tech Week hit its stride quickly with an incisive keynote from Meghan Chayka, co-founder of Stathletes, a hockey analytics platform that provides insights on player behaviour to NHL teams and development organizations.
Speaking at the Women in Sports & Tech session, the dynamo CEO and data scientist shared lessons from leading in sports tech, including the benefits of continuous upskilling and the glaring funding inequities.
Her core message: Modern tech leadership will demand continuous adaptability from leaders, alongside industry support.
Building support systems for women founders
The tech industry is already a thorny path for women. Being a leader in the sports corner of tech adds even more hurdles, and Chayka addressed the pervasive gender disparity in business and venture funding (particularly in Canada).
“It’s very common knowledge that under 2% of venture capital goes to women...”
Those challenges are echoed at home and abroad:
Only 13% of Canadian tech firms were founded or co-founded by women, and only 18.4% of Canadian SMEs are majority-owned by women.
Globally, women-only founding teams received only 2.3% of venture capital in 2024, a minor improvement from 2.1% in 2023. In Canada, the numbers are slightly better in some cities: Montreal at 3.5%, Toronto 3.2%, and Vancouver 2.9%.
As of 2025, 30.6% of Canadian university students in mathematics, computer, and information sciences were women, a significant decline from 37% in the mid-2000s.
Women make up 38.6% of the tech workforce but hold only 27% of specialist-level roles.
The solution? Chayka suggests focusing on smart money and building strong investor relationships.
Challenges aside, high performance will drive success and innovation
Chayka draws direct parallels between the discipline of high-performance athletes and high-performance leadership. Here, she notes that the ability to rebound from setbacks and learn from failure is crucial, personally and in professional fields.
Balancing roles without burning out
Chayka sounds like a natural hustler, balancing roles as CEO, mother, and part-time data analyst at the University of Toronto. However, the self-identified Type-A leader isn’t glorifying overwork; instead, she advocates for an intentional audit of personal energy.
“Anything I can delegate that doesn’t need me, I do... I’m ruthless with clearing things off of my docket and then refocusing...That delegation component, especially when you scale, makes you so much more impactful.”
Her advice to women founders is both practical and personal: identify what recharges you, protect your focus, and don’t be afraid to say that beautiful little word: “No.”
“Audit your life. What do you do when you are happy? How do you recharge? Spend more time doing that.”
Future proofing: AI and continuous growth
Discussing emerging technologies, Chayka emphasized how she has seen AI and machine learning become increasingly critical for both operational efficiency and long-term strategic advantage.
She acknowledges that not all founders are technical, but that shouldn’t be a barrier (especially with the rise of vibe coding).
“Even non-technical founders can speed up a lot more with AI.... For me, it was being open to any sort of solution.”
Of course, bringing in pros is one of the quickest ways for a venture to adapt and stay competitive.
To remain ahead of the curve, Chayka emphasized the need to collaborate and leverage technical expertise through hiring, partnerships, and AI tools.
Throughout, Chayka reiterated the need to play a long game: investing in relationships, setting audacious goals, pursuing incremental innovation, and designing products for durability, not just for speed.
“Be really good at the role you’re in. If you are that person people are turning to, you’re going to get promotions. You’re going to get the asks. You get bigger projects.