Data Scientist & CEO Meghan Chayka on High-Performance Leadership, AI & Upskilling
- SciCan
- Jun 24
- 3 min read
Updated: Jun 26
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, like the benefits of continuous upskilling and glaring funding inequities.
Her core message? The future of tech leadership will demand continuous adaptability from leaders as well as industry support.
“It’s very common knowledge that under 2% of venture capital goes to women...”
Building Support for Women Founders
The tech industry is already a thorny path for women.
Being a leader within the sports corner of tech adds further complexity, and Chayka addressed the pervasive gender disparity problem across business and venture funding, particularly in Canada.
Those challenges are echoed at home and abroad:
Only 13% of Canadian tech firms were founded or co-founded by women (PitchBook Report), and only 18.4% of Canadian SMEs are majority-owned by women (Tracxn Data).
Globally, women-only founding teams received only 2.3% of venture capital in 2024 (FF.co Report), 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%.
Only 27% of university computing students in Canada are women, a significant decline from 37% in the mid-2000s (StatsCan).
Women make up 38.6% of the workforce in the tech sector, but hold only 27% of specialist-level roles (Women in STEM).
The solution?
Focus 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, noting that the ability to rebound from setbacks and build from failure is critical to professional and personal progress.
Her message to aspiring leaders was clear: mastering your present is the best way to unlock future projects, promotions, and partnerships.
“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.”
"Anything I can delegate that doesn’t need me, I do... ruthless with clearing things off of my docket and then refocusing."
Balancing Roles Without Burning Out
Chayka is 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 doesn't glorify overwork; instead, she advocates for an intentional audit of personal energy.
“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, Technical Innovation, 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, whether through hiring, partnerships, or leveraging tools like ChatGPT.
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 speed.
Stathletes is a hockey analytics company that collects and analyzes data from every event in a game to deliver performance insights on players, teams, and gameplay trends. Their platform is used by NHL teams, leagues, and player development organizations to evaluate player behaviour, performance, and potential.
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