On the TechTO stage ×1
First seen on the TechTO stage in 2018. Every talk is searchable — ask the archive about Larissa ↗
In their words
Building teams and building cultures is hard work. It doesn't happen accidentally — you have to be really intentional with it.
In tech we talk a lot about growing and scaling our businesses from a revenue and a customer perspective. So why don't we shift that thinking into also thinking about how we grow and scale our teams in intentional and meaningful ways?
We don't talk about the culture in terms of people fitting into this predefined mold. We're excited to see what new hires can bring to the table.
Around the web ×2
Quick answers
Who is Larissa Holmes?
A Toronto people-and-talent executive turned founder. She was vice-president of talent at Borrowell, the consumer fintech, and is co-founder and chief executive of Coterie, which builds a platform for women to connect through sport, starting with golf and pickleball.
What was her TechTO talk about?
Retiring the phrase culture fit. She argued that fit language screens for sameness, and that the useful question is what a candidate adds — which is why Borrowell recruited and onboarded against five stated values rather than a predefined mold.
Why did she open with a personal story?
To make the case that authenticity is a leadership tool, not a disclosure. She described starting her career keeping a work self and a real self apart, and how dropping that separation was what let her build trust with senior leaders and, later, with teams.
Is Coterie in this directory?
No. Coterie has never taken a TechTO stage and its own site publishes no readable company information, so no page was written rather than one built out of second-hand descriptions. The Borrowell page, where her talk sits, is here.