Our founding partner, 19 years and counting

When five MBA students turned a class assignment into an event in 2007, they had a vision: create a space where 2SLGBTQIA+ business students could see themselves reflected in Canada’s corporate leadership. From the very beginning, TD Bank Group believed in that vision —and invested in it.

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Nearly two decades later, TD remains our longest-standing and most deeply engaged corporate partner. Their support has never been just financial. TD’s people have served on our board, keynoted our conferences, mentored our community members, and helped shape the very infrastructure ofStart Proud. This is a partnership built on shared values, authentic commitment, and a belief that when 2SLGBTQIA+ professionals thrive, everyone benefits.

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There From Day One

TD became a presenting sponsor of Out on Bay Street in ourearliest days, long before we had the reach or recognition we have today. Whenwe were still a student-run event, TD saw the potential in what we werebuilding and stepped forward as a lead partner. That early confidence helped usgrow from a single conference into Canada’s largest 2SLGBTQIA+ professionaldevelopment network, now working with over 100 sponsors and organizationsacross the country.

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TD’s own journey in 2SLGBTQIA+ inclusion is a story offirsts. In 1994, they became the first Canadian bank to offer same-sex spousalbenefits — more than a decade before marriage equality became law. In 2005,they became the first major Canadian bank to sponsor a Pride festival. In 2008,they were the first to feature same-sex couples in advertising and to offergender affirmation coverage. This is a company whose values were not a reactionto changing times, but an engine driving those changes forward.

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Intervention

We worked with the For:Human™ leadership team to create a Strategic Narrative that could be felt across every touchpoint. We aligned the language behind:

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• the core value proposition
• their user personas and internal archetypes
• their pricing tiers and product roadmap
• the core value proposition

Once this story was clear, we didn’t stop there. We rewrote the onboarding flow. We restructured the team handbook. We rebuilt the pricing page — around the new narrative logic.

Impact

In the first quarter following our product launch, we observed some remarkable outcomes that truly highlighted the effectiveness of our new positioning strategy. An impressive 96% of our revenue can be attributed directly to this fresh approach, showcasing how well it resonated with our target audience. Additionally, we managed to reduce onboarding time by a significant 41%, allowing new team members to become productive much faster than before. Employee confidence in our messaging soared to an astounding 92% in internal surveys, indicating that our communication efforts were not only clear but also inspiring.

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However, perhaps the most profound change was more subtle yet equally impactful: our entire team began to communicate in a unified manner. From the newest junior hires to our CEO, everyone found themselves equipped with the right vocabulary to articulate what we were building and, crucially, why it was important. This newfound clarity fostered a sense of shared purpose and collaboration that had been lacking before, ultimately strengthening our organizational culture and driving us towards greater success.