WADE

WADE Advisory is a Toronto-based consumer commerce advisory firm co-founded by Deanna Andersen and Wendy Salisko. WADE sits at the operator layer between positioning, commercial model, operating readiness, and capital alignment — helping teams turn connections into real decisions, clearer priorities, and a faster path to profitable scale. A proud participant at Toronto Tech Week 2026, alongside partners Shopify, RETHINK Retail, NEXT Canada, and Cache.

WADE is hitting Toronto Tech Week and we hope to see you there! Some events that we will be at with Shopify, RETHINK Retail, NEXT Canada, Cache | Devyn Olin, and many more! Reach out if you're planning to attend any of these, and let us know of others you think are a must event to hit up!

Toronto Tech Week is a citywide celebration of the people building what's next. From May 25-29, 2026, founders, investors, operators, and builders from Canadian tech will take over Toronto for hundreds of independent community-led events.

Today is the kickoff of Toronto Tech Week, where the city transforms into a Tech campus. WADE will participate alongside Canada's top builders, investors, and operators to discuss the future of tech in Toronto and the country.

View and subscribe to events from Toronto Tech Week on Luma. A weeklong, citywide collection of events to connect and celebrate the builders. Returning May 25-29, 2026.

Homecoming is the official main stage of Toronto Tech Week 2026, bringing together over 1,000 founders, operators, and investors from around the world. This event showcases innovative ideas and networking opportunities in the tech industry.

May 20-21, 2026 - New York City: The only event built specifically for brands. 3,000+ senior retail and ecommerce executives. 150+ speakers. Two days at Pier 36, NYC — covering AI, ecommerce, stores, customer experience, and what's next for brand and retail. Join them shaping the future of brand retail at The Lead Summit 2026.

The 2026 agenda will boldly explore the new frontier of brand and retail at The Lead Summit.

These are newsmakers, innovators and visionaries driving outsized success at their brands. From seasoned leaders to exceptional practitioners, you’ll hear insights and experiences that inspire and inform.

Join The DTC Symposium at The Lead Summit 2026 to build meaningful connections, develop core capabilities and define strategies for growth. This is where the future of DTC takes shape.

The Lead (@theleadco) on Instagram showcases photos and videos related to The Lead Summit 2026, taking place on May 20-21 in New York City. Join over 3,000 attendees and 150 speakers focused on the future of brands.

The Lead Summit 2026 surfaced four key themes: brand conviction as a prerequisite for strategy, the bifurcation of physical retail, AI as a tool subordinate to identity, and the collapse of the traditional value chain.

One real call, 60 minutes, one clear decision and you book it right here. Senior operator judgment for the moment where the stakes are non-trivial, timing matters, and being wrong is expensive - not therapy, not cheerleading, just cleaner judgment on the call in front of you. For founders and operators who know what the question is but need someone in the room who's actually been there. Email WADE directly and leave with the next few moves, not more options to consider.

SKU decisions, channel sequencing, retailer negotiations, capital preparation and WADE's brand advisory covers every critical growth and transition decision a consumer brand faces. Operator context from people who've held the P&L, made the channel calls, and lived the consequences and not frameworks handed over in a slide deck. For consumer brand founders who need more than strategic advice, they need someone who's actually run this. Reach out to see if WADE is the right fit for where you are right now.

Pressure-test the commercial plan, the operating model, and founder readiness before you send the money, not after — and WADE's capital advisory is built exactly for that moment. Operator context that catches the pattern early, before it gets expensive or public. For VC, PE, and family offices investing in consumer commerce who need someone who's been on both sides of the deal. Reach out to discuss how WADE fits into your due diligence or value creation process.

When your shelf is under pressure, you need to separate what's incremental from what's just moving volume around — and WADE helps retailers build the reset story that holds across merchant and finance. Brand readiness checks, incrementality analysis, and assortment simplification done by operators who've been on the brand side and know exactly what promises don't survive contact with the store. For retail buyers and category managers making decisions under margin pressure. Reach out to discuss how WADE can support your next category review.

Strong product, slow adoption - that's a positioning and pilot design problem, not a product problem and WADE helps commerce and data platforms solve exactly that. ICP focus, pilot design that forces adoption, ROI you can defend, and org-fit mapping that shows you who actually decides and holds the budget. For tech platforms selling into brands and retailers who need operator language to bridge the credibility gap. Reach out to discuss how WADE helps you move from "interesting" to something they can't run without.

Project-based sprints tied to a specific decision or inflection point, ongoing retainers where continued judgment is required, or capital and diligence-aligned work and this page explains how WADE structures each type of engagement. Pricing reflects depth of involvement, level of accountability, and how closely WADE stays engaged as decisions move into execution — no fixed deliverables, just outcomes. For anyone evaluating whether the engagement model fits their situation before reaching out. After reading this, you'll know exactly what working with WADE looks like and which structure fits your moment.