By Sally Warburton
On Tuesday, October 7th, the area around Meridian Hall and & St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts, on Front Street in Toronto was buzzing with energy and excitement about the upcoming days of the 9th year of Elevate. Elevate is a Canadian non-profit started by CEO Lisa Zarzeczny. The event held in Toronto has evolved since 2017 from an industry gathering into the popular platform for dialogue and connections positioning Canada on the forefront of the tech world and shaping the future of the Canadian innovation economy.
What is the Elevate Festival? Elevate Festival is Canada’s most influential tech and innovation event, attracting 10,000 attendees annually. It brings together tech leaders, startups, investors, policymakers and media to spotlight Canadian innovation. Produced by Elevate, a Canadian non-profit, this Toronto-hosted event has evolved since 2017 from an industry gathering into the go-to platform for dialogue and connections that position Canada globally and shape the future of the Canadian innovation economy.
Toronto’s tech community met on October 7 for the opening night of Elevate Festival 2025, the beginning of one of Canada’s most anticipated innovation events. The evening shared the excitement of the days ahead, blending technology, creativity and storytelling on the festival’s main stage at Meridian Hall.
The opening ceremonies were preceded by Startup pitches. The evening started with leaders from Canada’s business and technology sectors sharing insights on how emerging AI innovations are transforming industries. The emphasis on responsible growth and inclusive design. Technology’s future is deeply intertwined with human purpose. Earlier in the evening, leaders from Canada’s business and technology sectors shared insights on how emerging AI innovations are transforming industries, emphasizing the need for responsible growth and inclusive design. The tone was both forward-looking and reflective — a reminder that technology’s future is deeply intertwined with human purpose.
The Opening ceremonies included actor Simu Liu, who delivered a keynote exploring his personal journey from actor to advocate and focused investor. Liu reflected on the importance of community and courage in creating Canada’s role in the global innovation landscape. Hosted by tech journalist and media personality Amber Mac guided Liu through a lively conversation on the connection of culture and technology. They discussed how storytelling serves as an entrepreneurial and social tool to bridge human emotion with digital progress. One of the hosts kicking off the conference and during the conference was comedian Ali Hassan.
Elevate Festival is held at both the Meridian Hall and St Lawrence Centre (just across the road also on Front Street). Both are easily reached by foot from King or Union subway stations. Food Trucks were conveniently located on Front Street for lunch, snacks and coffee. The second and third days were full days of speakers, talks, workshops. Talks included Startups, Investors, Women+ in Tech, Executives. Lots of networking. Lots of deals and connections being made. The conference organized Meetup areas for discussion and more networking at St. Lawrence Centre. These were filled with people wanting to engage and share more. Attendees included students in the tech field who wanted to learn more and to connect with like-minded people. Booths from universities were there, too. Some of the talks were Fundraising in 2025, Seize the Moment, Ask me Anything by Ida Tin – a talk at Women in Tech after her main stage conversation plus many others…
Not only is there networking during the day, but there are opportunities to network in local restaurants and in the evenings at social events connected to the Elevate Festival. So lots of chances to do that. Lots of business taking place.
By signing up ahead of time, there was a fun workshop with Toronto based promisesupply.ca where participants ‘Make Your Own Kokedama Plant’ to take home. Their philosophy being ‘Playing in Dirt is Good for You’. This was truly a loved workshop activity which quickly filled up. It was offered several times each day of the festival. Promise Supply’s planting was a very popular group activity.
K-Globe had a booth with a group of Koreans promoting the Canada Korea Start-up Summit. There were other interesting booths too. Some booths promoting their own products for purchase.
At the conclusion of Elevate Festival’s formal presentations, Thursday late afternoon in the Castlepoint Numa Lounge in the lower level of Meridian Hall, there was a DigiTech Social, Presented by the country of Lithuania. An opportunity to connect with Lithuania’s world-class tech leaders and brightest minds in AI, cybersecurity, fintech, e-commerce and digital transformation – all topics of high interest to those attending Elevate. It was a reception to network with refreshments and talks by leaders.
The vibe at Elevate Festival was positive, promising and forward thinking.
It reminded us that technology’s future is deeply intertwined with human purpose. Annually since 2017 Elevate Festival continues to have purpose, creativity and innovation.
Elevate Festival was a dynamic 3 days making us excited about today’s Canadian technology sector and its future. Until next year – Elevate Festival’s dates are September 22-24, 2026 Toronto. For more info elevatefestival.ca
BKonthescene 