Elevate is returning to Toronto this fall bringing more than 10,000 tech professionals, including some of the biggest names in the industry, to the city and Now Toronto is offering a limited-time 20 per cent discount to the highly-anticipated event.
The annual tech event is taking over multiple venues across the city from Oct. 7–9, to inspire and connect thousands of leaders, investors, professionals and startup founders hoping to spark ideas and drive significant impact in the industry.
The event is organized by the Canadian non-profit Elevate, which leads year-round diversity-driven programs and events for tech industry professionals, in an effort to transform Canada into a renowned space for innovation.
The impressive list of speakers this year is endless, including actor and writer Simu Liu, Shopify President Harley Finkelstein, Toronto Raptors DJ 4Korners and Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow. A full list of speakers can be found here.
Elevate CEO and Co-Founder Lisa Zarzeczny, who is also speaking at the event, tells Now Toronto that every year it provides attendees the opportunity to learn about industry news while getting exclusive insights from some of the top names in tech, and connect with fellow peers to create invaluable connections.
“Our mission is to be able to provide a spotlight on Canadian innovation and the incredible founders and entrepreneurs that are building globally-relevant companies from our country. And it’s a three-day-long celebration, and we attract over 200 speakers and global delegations to be able to invite the world to see what’s happening in our tech sector,” she tells Now Toronto.
Although the event has largely expanded over the past few years, becoming one of the best spaces to foster startup-investor connections in the country, Zarzeczny says Elevate Festival has been able to maintain its essence.
She says having a non-profit status has allowed the company to focus on its impact and objectives instead of revenue, which ensures Elevate can grow while focusing on maintaining the best experience for event attendees.
“It has also allowed us to really design an event that is for the community and is inclusive by nature, and so that’s something that’s been really an important value set since day one, and continues to guide our decision-making today,” she added.
Diversity is at the heart of Elevate, which welcomes a wide-range of speakers from all different backgrounds and career paths, allowing attendees to feel comfortable at the event, and all kinds of perspectives, tips and niches that could help them advance.
Zarzeczny recalls that in her early days of working in the industry, she was often one of the only women in the room. This experience, combined with a desire to foster a welcoming environment that could truly represent Canada, led Elevate to focus on creating an inclusive space from the beginning of the festival’s history.
WHAT TO EXPECT AT ELEVATE
Throughout the event, industry professionals can expect to have access to sessions with visionary leaders, creatives and innovators, who will be sharing their bright and bold perspectives on all kinds of topics.
This year, Zarzeczny says the event will have various sessions concerning the advancements and use of AI technology, which seems to be quickly expanding in all corners of the world.
“We’ve actually moved our AI content track onto the main stage because there’s so much demand for it right now, and we’ve got incredible speakers from OpenAI, Cohere, [and] Vector Institute, [who will] be able to lead us through so many conversations related to the practical and ethical implications of AI, especially as we think about it, as Canadians,” she said.
Another presentation that Zarzeczny says industry leaders simply can’t miss are the segments on the Women in Tech stage, where heavy-hitters like businesswoman and former “Dragon’s Den” member Arlene Dickinson will be leading “Ask Me Anything” sessions.
Meanwhile, one of the most valuable aspects of this experience is the opportunity to mix and mingle with others in the industry, which the CEO says it’s especially important for startup owners.
“They are either meeting new investors and developing those relationships they could be making, or meeting new customers to be able to sell their product or solution to, or meeting new team members, meeting a co-founder, or meeting someone that they can hire. And so, we try to facilitate different programs within the festival where each of these three things has the possibility [of happening].”
For those co-founding a startup or looking to invest, the festival offers a special Startup Pass, which offers them opportunities to create relationships, including one-on-one meetings, expert advisory sessions, networking lounge and even high-stakes pitching.
This year, the festival is also welcoming back its Startup Open House, where attendees can drop in for free at different startup offices across Toronto to receive tips and connect with local leaders.
“It’s such a great opportunity to explore what makes the fabric of our tech community so unique, and especially if there’s job seekers out there or people who are interested in learning or breaking into tech. It’s just an awesome opportunity to attend as many of these startups and companies during the event,” Zarzeczny said.
Meanwhile, corporate innovators and digital leaders will have access to programs that can facilitate connections between traditional industries and innovators. This year, the festival is welcoming a range of leaders from industries worldwide, from Canada and the U.S. to South Korea, the Netherlands and beyond.
In addition, Elevate also features masterclasses of up to 100 professions that cover a range of implementable strategies that can help them elevate their skills, from AI development to capital acquisition.
The limited premium Trailblazer Passes also add more exclusive opportunities for networking, with more access to VIP-dedicated lounges and speaker access.
OPPORTUNITIES YEAR-ROUND
Besides the annual festival, the non-profit platform also offers tons of opportunities for tech leaders all year long.
After the COVID-19 pandemic hit, preventing large gatherings such as the festival, Elevate transformed the challenge into a valuable experience for many, launching innovation programs for founders and entrepreneurs, which include mentorships, networking and tips on how to advance their ideas.
“These are cohort-based programs for founders and entrepreneurs to give them the real tools that they need to build their businesses from mentorship, meetings with investors and all of the critical components they’re looking for in building their business. And so, it allowed us to launch a completely new set of programs to help out founders across the country.”
One of these programs include Elevate Women+, which provides women in tech opportunities for mentorship, access to capital, and networking.
Check out a full list of speakers and sessions at elevatefestival.ca, and Now Toronto readers can also access an exclusive 20-per cent discount for festival passes, which is available here.
