Elevate Festival 2026 Returns to Toronto This September

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Canada’s largest tech and innovation event returns to Downtown Toronto this September, bringing three days of showcases, keynote presentations, fireside chats, networking opportunities and industry conversations to the city.

Returning for its ninth edition, Elevate Festival will bring together world-class innovators, industry leaders, founders, investors and some of the brightest minds in technology to celebrate and accelerate the future of Canadian innovation.

This year’s festival will feature more than 250 speakers, ranging from international headliners to influential Canadian technology and business leaders. The esteemed line-up includes

Kyle Lowry, former Toronto Raptor and Toronto Tempo Investor
Michael Pelosi, Country Manager, Canada, of Cohere
Christian Weedbrook, Founder and CEO of Xanadu;
Jack Newton, CEO and Founder of Clio;
Vivek Sagi, Chief Product and Technology Officer of Bumble Inc.
Eva Wong, Co-Founder and COO of Borrowell
Eliot Pence, CEO of Dominion Dynamics
Adam Collins, Chief Communications Officer of Reddit
Beah Burger-Lenehan, Chief Product Officer at DuckDuckGo
Mati Staniszewski, CEO of ElevenLabs;

You can view the complete line-up of over 250 speakers here

Elevate Festival 2026 Highlights

Over three days, attendees can participate in keynote presentations, fireside chats, networking opportunities and thought-provoking conversations on the ELEVATE Main Stage. The festival will also feature industry-focused discussions covering AI, cybersecurity, business growth, design, fintech, and other emerging areas shaping the future of innovation.

Also, there will be interactive crash courses led by industry experts that will give attendees practical insight into raising capital, managing human resources at a startup, closing enterprise sales, securing media coverage and more.

Curated Lounges and Networking

Elevate Festival’s curated lounges will offer dedicated spaces where attendees can meet people with similar interests, exchange ideas and build meaningful professional relationships.

Whether you are an ambitious founder, investor or established industry leader, each lounge will be designed to connect you with professionals who understand your goals and challenges.

Attendees can also use the festival’s AI-powered app to discover relevant contacts and create valuable connections throughout the event.

Opportunities for Startups and Founders

Elevate Festival will offer more than 750 curated one-on-one meeting opportunities designed to connect startup founders with potential investors.

Founders can showcase their ideas on the Startup Stage, pursue capital through private investor meetings and connect with fellow entrepreneurs inside the Startup Lounge. The lounge will provide an environment where founders can openly discuss their challenges and successes while receiving candid advice from experienced CEOs and experts who have navigated similar journeys.

New This Year: Elevate Goes Late

New for 2026, Elevate Goes Late will extend the festival beyond its daytime programming with a collection of evening events. Attendees can connect with fellow festivalgoers, enjoy a beverage and unwind after a busy day of presentations, meetings and conversations. You can view the list of night events here

As always, you can keep up with all the fun happenings in Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area on efosa.