Simu Liu Joins Elevate Festival 2025 Lineup as Agenda Goes Live

TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Simu Liu - Canadian actor, advocate, and investor - will take the stage at Elevate Festival, Canada’s leading platform for startups, investors, and innovators, when it returns for its seventh year on October 7-9 in Toronto. Built on a foundation of entrepreneurship and innovation, Elevate has grown into the country’s national stage for technology, while keeping founders and the startup community at its core. In 2025, the festival will gather 10,000 attendees at a pivotal moment as Canada carves out its place on the global tech map.

“As someone who built my career here in Canada, I know the importance of having a global stage for Canadian talent and ideas,” said Simu Liu. “Elevate is that stage, and I’m proud to join leaders who are pushing innovation forward.”

This year’s festival will feature a world-class lineup of speakers, from global tech leaders to homegrown innovators, who will share insights on the technologies and ideas shaping our future, including Chris Lehane, Chief Global Affairs Officer of OpenAI; Andrew Peterson, Head of Canada at YouTube; Harley Finkelstein, President of Shopify; Dorothy Kilroy, Chief Commercial Officer at Oura; Erika Ayers Badan, CEO of Food52; Her Worship Olivia Chow, Mayor of Toronto; Clay Bavor, Co-Founder of Sierra; Anthony Scaramucci, Founder & Managing Partner, SkyBridge Capital; and Ida Tin, Co-Founder and former CEO of Clue and Director of FemTech Assembly.

[See the full list of confirmed speakers here].

Over 85 sessions have been added to the Festival’s agenda here, with more being added every day. Sessions include:

• Inside Spotify’s AI Lab: David Nyhan, Director for Spotify, on building the next generation of personalized music experiences.
• The Road Ahead for Autonomous Vehicles: Chris Urmson, trailblazing technologist and CEO of Aurora, on what’s next in self-driving.
• Fundraising in 2025: What VCs Won’t Tell You: An inside look with investors from Inovia Capital and Panache Ventures.
• The Future of Media & Gaming: Andrew Peterson, Head of Canada for YouTube, on the rise of vertical video and interactive entertainment.
• Canada, It’s Time to Build: A call to action with Arlene Dickinson, CEO of District Ventures, on entrepreneurship as nation-building.
• Why Competition Matters: The Next Era of Canadian Fintech: A conversation with leaders from Brim Financial, Borrowell, and Neo Financial on how innovation is reshaping banking.

Elevate’s evolution has always mirrored the priorities of Canada’s tech ecosystem, and in 2025, no topic is more urgent than artificial intelligence. With a federal AI Minister now in place and Canadian talent driving global breakthroughs, Elevate 2025 will put AI on the Main Stage, spotlighting how we can lead responsibly in adoption and innovation.

The 2025 program spans eight tracks, from fintech and scaleups to cybersecurity and breakthrough healthtech and space innovations. New this year, Startup Open House returns in partnership with TechTO and ElanTech to shine a spotlight on Toronto’s thriving startup community. On the festival’s final day, companies across the city will open their doors to showcase their work, connect with talent, and highlight Toronto’s role as a global hub for innovation.

“Bringing Startup Open House back to Elevate is a way to extend the festival beyond our stages and into the city itself,” said Lisa Zarzeczny, Co-Founder and CEO of Elevate. “It’s a celebration of the entrepreneurs who are driving growth, creating jobs, and putting Toronto on the global tech map.”

Elevate Festival is made possible by its Founding Sponsors: TD; Moneris; and Interac Corp.; as well as its Corporate Sponsors: Google; the Government of Ontario; the City of Toronto; 3M Canada; Remote; Capital One Canada; KPMG LLP; Danone Canada; DMZ; CPA Ontario; Riipen; TurboTax Business; Startup Atlantic; The Way Company; University of Toronto; Dell Technologies; EQ Bank; Brampton Innovation District; Toronto Transit Commission (TTC); Black Innovation Zone; Uber Canada; Beanfield; Kids Help Phone (KHP); MenuSano; Toronto Global; MaRS Discovery District; and 4TU.Startups, the Netherlands.

With support from OddBee; Bizzabo; Divine Furniture Rental; Digitech, Lithuania; Get Wrapped; Interprefy; AccessWire; Islands; Twenty6Two; Category Communications; MarTechDo; and Fintechs Canada, and Official Media Partner: The Globe and Mail. Supporting Media Partners include Maclean’s | SJC, Pattison; UB Media; BetaKit; and NOW Toronto.

For more information about Elevate Festival 2025, visit: www.elevatefestival.ca. To purchase tickets, please visit: www.elevatefestival.ca/tickets. You can also join the conversation on social media by following @ElevateTechCA and using #ElevateFest2025.

Media can apply for accreditation here by Friday, October 3rd.

About Elevate

Elevate is a Canadian non-profit that unites world-class innovators to catalyze transformation in the Canadian tech ecosystem. Through year-round programs and events, including the annual Elevate Festival and CIX Summit, Elevate shines a spotlight on Canadian innovation, facilitates global connections with startups and investors, and inspires Canadians to embrace a go-for-gold mentality to help shape the future of the Canadian innovation economy.