Elevate Festival has revealed its lineup of speakers and content tracks for its 2024 event.
Now in its sixth year, Elevate, of which BetaKit is a media partner, aims to shine a global spotlight on Canada’s tech and innovation ecosystem. This year’s festival, expected to attract 10,000 attendees from the tech community, will feature over 300 speakers during three days of programming from Oct. 1-3 in downtown Toronto.
The 2024 festival will include 200 startup investor meetings and 24 startup roundtables.
Attendees can expect a few new features at this year’s conference, including a new pub crawl, different content tracks, and expansion of the Women+ in Tech program, which offers access to a lounge, networking opportunities, evening events, and a chance to pitch on stage.
Elevate Festival’s speaker lineup so far includes heavy hitters from both the Canadian and global tech industries, including award-winning journalist and podcaster Kara Swisher, Lightspeed Commerce CEO and founder Dax Dasilva, Globalive founder and chairman Anthony Lacavera, and former astronaut and Elevate co-chair Chris Hadfield. The festival will be stewarded by innovation expert and co-host of #TheFeed on SiriusXM, Amber Mac.
The festival has previously pulled other noted figures, like former US First Lady Michelle Obama, CEO of OpenAI Sam Altman, and former US vice-president Al Gore.
This year’s conference will feature a diverse range of tech-focused content tracks. The FinTech stage will bring together experts from across the financial industry to discuss the future of the sector and discuss the state of Canadian FinTech relative to that of other nations. BetaKit is an Elevate media partner and is excited to curate the program for Elevate’s FinTech stage this year.
The Scale Up stage will bring together entrepreneurs, founders, and investors to explore strategies for taking ventures to the next level. The Moonshots track will delve into ideas and breakthroughs in science, engineering, and society, as well as pressing issues in deeptech. Meanwhile, the AI track will feature top experts debating the future of artificial intelligence.
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In addition to speakers and content tracks, the festival is also looking to add some new perks this year. Through a partnership with software platform Braindate, Elevate is looking to facilitate organized networking opportunities, either one-on-one or in small groups.
The 2024 festival will also include 200 startup investor meetings, 24 startup roundtables, and exclusive investor happy hours. Finally, the Women+ in Tech Lounge and Startup Lounge have also been expanded to offer more programming and accommodate more participants.
Elevate is also looking to boost its international attendance through a partnership with the non-profit organization Toronto Global. This partnership is aimed at bringing international delegations to Canada to network with and invest in the local tech sector.
Super Early Bird tickets for Elevate Festival are now available until June 30.