Shopify president Harley Finkelstein’s fireside chat at Montréal’s Startupfest was interrupted by a protester today, the second time the entrepreneur’s appearance at the event has been disrupted.
The news: A man interrupted a fireside chat between Finkelstein and former Ultimate Fighting Championship fighter Georges St-Pierre. The protester came up to the side of the stage, filming Finkelstein, and asked why he supported the “genocide in Gaza.”
Finkelstein’s chat with St-Pierre, which focused on global ambition, overcoming anxiety, and the similarities between entrepreneurship and elite fighting, was interrupted approximately halfway through. Spectators in the room—who earlier in the talk had identified themselves mostly as tech founders—booed the protester, with one shouting, “You’re ruining it!”
From the source: “Sir, we’re talking about entrepreneurship in Canada, and celebrating an amazing athlete, [Georges St-Pierre], and these amazing entrepreneurs, and you’re embarrassing yourself,” Finkelstein said as a staffer pulled the protester out of the room.
RELATED: At Startupfest, Georges St-Pierre and Harley Finkelstein compare notes on fear, focus, and ambition
Following the thread: This is the third time Finkelstein has faced in-person protests related to his support of Israel in as many years. His 2024 live podcast recording with Indigo CEO Heather Reisman and DAVIDsTEA founder David Segal at Startupfest was also interrupted by protesters, as were his remarks at the opening of Ottawa’s Finkelstein Chabad Jewish Centre.
Shopify and Finkelstein were also targeted by a social media boycott campaign in 2025, after the president posted criticism of how Israel was being covered in the media at the time. Finkelstein has been outspoken in his support of Israel, but he has also argued that protests against him have targeted him due to his Jewish identity rather than his politics.
Final thought: While media attention on Gaza has waned in recent months, tensions are ongoing. Other tech leaders such as Oracle’s Larry Ellison, as well as various Microsoft and Google executives, have been confronted over their support of Israel in the conflict.
Disclosure: BetaKit majority owner Good Future is the family office of two former Shopify leaders, Arati Sharma and Satish Kanwar.
Feature image courtesy of BetaKit.