Elevate has rebranded as Nrth, expanding beyond its annual Toronto festival into a year-round platform for Canadian founders and business leaders. CEO Lisa Zarzeczny unveiled the new name during opening night of the 2026 festival, which immediately became Nrth Festival. Since launching in 2017, the organization has welcomed more than 89,000 attendees.
Beginning in 2027, Nrth plans more frequent events, programs connecting startups with customers and investors, technology-adoption initiatives, and research on Canada’s innovation economy. The nonprofit says the shift reflects a new challenge: helping Canadian companies turn innovation into stronger businesses, productivity, competitiveness, and economic growth at greater scale.
Want to know more? Check out the source code here.