Toronto’s Elevate Festival Revives Startup Open House on Oct. 9

The 2025 Elevate Festival in Toronto is set to feature the much-anticipated return of the Startup Open House on October 9, 2025. This event will run from 15:00 to 19:00 and will take place at over 500 startup locations across the city. Some startups with remote operations will also showcase their work at the MaRS Discovery District, a key innovation hub in Toronto.

This year’s Startup Open House will host an impressive array of participants, including well-known companies such as Clio, the incubator DMZ, Loopio, Simple Ventures, Vector Institute, and Wattpad. The event provides a unique opportunity for the public to engage directly with startups, allowing attendees to witness innovation in action and connect with potential employers and collaborators.

History and Revival of the Initiative

The Startup Open House first launched in 2013, initiated by Louis-Philippe Maurice, CEO of Busbud, and Gabriel Sundaram, COO of Mission. Their goal was to enhance community engagement by inviting the public into the startup ecosystem to meet innovative minds and explore job opportunities. By 2018, the initiative had expanded to seven cities and attracted over 10,000 participants, showcasing the growing interest in the startup scene.

In 2019, Elevate acquired Startup Open House, recognizing the need for a dedicated team to foster its growth. The event was scheduled to take place in three cities that year, but the COVID-19 pandemic halted public gatherings between 2020 and 2023. After a brief hiatus, the event returned to Montréal in May 2024, following a local acquisition by Montreal NewTech.

Significance for the Canadian Tech Landscape

The upcoming Toronto Startup Open House arrives at a pivotal moment for the Canadian tech industry. Startups face economic challenges due to ongoing trade tensions with the United States, resulting in layoffs and fundraising hurdles. As the industry grapples with these pressures, the event serves as a vital platform for startups to connect with talent and investors.

Lisa Zarzeczny, co-founder and CEO of Elevate, expressed the importance of this year’s event in addressing critical issues within the sector. In a statement to BetaKit, she highlighted the “high stakes” Canada faces regarding AI policy and the need for cooperation between public and private sectors. “What’s encouraging is that there’s real momentum, with government and private initiatives pulling in the same direction,” Zarzeczny noted.

Marie Chevrier Schwartz, CEO of TechTO, echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the collaboration between Elevate and ElanTech to rejuvenate the community initiative. “Startup Open House was one of my favorite ecosystem events before the pandemic,” she said. “It’s an opportunity for amazing companies to open their doors and for promising talent to discover amazing companies to work at or partner with.”

This sentiment was shared by Zarzeczny, who described the event as a step beyond conventional panel discussions. “It’s about walking into a startup’s space and seeing [innovation] come to life,” she remarked.

As the tech landscape evolves and the stakes rise, the 2025 Elevate Festival’s Startup Open House is poised to be a cornerstone event, fostering connections that can drive growth and innovation in the Canadian startup community.

For more information, visit the official website of the Elevate Festival.