Kyle Lowry, also known as the GROAT—or Greatest Raptor of All Time—just happens to be speaking at Toronto-based tech festival Elevate this month. Why?

“We’re focused on ‘the future of’, so that gives us a lot more liberty of the type of speakers we can book.”

That’s a good question and says more about Elevate than the GROAT, as the event has in years past played host to global names from Akon to Eric Schmidt to Michelle Obama and Al Gore. Elevate is not your standard tech conference.

Joining me on The BetaKit Podcast this week to discuss what makes Elevate Elevate is co-founder and ceo Lisa Zarzeczny, whom I’ve had the pleasure of working with directly in the years BetaKit has programmed specific Elevate stages (BetaKit is also an Elevate official media partner this year). She also shares a few lessons learned and funny stories from the near decade that Elevate has been around (there are so many stories), and why—this year—they’ve modified their program to address the pressing questions facing the Canadian economy.

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It’s a fun walk down memory lane, but there’s value to the retrospective beyond nostalgia. I was struck by how different Canadian tech in 2026 is compared to 2017, but also how many themes from the pre-COVID era have resurfaced in new forms.

So, the GROAT has returned to Toronto. What else can you expect from this year’s Elevate?

Amid global uncertainty, the path forward is clear: Canada’s moment to build is now.

Presented by Uber Canada, DMZ, and National Bank of Canada, BetaKit Most Ambitious is back, telling stories of nearly 100 Canadian innovators strengthening our nation’s autonomy, security, and prosperity.

Recorded and edited by Toronto Podcasts.