Message from our CEO
Canada doesn't have an innovation problem.
It has a navigation problem.
Navigating which technologies actually matter. Where the next opportunity lies. Who to partner with and which relationships can open doors. How to find the right customers and capital. And how to make the right decisions when everything is moving this fast.
Nrth exists to help our community navigate change and capitalize on what comes next.
But to understand where we’re going, it helps to understand where we started.
When we created Elevate in 2017, Canada had an incredible innovation ecosystem that wasn't getting the visibility it deserved. So we built a stage for it.
For a decade, we've created the rooms where founders, investors, business leaders, and innovators come together. We've helped shine a spotlight on Canadian leaders and companies, and connected our ecosystem to opportunities here and around the world.
Today, the challenge is different.
Technology is advancing at an extraordinary pace. AI is changing how companies operate and compete. Founders are fighting for capital and customers in a tougher global market. Business leaders are navigating technologies and decisions that barely existed a few years ago. And countries around the world are competing to attract the companies, talent and investment that will shape the next decade.
That's led us to ask ourselves an important question: What does Canada need from us now?
Navigating what’s next
Nrth is a year-round platform built to help Canada's builders and leaders make sense of a rapidly changing world and connect them with the right people, ideas and opportunities to help them move forward.
The name reflects the role we want to play.
Elevate was created to lift Canadian innovation into view. But visibility alone isn't enough anymore.
Nrth is about direction: helping our community understand where technology and the economy are heading, what it means for them, and where the opportunities are.
For a founder, that could mean meeting a first major customer, finding an investor, learning from peers that have scaled before, or getting in front of the right decision-maker.
For a business leader, it could mean understanding how AI is changing their industry, discovering a Canadian technology that solves a real problem or meeting a founder to build it for them.
And sometimes, it simply means getting the right people into the same room to tackle a challenge none of them can solve alone.
That's what navigating what's next means to us.
More Than One Moment
Elevate Festival showed us the power of bringing the right people into the same room. That isn't going away. Nrth Festival will remain our marquee gathering, bringing Canada and the world together around the technologies, ideas and people shaping the future.
But the challenges facing our community don't begin and end with the Festival.
Technology doesn't move on an annual cycle, and the decisions facing founders and business leaders can't wait for Festival season. That's why Nrth will show up throughout the year.
Through programs that connect Canadian companies with potential customers and partners. Through opportunities that bring founders and investors together. Through practical conversations that help business leaders understand and adopt new technologies. Through research and insights that give us a clearer picture of what's happening across the global innovation landscape. And through experiences that continue to bring together people who might not otherwise meet.
The Festival remains an important part of who we are. Nrth gives us the opportunity to build around it.
What Comes With Us
Everything Elevate has built over the past decade comes with us: the community, the relationships, the Festival, the belief in Canadian innovation and our ability to bring together people from across technology, business, government and investment.
What changes is the role we're asking that platform to play.
In 2017, the opportunity was to give Canadian innovation the stage it deserved. Today, the opportunity is bigger: to help Canada put its innovation to work.
That's the next chapter we're building.
Same community. Same belief in what Canada can build. A bigger role in helping move it forward.
Got a question? Reach out to events@nrth.ca.
FAQs
What is Nrth?
Nrth (formerly Elevate) is a Canadian non-profit that exists to help founders and business leaders navigate technological change. Through insight, connections and hands-on opportunities, we help industry leaders understand and adopt emerging technologies, and give builders what they need to build and grow companies.
Why Nrth? What does the name mean?
Nrth is about direction. Elevate was built to shine a spotlight on Canadian innovation; Nrth reflects our growing role as a guide, helping our community make sense of change and find the people and opportunities that can help them move forward.
Why is Elevate becoming Nrth?
The challenge facing Canada has changed since we launched Elevate in 2017. Canada doesn’t just need to showcase innovation; we need to put it to work. Nrth reflects our evolving role in helping founders and business leaders build, grow and compete in a rapidly changing world.
Is Nrth a new organization, or is Elevate changing its name?
Nrth is the evolution of Elevate, not a new organization. We’re building on nine years of community, relationships and impact while expanding what we do and how we support Canada’s founders and business leaders.
What is changing?
More than our name. Nrth expands our focus beyond major gatherings to a broader year-round role, with more programs, insights and hands-on opportunities that help founders grow and businesses understand and adopt emerging technologies.
What happens to Elevate Festival?
Elevate Festival becomes Nrth Festival. It will continue to be our marquee annual gathering, bringing together founders, business leaders, investors and innovators around the technologies and ideas shaping the future.
I already have an Elevate Festival ticket. Does anything change for me?
No. Your ticket automatically carries over to Nrth Festival and no action is required. Your ticket type, access and benefits remain the same.
What will Nrth do beyond the Festival?
Nrth will be active year-round. We’ll bring builders and industry leaders together more often to make sense of major shifts in technology and the economy, launch hands-on programs that help businesses adopt AI and other emerging technologies, and expand opportunities for builders to connect with customers, investors and expertise. We’ll also capture and share data on what’s happening across Canada’s innovation economy, and create more curated rooms where the right people can tackle important opportunities together.
Who is Nrth for?
Nrth is built primarily for founders building and growing companies and business leaders navigating technological change. We also bring together the investors, policymakers, innovators and ecosystem leaders who can help turn ideas and technology into opportunity.
What happens to Elevate's existing programs?
Our programs will continue to evolve under Nrth. Elevate Festival becomes Nrth Festival, the CIX Startup Awards evolve into the Nrth Innovation Awards, and our startup, innovation and technology adoption programs will come together under Nrth Labs.
Where can I find Nrth online and on social media?
Our new home is nrth.ca, and our social channels will transition from Elevate to Nrth. If you already follow Elevate, you don’t need to do anything; you’ll continue following us as we make the change.