Toronto's two big dates are Toronto Tech Week (31 May – 4 June 2027), now the city's main startup week since Collision left, and the Nrth Festival, the former Elevate (14–16 September 2027). Before that, autumn 2026 is packed: DMZ's Black Innovation Summit, TechTO, MaRS Climate Impact and the RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards gala.
This guide lists startup, tech, investor and women-founder events in Toronto from October 2026 to the end of 2027. We checked every date on the organiser's own website where it was published. We mark each event as Confirmed (date on the official site), Announced (date from a reliable second source) or Expected (based on past editions only). Prices are in Canadian dollars.
This article is regularly updated with new events. Do you know about an event that needs to be added? Send us some info and we will see if it's a fit.
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Must Attend Startup Events in Toronto 2026–2027: Calendar from October 2026 to September 2027
Autumn 2026: October to December
Canadian Lenders Summit and The Tech Festival Canada: 22–27 October 2026
The Canadian Lenders Association's summit meets at The Quay on 22 October (date from fintech.ca): a room of lenders for founders looking at debt or revenue-based financing.
The dates come from the events page of the CVCA, Canada's venture capital association, which promotes it to its members.
DMZ Black Innovation Summit: 28 October 2026
The sixth edition of DMZ's summit for Black founders. Even without a pitch slot, it is a good place to see how investors judge pitches.
TechTO, Startup Grind and MLOps North: 2–6 November 2026
Toronto's best-connected tech community night. It is sold out, so join the waitlist or become a member for the next one.
The Toronto Machine Learning Society's conference brings the city's applied AI crowd: a place to hire and find partners.
Women entrepreneurs gala and DevFest: 13–15 November 2026
Women of Influence+ and RBC run Canada's best-known national awards for women business owners.
GDG Toronto runs it with Women Techmakers Toronto: a day of technical talks and a place to meet a technical co-founder.
MaRS Climate Impact and AI Tinkerers: 17–26 November 2026
Canada's main climate tech investor gathering, at the MaRS innovation hub. The same week is Global Entrepreneurship Week (16–22 November).
A monthly meetup of hands-on AI demos, where people show work in progress rather than slides.
Winter and spring 2027: March to June
Open Banking Expo Canada and DMZ Women Innovation Summit: March 2027
A focused day for fintech founders who build on bank data. In the same month, the DMZ Women Innovation Summit returns for its fifth edition: 10 women founders pitch for up to $150K from DMZ Ventures. The exact date and venue are not out yet.
DiscoveryX: 21–22 April 2027
Run by the Ontario Centre of Innovation, it puts provincial funding programmes and corporate buyers in one place.
Payments Canada SUMMIT and MaRS Impact Health: May 2027
The dates come from Payments Canada's 2027 sponsorship prospectus.
Toronto Tech Week: 31 May – 4 June 2027
The third edition of the city's tech week. Collision, the conference that once filled Toronto every June, last ran here in 2024, and its successor is in Vancouver, so this week is now the main startup moment of the year.
Summer and autumn 2027
The former Elevate Festival, renamed Nrth. Its Startup Pass includes the investor meetings, so it is the best-value ticket for founders who are raising.
Dates not announced yet
- CIX Summit and CIX Startup Awards (Nrth): last held on 25 March 2026 at the Design Exchange; expected in spring 2027.
- Toronto Machine Learning Summit: the 2025 edition ran on 16–17 June; no 2026 or 2027 date found. TMLS
- AWS Summit Toronto: last held on 3 June 2026 at the MTCC; expected in June 2027. AWS
- SecTor, the cybersecurity conference: last held on 6–8 October 2026 at the MTCC; expected in October 2027.
- Canada FinTech Symposium: listed for May 2027 at the MTCC on fintech.ca, with no exact date or official page yet.
- Techstars Startup Weekend Toronto: the last edition, on 6–8 March 2026, was women-focused; no next date yet.
Recurring meetups and communities
- TechTO: regular ecosystem nights and member events. techto.org
- AI Tinkerers Toronto: monthly AI demo meetups. toronto.aitinkerers.org
- Startup Grind Toronto: founder talks, pitch nights and mixers, plus an online masterclass on 19 November 2026. Startup Grind Toronto
- DMZ (Toronto Metropolitan University): its incubator and pre-incubator take applications all year. DMZ
- MaRS Discovery District: the city's innovation hub, with events through the year. MaRS
Some names have gone quiet: we found no Startup Open House Toronto since October 2025, no Big Data & AI Toronto since 2023, and no recent Communitech True North in nearby Waterloo. Invest Canada 2027, the CVCA's conference, is in Vancouver (1–3 June).
Events for women founders in Toronto
- RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards Gala: 13 November 2026 at the Ritz-Carlton. canadianwomenawards.ca
- DMZ Women Innovation Summit: March 2027, with a pitch for up to $150K. DMZ
- Women of Influence+: a roundtable dinner on 26 November 2026, and the Top 25 Women of Influence Awards Gala on 10 February 2027 (location not published). Women of Influence events
- DevFest Toronto: co-hosted by Women Techmakers Toronto on 15 November 2026.
We found no 2026 or 2027 Toronto dates for Women in Tech World Series, She Loves Tech or Femme Fierce. If you organise an event for women founders in Toronto, send it to us and we'll add it.
Funding and support to know before you go
- Start-up Visa is paused: the federal programme is closed to new applications. Only holders of a valid 2025 commitment certificate could still apply, until 30 June 2026. IRCC
- Futurpreneur: founders aged 18 to 39 can get an equity-free startup loan of up to $75,000, with up to $50,000 more from BDC (conditions apply) and up to two years of mentoring. Futurpreneur
- Incorporating in Ontario: registering a business corporation costs $300. Ontario.ca
- Incubators: DMZ's incubator (18 months) and pre-incubator (9 months) take applications all year. DMZ
How to get the most out of Toronto startup events
- Plan your year around Toronto Tech Week. Its events (31 May – 4 June 2027) are run by independent hosts, so register for each one separately.
- Buy the Nrth Startup Pass. At $375 it is cheaper than General Admission and includes the investor meetings.
- Join TechTO. Members get in free, and its nights sell out.
- Apply to pitch. DMZ's Women Innovation Summit and Black Innovation Summit both put founders in front of investors; see more startup competitions.
- Check the visa rules first. With the Start-up Visa paused, founders from abroad should confirm their route to Canada before planning a move.
List your event in this guide
Do you run a startup, tech or investor event in Toronto? Send us the name, dates, venue and official link, and we'll check whether it fits this guide. We list events for founders, with a real date and an official page.
This article is regularly updated with new events. Do you know about an event that needs to be added? Send us some info and we will see if it's a fit.
🔗 Add an awesome event
Startup events in other places
- Must Attend Startup Events in Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Must Attend Startup Events in San Francisco, USA
- Must Attend Startup Events in New York, USA
- Must Attend Startup Events in Berlin, Germany
- Must Attend Startup Events in Paris, France
- Must Attend Startup Events in Stockholm, Sweden
- Must Attend Startup Events in Dubai, UAE
- Must Attend Startup Events in Lisbon, Portugal
- Must Attend Startup Events in Barcelona, Spain
- Must Attend Startup Events in Munich, Germany
- Must Attend Startup Events in Tokyo, Japan
- Must Attend Startup Events in Las Vegas, USA
- Must Attend Startup Events in Boston, USA
- Must Attend Startup Events in Los Angeles, USA
- Best startup events in Europe (with country guides)
FAQ
What is the biggest startup event in Toronto?
Toronto Tech Week, on 31 May – 4 June 2027, with hundreds of events across the city. The Nrth Festival (formerly Elevate) follows on 14–16 September 2027.
Is Collision still in Toronto?
No. Collision last ran in Toronto in 2024, and its successor, Web Summit Vancouver, is held in Vancouver.
Are there events for women founders in Toronto?
Yes: the RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards Gala (13 November 2026), the DMZ Women Innovation Summit (March 2027) and Women of Influence+ events.
Are there cheap startup events in Toronto?
Yes. TechTO nights are $30 or free for members, AI Tinkerers meetups take an RSVP, and Toronto Tech Week has no central ticket: each host sets its own price.
Is Canada's Start-up Visa open?
No. The programme is paused and closed to new applications; only holders of a 2025 commitment certificate could apply, until 30 June 2026.
About the Author
Violetta Bonenkamp, also known as MeanCEO, is an experienced startup founder with an impressive educational background including an MBA and four other higher education degrees. She has over 20 years of work experience across multiple countries, including 5 years as a solopreneur and serial entrepreneur. Throughout her startup experience she has applied for multiple startup grants at the EU level, in the Netherlands and Malta, and her startups received quite a few of those. She’s been living, studying and working in many countries around the globe and her extensive multicultural experience has influenced her immensely.
