Elevate, Toronto

The 4TU.Startups invites you to the 4TU. Toronto mission for Medtech and Biotech. Hosted from Sunday, October 5th to Saturday, October 11th. The contact with our Canadian partners is great! The 4TU. is partnered up with the University of Waterloo, one of the top entrepreneurial universities in North America. Also this mission is organized together with our great partners in crime, Consulate General of the Netherlands in Toronto, winner of the 2025 Embassy Prize for best service to the Dutch business community!

🍁 ABOUT TORONTO, CANADA AS STARTUP HUB

Toronto stands as Canada’s premier tech startup hub, ranked first nationally and eighth in North America, boasting over 24,000 tech companies and nearly 50 incubators and accelerators that attracted C$3.7 billion in investment in 2022. Anchored by world-class institutions such as the University of Toronto, York University and Toronto Metropolitan University, the city feeds a deep STEM talent pool into sectors ranging from AI and fintech to cleantech and cybersecurity. Beyond local strengths, Canada’s broader ecosystem is a beacon of stability in times of geopolitical uncertainty. With recent developments, the incentive for collaboration between Dutch and Canadian companies is high.

More importantly, the Toronto Greater Area is a leading hub for Biotech and MedTech startups, underpinned by a robust ecosystem that combines world-class research institutions like the University of Toronto and Hospital for Sick Children with a thriving community of tech innovators. The city’s concentration of academic and healthcare institutions, such as the MaRS Discovery District, which houses over 150 health-focused companies, provides a rich environment for collaboration and innovation. In addition, at only a one-and-a-half hour drive, the University of Waterloo is located, which is the top entrepreneurial university in Canada. The associated incubator Velocity can go toe-to-toe with the best in the world; active since 2008 and with an enterprise value north of 40 billion.

Source: LinkedIn

ABOUT ELEVATE FESTIVAL

A glimpse of the program of the Elevate:

Well received speakers on women's health and the commercialization of pharmaceuticals. And featured content on topics like digital health solutions, AI in diagnostics, and the future of personalized medicine.
Startup Showcase: Each year, various cohorts of startups participate in "ecosystem showcases" and "rocket pitches". A specific MedTech spotlight is in the make for this year.
Awards: In 2023, the HealthTech Startup Medreddie took home the Elevate Women+ pitch prize, which included a $450,000 cash investment to expand the startup. See the Betakit article here.
Beyond specific content, Elevate attracts a diverse audience including investors (both traditional VC and angel investors), corporate innovation teams, researchers, and, of course, a large contingent of startups themselves. This mix provides excellent networking opportunities for MedTech companies looking to expand their reach and connect with potential partners.

SO WHY SHOULD YOU JOIN?

The extensive network of the 4TU. in Canada combined with the Award Winning Support of the Consulate General in Toronto will be of value well beyond the trip itself.
Elevate Tech Festival is an extensive platform for every tech startup, with a rapidly growing life science audience. If you are fundraising, want to network or just looking to benchmark this is the spot to be.
Toronto is a leading hub for medtech and biotech innovation; from top companies to great research institutions it is all there!

🧳 PROGRAM OF THE 4TU. MISSION

👋 Sunday, October 5th:	Arrival in Toronto Welcome event
Monday, October 6th:	Introduction and sessions of important stakeholders 🧪 MaRS visit founder-to-founder sessions Visit KITE Institute 🏥 Transfer to Waterloo
Tuesday, October 7th ☀️:	Program at University of Waterloo and Velocity Transfer back to Toronto
Wednesday, October 8th 🎟️:	Elevate Tech Festival 4TU. Delegation Showcase
Thursday, October 9th 🎯:	Elevate Tech Festival
Friday, October 10th:	🇳🇱 Dutch Alumni Breakfast and Consul Residence Closing dinner
Saturday, October 11th:	Return Flight 🧡

🎯 REVIEWS FROM PARTICIPANTS LAST YEAR

On average, attendees reported securing around five high‐quality leads each (ranging from 3 up to 10), spanning clinical partners at Brigham Women’s Hospital and Dana‐Farber to commercial contacts at Demcon. Startups gained immediate entry points into North American innovation hubs, scheduling subsequent calls and site visits with Toronto’s MaRS, JLabs and Holland House Canada. The mission helped participants secure invitations to pitch sessions and apply for follow-on grants and VC funding, which helped creating a clear funding roadmap that extends well beyond the trip itself.

^Source:^LinkedIn