Canadian tech founders, investors and gathered in downtown Toronto for the Nrth Festival, a newly rebranded technology event formerly known as Elevate. Running for two and a half days, the conference highlighted a shift in the local startup ecosystem driven by shifting macroeconomic realities, including tightening trade pressures with the United States, closer commercial ties with the European Union, and heightened interest from international capital markets.
Sovereign Space Capabilities Gain Federal Momentum
Canada is shifting its aerospace focus from a supporting supplier to a developer of sovereign space capabilities, backed by federal funding and strategic policy updates. The aerospace sector currently supports 20 percent of Canada’s gross domestic product, prompting increased government investment in domestic infrastructure and launch technology. This year, the federal government committed $200 million toward a new space-launch pad near Canso, Nova Scotia, published a Defence Industrial Strategy centered on space assets, and launched the Launch the North initiative to foster Canadian light-lift rocket development by 2028.
These policy signals have accelerated private venture activity across the country. Hugh Kolias, CEO and co-founder of the Canada Rocket Company, stated that Ottawa’s evolving stance enabled his Toronto-based startup to secure more than $22 million in funding since incorporating in November 2025. The firm has joined the first phase of the Launch the North program and hired over 30 employees, drawing back Canadian aerospace talent from abroad. Rahul Goel, founder and CEO of Markham, Ontario-based NordSpace, noted that domestic talent, intellectual property, and institutional knowledge position the country to build out orbital-class launch and satellite manufacturing capabilities rapidly.
Pragmatism and National Independence in Rocket Technology
Developing independent launch infrastructure on Canadian soil represents a practical step toward national self-reliance rather than a symbolic moonshot. Bachar Elzein, CEO and chief technology officer of Montreal-based Reaction Dynamics, emphasized that shifting dependency between allied nations does not achieve true security. Reaction Dynamics develops patented hybrid propulsion rocket technology and participates in the Launch the North program alongside NordSpace. According to Elzein, true sovereignty requires nations to master their own technological destinies.
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