Self-Crowdfunding Now, FrontFundr Seeks a Gender-Balanced Shareholder Base

Canada’s leading investment crowdfunding platform, FrontFundr, is seeking female investors to help them grow. Frontfundr is in the midst of a self-crowdfunding campaign seeking a minimum raise of $750,000 (and a max of $1.5 million). Frontfundr is offering common stock in the company at a pre-money valuation of $6 million. The long-term objective of Frontfundr is to become the leading funding and investment platform for the private markets in Canada – an addressable market estimated at around $100 billion.

While Frontfundr wants to expand its already dominant market position in Canada, the company also wants to build a gender-balanced shareholder base.

FrontFundr, is seeking female investors to help them grow and and the platform wants to increase the percentage of female investors from the current 30% up to 50%. While venture capital continues to favor male entrepreneurs, one study referenced by PWC shows that women are much more successful than men in crowdfunding. To date, FrontFundr reports that one-third of the companies that have raised capital on its site have been women-led.

“It only makes sense to have a gender-balanced shareholder base,” comments Sean Burke, co-founder and COO of FrontFundr. “We want women to invest in early and growth stage companies, and by investing in FrontFundr, they help us to fund more women-led businesses. We’ve already been successful at beating that average, with 30% women investors in our last raise. This time, we want to set a standard for Canadian finance and lead the way for the companies that raise capital on FrontFundr.”

FrontFundr wants a platform that works for women investors and entrepreneurs. The company says that women take a broader view when making investments, considering many aspects beyond return.

FrontFundr believes women look for companies serving a purpose they believe in, or a team that represents them. And when women invest, they become passionate advocates and brand champions, bringing value to the companies they support.

For Frontfunder this integrated approach makes investment crowdfunding a great model for women investors. Companies that crowdfund tend be purpose-driven, and platforms like FrontFundr make it easy for investors and entrepreneurs to connect.

While a third of the companies that have raised capital on FrontFundr have been-women led, they are working to continually increase through initiatives like the RAISE Collective. Additionally, they want more women to invest in early and growth stage companies.

With less than 2% of the world’s money is invested by women, FrontFundr’s 50% goal is ambitious. But the investment crowdfunding model is well suited for female investors due to differences in how they invest.

“Women take a more holistic view when making investments,” says FrontFundr’s Chief Growth Officer, Jill Earthy. “We consider many aspects beyond return including impact and how else we can help. What’s missing is access to investment opportunities, and that’s where FrontFundr can be a bridge.”