Canada

July 20, 2015 @ 9:47 am By JD Alois  |  

Last month the National Angel Capital Organization (NACO) compiled historical data for the past few years and published a report on the growing early stage investing scene in Canada.  Authored by Paul Schure at the University of Victoria and NACO staffer Melissa Dodaro, the document provides… Read More

July 17, 2015 @ 12:34 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

Last month, organizers of the This Lighthouse Matters contest launched the crowdfunding competition to give Canadian residences the chance to contribute to lighthouse preservation campaigns in Nova Scotia. According to CBC, the contest was created by National Trust for Canada and the Nova Scotia Lighthouse Preservation Society as… Read More

July 14, 2015 @ 10:00 am By JD Alois  |  

Global equity crowdfunding platform OurCrowd has continued its international expansion with the opening of an office in Toronto, Ontario.  The new location will be managed by David Shore, an established Canadian VC executive with over 20 years of experience in the investment industry.  OurCrowd has… Read More

June 29, 2015 @ 10:30 am By JD Alois  |  

SeedUps Canada, a leading equity crowdfunding platform operating out of Calgary, is joining a growing number of platforms that are leveraging their own technology to self-crowdfund their company. SeedUps is reaching out to their growing number of users, and beyond, to capitalize on their first… Read More

June 11, 2015 @ 1:11 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

Lending Loop, a new business lending marketplace, has opened its doors to businesses across Canada, aiming to be the first platform that connects businesses seeking capital with Canadian lenders. The financial technology start-up received its first round of financing from the Kirsh Group, and intends on… Read More

May 30, 2015 @ 9:35 am By Samantha Hurst  |  

Back in the 1980’s, consumers in North America as well as Scandinavia, parts of Europe and Japan rejoiced as sparkling flavored water, Clearly Canadian, hit the market and became a super popular beverage. The drink’s production ran for 22 years before it came to a screeching… Read More

May 27, 2015 @ 2:23 pm By Erin Hobey  |  

Bookstores at each of Simon Fraser University’s three campuses in Vancouver, Burnaby, and Surrey, will now accept bitcoin for the payment of retail transactions, and virtual currency machines will be installed in these locations, allowing the student body to purchase the virtual currency. “As a… Read More

May 27, 2015 @ 1:18 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

Today, Canadian financial technology platform, FrontFundr launched with a  promise to unlock a new capital market and allow regular people to invest in private companies. FrontFundr uses technology to enable entrepreneurs to raise money from a broad investor community. This is an opportunity for the… Read More

May 22, 2015 @ 11:40 am By Erin Hobey  |  

Financial technology is going to revolutionize the banking industry,” Lawyer Christine Duhaime told the Georgia Straight over coffee in downtown Vancouver. “It’s really important to encourage women to be involved in tech, and then fintech especially—we’re 50 percent of the equation—so that we’re not left out at the… Read More

May 22, 2015 @ 10:00 am By Erin Hobey  |  

“We are extremely excited by the possibilities of the next decade in the alternative finance market… OnDeck’s vision is to transform how money flows to small businesses by leveraging our platform to provide capital on demand for small business owners. The data flowing through a small… Read More

May 19, 2015 @ 11:35 am By Sandi Gilbert  |  

Six Canadian provinces jumped into the equity crowdfunding space in a big way on May 14, 2015. British Columbia, Saskatchewan,  Quebec, Manitoba, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia announced a new prospectus exemption for early stage companies to raise capital. When I first read the press release,… Read More

May 15, 2015 @ 2:45 am By Midori Yoshimura  |  

  Provincial securities regulators in British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia announced Thursday that they will permit startup and early-stage companies to issue shares to investors through crowdfunding websites, according to the Globe and Mail. However, Ottawa stated that it will not take… Read More

April 28, 2015 @ 8:47 am By Erin Hobey  |  

OnDeck Capital, a U.S.-based online marketplace which offers short-term loans to businesses of between $5,000 and $250,000, is expanding its offerings in Canada, joining a growing number of tech-oriented lenders that promise to transform the financial services landscape, according to 680 news.  Experts say Canada has… Read More

April 26, 2015 @ 2:39 pm By JD Alois  |  

French rewards based crowdfunding platform Ulule crossed the Atlantic this month.  The platform bypassed the US and headed due north setting up shop in Canada. A natural move, Ulule set up shop in Montreal with the support of the Banque Nationale.   C’est officiel !… Read More

April 24, 2015 @ 12:14 pm By Bret Conkin  |  

The consumer loan experience is getting an upgrade in Canada courtesy of some new players that are targeting the long waits and paperwork hassles of traditional loans and the high rates of alternative providers like payday loans.  Experience in other markets like the US and UK… Read More

April 21, 2015 @ 3:19 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

This morning, Montreal-based Mosaic Manufacturing launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise $75,000  for its new product,The Palette. The Palette is a technology that transforms virtually every 3D printer on the market into a multi-color printer, and allows existing machines to create functional electronic parts. Mosaic designed the device… Read More

April 13, 2015 @ 10:40 am By Erin Hobey  |  

Poor service is pushing companies to look for alternative banking options, according to EY’s global commercial banking survey, advancing service in a digital world. Nearly a third (28%) of Canadian commercial banking customers experienced an error with their primary bank in the past 12 to… Read More

April 10, 2015 @ 4:13 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

A very determined Canadian man is doing whatever it takes to break a Guinness Record… even if that means involving National Treasure star, Nicolas Cage. Earlier this week, Windsor resident, Thom Malone hit Kickstarter to raise $52,000 for a 21,646-square meter mosaic of the 51-year-old actor. Originally created as a… Read More

April 3, 2015 @ 9:23 am By Erin Hobey  |  

VarageSale, the online marketplace for people to buy, sell and connect with their local communities, announced its partnership with Lightspeed and Sequoia, raising $34 million. The financing will be used to further enhance the VarageSale user experience and to continue to expand the company’s user base… Read More

April 3, 2015 @ 1:38 am By JD Alois  |  

Nanaimo, British Columbia based CrowdMapped, a geo-location based crowdfunding business & services directory, has announced the appointment of Kevin McIntyre as President & CEO. Daryl Burma, co-founder and CTO commented on the new position; “We’re extremely excited to have Mr. McIntyre join our team and the… Read More