NCFA: 2015 Canadian Crowdfunding Summit

On Tuesday, March 3, 2015, the NCFA will host an opportunity to learn about the progress, regulatory updates, emerging opportunities, best practices, insights and trends impactful to the future growth of the Canadian crowdfunding industry.

The Fintech sector is growing rapidly around the globe, playing a significant role in mobilizing capital and resources to innovative ventures and social enterprises by streamlining the process of how how organizations connect with prospective customers and investors over the internet.

Crowdfunding is helping innovative Canadian firms to launch businesses such as $1.14 million to Mass Fidelity’s wireless multi-room speakers, $1 million to DreamQii’s PlexiDrone and $820K to Vanhawk’s connected carbon fibre bicycle.  The recent Lending Club $5.4 billion IPO clearly demonstrated the appetite and potential for online lending marketplaces.

The Canadian crowdfunding industry is poised for growth.  On March 20, 2014, a total of six (6) provincial regulators announced two main proposals for new Crowdfunding prospectus exemptions that would allow early stage companies such as start-ups and SMEs to raise up to $1.5 million of capital online through the issuance of securities.

With favourable regulations imminent in Canada and the global crowdfunding industry experiencing explosive growth from $1.5 billion raised in 2012 to over $5.1 billion in 2013, crowdfunding has emerged as an increasingly popular source of innovation and social capital for small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs), new ventures, projects and cause-based organizations.