seedups
if you are a growing company preparing to capital raise, visit seedups canada .
it’s been a busy start to the fall here at seedups and we thought we’d share a few updates and news .
seedups does not provide administrative work options to startups on the front end. the tasks involved with dealing with investors during the 180 day process is up to the startup staff. seedups does, however, provide administrative assistance on the back end. once the agreement is made between the startup and investor (s), seedups' s reporting software makes sure that investors are kept informed periodically about their investments. when the process closes, the startup is made an offer and seedups' legal team organizes the paperwork .
seedups does allow investors to connect with users from linkedin and other social networks to discuss investment opportunities they see through the seedups platform. this is great news for startups on seedups as it gives tech businesses the ability to reach a larger group of potential investors. in addition to reaching a large group of investors, businesses are able to utilize seedups to directly communicate with potential investors. businesses can run scheduled webinars allowing potential investors to gain further insight into the business and determine if it is an investment they would like to make .
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recently featured in the forbes top 10 crowdfunding platform list, seedups started about 18 months ago, inspired by kickstarter, a us company that funds creative projects .
as an all or nothing funding type, seedups does not charge non - completion fees. they do pay what seedups calls a 5 %
success fee
upon successful completion of a campaign and sealing the deal with investors. investors also pay what seedups calls a
matching fee
upon successful completion of a deal between them and a startup. although 5% may be on the upper end of flat fees taken, some crowdfunding places do charge more fees than this - including a non - completion fee .
seedups functions solely as an equity funding model. many other crowdfunding platforms allow a personal as well as rewards model to appeal to family, friends, and customers for investment in their company - as well as create meaningful connections with investors. the lack of these two funding models may limit the scope of investors businesses can appeal to using the seedups platform .
michael faulkner runs seedups, a us, ireland and britain based peer - to - peer lender specialising in funding technology start - ups through a base of tech - savvy investors .
seedups is an excellent crowdfunding platform for tech savvy startups in need of funding between $ 25, 000 and $ 500, 000. for brand new startups, the six month process may be riskier than some equity crowdfunding platforms, but for businesses looking for high net worth investors, seedups provides valuable tools necessary to adequately explain their business and connect with these investors .
seedups has €40m available in investor funds and over 1, 350 entrepreneurs registered on site. of these, 280 are irish, 400 are british and 600 are us - based. entrepreneurs can raise €25, 000 - €500, 000 .
the content of this article has been adapted from equity crowdfunding: the complete guide for startups and growing companies, launching on amazon on november 1. seedups subscribers can download the entire book for free, this week only. click here to download .
on seedups, you can invest in a diverse variety of industry sectors and select a company that resonates with you. it’s easy to browse profiled companies and make an investment online. the platform guides you through the investment process, seamlessly and efficiently .
investing in private businesses is risky, but the returns are potentially high if you diversify and invest in companies you understand and interest you. when you invest in companies on seedups your risks include illiquidity, lack of dividends, loss of investment and dilution. you should only invest in these businesses as part of a diversified portfolio. investment opportunities on seedups are suitable only to investors who are qualified and suitable to purchase the securities and who are familiar with and willing to accept the high risk associated with private investments .
important disclosure: crowd capital inc. , and any of its subsidiaries, management, shareholders, consultants, associates, or affiliates (collectively seedups canada) are not a registered dealer or advisor under national instrument 31 - 103 “registration requirements and exemptions”. seedups canada is not in the business of advising in securities. nothing on this website should be construed as an offer to sell, a solicitation of an offer to buy, or a recommendation for any security by seedups canada or any third party. any information contained herein does not advise, recommend, or otherwise represent to anyone that any investment is suitable for any person. private company investing is considered to be highly speculative and, as such, is suitable only for investors who are prepared to risk the loss of their entire investment .
where the typical peer - to - peer or crowdfunding model aims at any interested subscriber, seedups restricts itself to high net worth investors that need to register specially, because of the level of legal and regulatory issues involved. faulker did a lot of legal homework before setting up .
in her blog post “why isn’t canada embracing [ crowdfunding ], seedups ceo sandi gilbert opined that culture is not the key barrier, “the space is very new in canada – with seedups being the lone voice for early stage investment until recently. the canadian public in general isn’t even aware that they can invest in deals online. so getting the word out is important. ” frontfundr ceo, peter - paul van hoeken echoed this in a recent globe & mail piece, “it’s a process to create a crowdfunding market… we don’t think the cultural difference is a primary factor. ”
several platforms are targeting early stage / sme ventures and both accredited investors and retail investors. the two with the most traction are seedups (based out of calgary, alberta) which launched in early 2014, while frontfundr (based out of vancouver, british columbia) launched in spring 2015 .
if you enjoyed this article, you can read a comprehensive overview of equity crowdfunding by downloading nathan rose’s new book, free on amazon for this week only, featuring even more insights from seedups and many other interested participants in the crowd economy from around the world. click here to get your copy .
in 2011, michael established seedups as an innovative online matching service that allows entrepreneurs to raise 25, 000 up to 500, 000 seed to start - up capital. the key differentiator of the service and methodology is to allow micro seed investments in a collaborative way using the collective wisdom of crowd .
companies on seedups take advantage of new capital raising rules allowing them to reach out to all investors, not just the usual suspects. by reaching out to their peers, founders can attract investors and validate their product or services at the same time. so now, you too, can invest in your favourite private company .
generally, there are three types of individual investors that can invest on seedups. it’s simple and free for anyone to sign up. simply answer a few questions to complete your investor profile and you’ll be able to access eligible campaigns, ask entrepreneurs and management questions, request further information and invest. your ability to invest is driven by :
with home offices in california and new york, seedups is a crowdfunding platform that matches technology startups with high net worth investors. its target audience is entrepreneurs who have an idea for a tech startup and need seed stage capital, or have a startup already in operation but need investment to push it forward to the next level of growth .
for companies trying to access angel or vc capital, seedups provides the tools to prepare and present their opportunities to this important source of funding. we can also direct companies to our partners like banks, online lending platforms and government funding programs for those that can support this type of financing. with over 700 companies applying for funding on seedups, we know that many of them are not ready to face these investors. as a result, we have developed an investor readiness program (“irp”) that helps these companies prepare to face investors that ask the tough questions. the result, an increased chance of a successful capital raise – a win - win for the investors and the entrepreneurs alike .
developments in technology and regulation mean that now, seedups can offer a variety of investments for small investors – both equity and debt. we provide the missing link that connects companies to an untapped groundswell of support — as well as a huge pool of capital held in private hands. we’re leading the charge in canada and welcome you aboard! register now at urltoken
we’d like to extend our thanks to all who were able to join us for the north american tech tour powered by seedups. it was a great opportunity to fuel calgary’s innovation system and gain insights from a trailblazing entrepreneurship enthusiast like paul singh. special thanks to paul, dana, our featured speakers, all attendees, sponsors and exhibitors. you made it happen .
seedups canada is an online investment crowdfunding platform where ordinary individuals and sophisticated investors come together to discover, evaluate and invest in growing companies. companies raise capital through a secure platform where they can pitch, attract and close investors. investors execute investments online, and stay informed of investee companies’ activities. it’s a disruptive model that is changing the way individuals can invest, and companies find investment .
when faced with a person handing out flyers, many people tend to smile vaguely and just continue walking. this week at sxsw, however, is the time to suppress that inclination. in fact, during interactive, a good rule of thumb is to take every flyer or card that comes your way because there’s so much creative marketing happening, you just don’t know what you’ll get. seedups is an excellent case in point. while exiting a panel, i nabbed a flyer with the title ,
got a tech start - up... need funding ?
after reading more about the company, which basically applies the crowdfunding model to startups, my interest was piqued. i was able to meet with seedups founder and ceo michael faulkner in the middle of the hectic interactive trade show & exhibition .
seedups gives startups six (6) months - or 180 days - to successfully connect with and secure investors. this time frame is significantly longer than the 60 days allowed by most other crowdfunding platform. allowing campaigns to run this length of time gives businesses the opportunity to adequately portray their business to potential investors and form relationships with interested parties. six months is a long enough time to satisfy the inquiries of potential investors .
for the past three years, we’ve been at the forefront of advocating for change in the way canada’s early stage companies access capital and engaged venture investors find investment. credited as the technology that supported the “ first ordinary investor ” to take an online stake in a private company, the team at seedups has been encouraged by the innovation movement taking hold in canada and the regulators’ efforts to expand capital formation for early stage companies .
seedups and frontfundr have now partnered to provide entrepreneurs with a full suite of tools to access the resources and capital they need to grow and scale their businesses. this partnership will help entrepreneurs prepare for and engage with a wide range of new investors; from retail to angels to institutions and investment funds – online and offline. post investment technologies to help companies and their shareholders better manage their investments will bring transparency to private investing overall .
companies profiled on seedups have been reviewed and vetted by waverley corporate financial services ltd. before a deal goes live, the company is subject to a due diligence process to validate the company, its management, directors and its business model. the company is required to submit financial forecasts that are reviewed to ensure they are a fair and reasonable reflection of the business as it currently stands, and that their forecasts are backed by reasonable thinking and assumptions .
the seedups investor community invests for a number of reasons. typically, they want to support a business or industry they are interested in, or they want to invest in a management team that has a track record of success. they understand the risks and rewards of investing in private companies and want to put a small portion of their investment portfolio into companies they believe in. our registered users include first time investors, angels and early stage venture funds .
you are investing in private companies that, in most cases, do not have an obligation to publish financial statements or provide quarterly updates. these companies do understand the importance of regular communications and our technology makes it easy to get messages out to their shareholders. in any event, we send regular updates to our investor base and we’ll be sure to keep you up to date with the information we have on the activities of the companies that successfully raise capital on seedups .
we’ve also been engaging with other stakeholders in the funding arena, specifically the angels and early stage venture capital firms (“vcs”) that supply much needed growth capital to our passionate entrepreneurs. we’ve continued to advocate that seedups is not a competitor, rather a technology - enabled resource to help them fund their chosen companies faster and more efficiently. although quick to recognize and invest in disruptive technologies in their portfolios, they have been slow to embrace technology for their own financing processes .
seedups' main focus is matching technology startups seeking to raise a maximum of $ 500, 000 with high net worth investors. business startups are able to utilize their platform to raise between $ 25, 000 and $ 500, 000. investors on this platform compete to get into deals with business startups by placing bids between $ 1, 000 and $ 25, 000, placing a valuation of the startup and eventually leading to an offer of funding from the lead investor .
one, sandi gilbert, developed a suite of technologies that simplified the complexities of capital creation and management with a focus on the angel investing community. the seedups platform, and its deal flow app angelbot, has showcased over 50 companies to its angel network; and dealpoint, a saas solution for the private capital markets, has transacted over $ 4 million in exempt investment since its launch late last year. next up – a blockchain solution where entrepreneurs and investors can manage their shareholdings post raise .
this communication is for information purposes only and should not be regarded as an offer to sell or as a solicitation of an offer to buy any financial product. securities offered through waverley corporate financial services ltd. , an exempt market dealer. investment opportunities on seedups canada are suitable only to investors who are qualified to purchase the securities and who are familiar with and willing to accept the high risk associated with private investments. you will have to complete and sign additional documents to determine your suitability to make an investment .
after a jam packed day, my partner don, took a few of us for dinner and deepak and i exchanged text messages to coordinate a “meet” at the victoria where a very grateful me, met a very gracious deepak, with my make - up and my money! as it turns out, deepak was very interested in the seedups platform as he is working on his own start - up and wanted to learn more about how to raise capital to take his product to market. another budding entrepreneur enjoying the flexibility afforded to uber drivers .
the seedups technology platform allows this to happen. early stage private capital has traditionally been funded by a small group of high net worth individuals ready to take a risk. by using our technology, companies can access a broader group of individuals that may want to invest smaller amounts alongside these investors. angels that want to fund a company, yet don’t have enough cheque writers at the right time, can present their companies to an engaged investor community to fill the round. vcs can find additional capital for their portfolio companies – all in an efficient, transparent manner .
in 2014, after extensive research and development, we deployed our first solution, a crowdfunding platform called seedups canada. it was licensed by an exempt market dealer and was the first canadian platform to execute private placements on - line, embracing the new world of equity crowdfunding. by august of 2016, we recognized that crowdfunding in canada was off to a slow and complex start, so we left the crowd behind and turned back to our entrepreneurial roots, and focused on helping early stage companies access the resources they need to plan and execute a strategy for long term business success, be that capital, mentorship or connections .
an all or nothing fund type is utilized by seedups. businesses must reach their funding goal in order to receive funding. typically this is not a negative with other funding models, but with seedup' s equity funding model, this may be frustrating to new businesses just starting out who are able to partially reach their monetary goal but are unable to receive funds. since many startups take whatever monies they raise - be it a large amount or a few pennies - to invest in what they can to get them to the next step of growth, despite how small, seedup' s six - month time period can leave a brand new startup dead in the water. also, during this six months, chances are a startup is not raising money or pitching to other investors so if they fall short of the goal, they haven' t grown, either .
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ever fancied being a movie mogul? or a property developer? or how about an angel investor to rival those on dragon’s den? well, now you can through the magic of crowdfunding. by pooling together your funds with those of many, many others, you can access a range of investments that otherwise would have been out of your reach, or else you can put your money towards a creative project you believe in .
ever wish you were like seán parker of napster fame, who turned his investment in facebook into billions? well, you mightn’t reach quite as high as him, but access to early - stage companies is now possible through ventures such as urltoken. so, if you want to rival one of the great silicon valley venture capitalists, you could consider crowd - sourced funding which offers money for start - ups by connecting companies and investors .
it’s a trend that’s catching on. in the us, a crowdfunding bill, which would allow investors to own equity in companies they back as part of a group, is expected to be signed by president barack obama shortly. up until now, crowdfunding has been possible largely through philanthropic sites such as kickstarter, which companies such as double fine adventure have used to raise more than €3 million from more than 80, 000 backers to create a videogame. soon, however, investors can put their money in with an eye to making a profit .
in ireland, the business expansion scheme, now known as the enterprise investment scheme, could be seen to be an early form of crowdfunding, as it allowed investors to pool together in a structured investment to fund a company and earn tax relief and a potential return on their investment. but the concept may soon become much broader. irish company urltoken is blazing a trail in the sector, and since launching in february 2011, it has attracted more than 1, 200 tech - entrepreneurs seeking to raise money through crowdfunding, and 600 investors. according to founder michael faulkner, half of all companies looking to raise funds through the site are from the us, with a fifth from ireland. to date, €40 million has been pledged through the site, despite the fact that it is currently only open to “sophisticated” or high net - worth individuals, in line with irish regulations .
however, as faulkner indicates, if the us goes ahead with its crowdfunding act, which will allow investors take equity stakes in companies, a “domino” effect could see similar legislation introduced in ireland. this would mean that investors could bid to invest on projects ranging from €250 to €10, 000 .
in the uk, crowdfunding has even spread to property development – and irish investors beware, the concept is open to investors from ireland also. the house crowd, which has been put together by property developer frazer fearnhead, is now offering investors the chance to buy into property for just £1, 000 .
according to the house crowd, which launched last month, “it’s about investing together and sharing together. no banks. no expensive mortgage arrangement fees. no credit checks. and no property finder’s fees. ”
it works by investors clubbing together to purchase a distressed property, which is then refurbished and rented out. returns will “typically” be of the order of 6 per cent, plus investors also share in the profits when the property is sold. according to the house crowd, it will aim to sell most properties within three years, and it estimates the total return to investors at about 15 per cent .
if you’re an avid arts and culture fan – or are looking for a special present for such a person – crowdfunding can put you right at the heart of a production of a movie, book, play or album. last march, business to arts, which promotes creative partnerships between business and the arts, set up urltoken, to help fund creative projects. according to stuart mcloughlin, chief executive of business to arts, the website has done “extraordinarily well” in its first year, with 11, 500 pledges raising €632, 000 in total, which helped 143 creative projects come to fruition .
irish director mark o’connor used urltoken to raise money for his third feature film, stalker, about a homeless man who strikes up a relationship with a disaffected teenager. he raised more than €15, 000 for the movie, which is planned to launch at the galway film fleadh in july. similarly, musician julie feeney used the platform to raise more than €23, 000 to fund production for her next album .
according to mcloughlin, once a project meets its minimum target, which is typically about €3, 500 to €4, 000, donors’ credit cards are debited for the pledges promised. if, however, it doesn’t meet this target, cards aren’t debited and no one is charged any money, so there is no issue of people contributing money to a project that never gets off the ground .
well, on mark o’connor’s movies, for example, investments ranged from €10 to €2, 000, with an investment of €250 entitling you to become a co - producer of the film, with your name appearing on the movie credits, an invitation to the wrap party and a private screening. for €1, 000 you could have been an executive producer, and for this, you would even have got to act in the movie .
and there are plenty of other opportunities that allow you to play a key role in ensuring projects that may interest you come to fruition. drunk tank productions, for example, is hoping to bring its production of a midsummer night’s dream to the 2012 edinburgh fringe festival, and is raising money to fund this. if you contribute €500 to this project, it entitles you to a “fairy fun pack”, which includes a performance of the play in your home or a nearby park, provided that you live within the dublin area and it takes place before june 14th .
similarly, cheerywild productions recently used urltoken to raise money for its production of the play love all. a €300 contribution would have enabled you to have the play performed exclusively in your home anywhere in ireland .
for mcloughlin, the attraction of urltoken is that it helps you to be a part of the creative process. so, if for example you would have previously paid €15 to buy feeney’s new album, by contributing your money at an early stage in the process, you can ensure that the music you are interested in gets made .
however much the banks claim otherwise, sme lending is almost paralysed. a small business owner has more chance of juicing cash from a turnip than tapping traditional lenders at present .
there is spare money out there, buckets of it, almost €13bn salted away in savings by last cso figures. even a fraction of that would fill the gaping credit void left by banks. but can people be persuaded to use their savings stash to back small business ?
peer - to - peer lending is about doing just that. it' s a concept that has really grown legs elsewhere and appetite for it here among sme interest groups is keen .
across the water in britain online peer - to - peer lenders like crowd cube and funding circle give small firms a way to get funded through people who are fed up with low returns and high fees from banks and opt to put money into small stakes in companies instead .
to date peer - to - peer has been the domain of ordinary punters - - pensioners, students, tech fans who want to find the next google, art aficionados who want to make a difference, hipsters who like the
collective wisdom of the crowd
concept, but more recently bigger investors are paying attention and the whole idea is scaling up to another level .
funding circle, which lends over €1m a week to smes, lifted its maximum loan limit from €120, 000 to €300, 000 at the start of this year, as bigger investor types began to pile in .
meanwhile us peer - to - peer player lending club has hired former morgan stanley ceo john mack as part of its drive to court the wealth management industry and get big financial advisers and broking houses to sell its offering to clients .
the bank of england thinks this' social lending' is the future .
small peer - to - peer lenders like zopa and funding circle could in time replace high street banks ,
its head of policy predicted .
british chancellor of the exchequer george osborne has earmarked up to €120m in government funds to invest in peer - to - peer companies that lend to smes .
it has also caught the attention of the minister for finance, michael noonan .
it is one of a number of issues which is under active consideration by the government to improve the financing environment for smes ,
his department told us. an online scheme matching private lenders looking for better options than bank deposits, and smes seeking funds together is actively being considered .
here' s broadly how it works: a software start - up or a jewellery design business owner or an artisan food exporter wants seed capital or expansion funding etc. quelle surprise, the bank is uneffusive. he or she decides to give peer - to - peer a try .
the company goes through a credit vetting process before being allowed on to the peer - to - peer website. it is usually rated according to risk or creditworthiness. funding circle companies are rated from a + (very low risk) to c (average) for example .
then lender investors can bid on the amount and rate they want to lend for. the average loan is €50, 000, but can be up to €300, 000. the company gets the money within about two weeks .
peer - to - peer firms say they are expanding at a rate of knots. ratesetter tells us it sees this becoming a €12bn a year market in britain, doubling this year alone. funding circle has lent almost €35m to date in its 18 - month lifespan .
it isn' t happening here much - - yet. the central bank is wary of anything unconventional following the banking supervision fiascos of the past .
i get approached all the time to invest so i thought the gap was there ,
faulkner said .
we researched and identified tech companies as the niche to go for .
initially the platform was designed with mainly ireland in mind, but the recent passing of what has been dubbed the
crowdfunding bill
by the us senate, aimed at making the funding of businesses via peer - to - peer easier, gives international scope .
since the bill passed everything' s just gone crazy here ,
said faulkner, who is in the us meeting vc firms in new york and silicon valley .
patricia callan of small business lobby group the sfa says a number of parties are trying to get concepts like this off the ground here .
there have been a lot of suggestions from our members for credit solutions like this that don' t involve the banks at all ,
she said .
a lot of business people would prefer to invest in other businesses than, say, property for example. it makes perfect sense for an owner manager and entrepreneur who knows the risks and they should be allowed to do it. there is certainly interest in it from people for pension options .
the traditional forms of finance aren' t working fluently across the world. we must tap more into people who have money and change the regulations to allow them to invest it .
peer - to - peer lending websites allow individuals to invest in companies in a quick and informal way. in britain these sites lend €120m - €250m a year and rising. the two biggest players in the us lend over €400m between them. there is potential for €10m - plus of this type of investment in the irish market .
the peer - to - peer lender charges a fee per transaction, but one typically lower than banks charge .
investors can yield much higher return than banks or other options. for small business, it' s a faster, more unfettered access to the funding they need and often can' t get from their friendly banker .
average yield with funding circle is 8. 5 per cent a year - - more than double a savings deposit account rate - - though this doesn' t include defaults. default rates are between 0. 5 - 2. 5 per cent and are deducted from returns. losses incurred can be offset against capital gains tax .
for businesses, the lending rate is competitive with banks (on average about 6 per cent) and far quicker and lighter on red tape .
the lender gets hit for any losses. one of the biggest (non - sme specific) british players, zopa predicts that between 0. 5 - 6 per cent of its borrowers will default. investors are encouraged to spread their money over several companies to minimise loss risk .
last year a peer - to - peer lender called quakle collapsed when its systems failed .
there are legal and regulatory barriers to entry in ireland, but momentum is growing to lobby for a change to this .
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calgary / vancouver – february 15, 2018: four years ago, two visionaries began the process of reducing barriers for canada’s early stage companies accessing growth capital. they each developed unique models to tackle this challenge, working closely with securities regulators and gaining buy - in from the early stage ecosystem. they have now come together to leverage their experience and momentum and help more companies and investors throughout canada .
the other, peter - paul van hoeken, created frontfundr, a national exempt market dealer with a proprietary online platform that democratizes canada’s private capital markets by allowing all canadians to invest in early stage and growing private companies. frontfundr has emerged as canada’s clear leader, having assisted more than 20 companies to raise a combined total of over $ 8m from a wide range of canadian investors – not just the 1% . this initiative has unlocked capital across canada and broadened investor access to a multitude of opportunities .
“peter - paul and i have long had similar visions to help entrepreneurs access capital in what we call the ‘funding gap’”, states gilbert. “by matching our resources with an entrepreneur’s needs, we can increase the probability of a successful outcome for the entrepreneur and its investors” .
“this partnership supports our joint mission to truly democratize investing in private companies in canada. we are bringing together professional venture capital and everyday canadians to invest in companies that they believe in” says van hoeken .
entrepreneurs are an essential contributor to the canadian economy, with small business representing over 98% of businesses in canada. new models of support and access to capital are critical for canada’s growth .
2017 brought new opportunities to canada’s early stage companies and the investors looking to support the space. entrepreneurs have more and more opportunities to find mentors, collaborate with other stakeholders, share co - working spaces, educate themselves and find capital to grow and scale their businesses. here’s some highlights of this year .
alberta adopts an investor tax credit – after years of watching our neighbors to the west reap the benefits of an investor tax credit, the government of alberta announced our own 30% investor tax credit to spur investment into innovative companies that have the potential to diversify our economy, increase exports and add much needed jobs to our economy. the program has rocketed to a fast start with only $ 5 million of tax credits left in the 2017 budget ending in march of 2018. with another $ 60 million in credits available over the next two years, that equates to another $ 180 million of investment dollars for alberta companies. learn more .
the rainforest is in full bloom – 18 months in, the rainforest continues to gain momentum. the mission … to support alberta’s entrepreneurial eco - system by creating an environment that means albertans don’t have to move away to invent, prosper, and move their ideas forward. learn more about the rainforest and sign the social contract .
creative destruction labs, rockies (“cdl”) – launched its first cohort of 25 companies in the “prime” stream. the prime stream is industry agnostic, with startups tackling problems in healthcare, finance, energy, chemical, media, transportation, and agriculture sectors, amongst others. technologies in the prime stream include advanced engineering, electronics, blockchain, nanotech, neuroscience, and general it applications. cdl has assembled a list of impressive advisors and partners to mentor the teams through the program. learn more here .
google’s deepmind comes to canada and sets up shop in edmonton – deepmind, in collaboration with the university of alberta opens its first ever international ai research office in edmonton. known for its ai talent, the new office will continue to train the next generation of ai researchers and help keep the much needed ai talent right here in alberta. deepmind edmonton .
rocketspace is coming to calgary – in 2017, rocketspace, one of silicon valley’s most successful co - working campuses focused on scaling tech start - ups, announced their first campus in canada and named the edison as their home in calgary. rocketspace recognized that calgary has everything that rocketspace startups are looking for in a headquarter city. it is a city of solutions - first thinkers, engineers, and entrepreneurs — and we’re here to support them every step of the way. their new state - of - the - art tech campus in calgary will provide velocity — both speed and direction — to canada’s top tech startups so they can scale up even faster. learn more .
alberta’s co - working trend continues to grow – calgary and edmonton continue to see new co - working spaces opening, serving all types of entrepreneurs and professionals looking for convenient and flexible office space to grow their businesses and network with peers. check out calgary’s co - working spaces, incubators and accelerators and the co - work edmonton for space that fits your culture and budget .
i was pleased to be part of the $ 100 million innovative solutions canada announcement in ottawa on december 14. the new program has over $ 100 million dedicated to supporting the scale up and growth of canada’s innovators and entrepreneurs by having the federal government act as a first customer. twenty participating federal departments and agencies will set aside a portion of funding to support the creation of innovative solutions by canadian small businesses .
under the program, federal departments and agencies will fund up to $ 150, 000 for a proof - of - concept study and $ 1 - million to fund development of a prototype .
we often say that “first customer” goes a long way to validate a company’s products or services, making it easier to enter markets, both nationally and globally. we encourage all entrepreneurs to regularly check the program’s site at innovation solutions canada to review contract opportunities and submit their proposed solutions .
bdc launches women in technology fund – bdc wants to foster the creation of the next generation of millionaire canadian women technology entrepreneurs. with $ 70 million to be invested over 5 years, it’s the largest venture capital fund in north america dedicated solely to investing in early stage canadian women led technology companies across sectors. the fund will support women - led tech firms in equity at the seed stage, series a stage and sometimes at the series b stage, alongside accelerator partners, investors and other corporate venture partners, as part of a syndicate or as a lead investor. learn more here .
no excuses entrepreneurs and investors – get out there and take advantage of the opportunities. 2018 looks to be a good year indeed !
in october, montreal was host to the naco world angel investment summit, where over 500 investors, partners and industry leaders from around the world gathered together to learn about emerging trends shaping angel investment. the event marked my official appointment as the chair of the board of directors of the national angel capital organization and i am honoured to work alongside a strong and capable board and growing staff at naco. we’ve broadened our mandate to welcome canada’s incubators and accelerators into our organization as we expand our support for angels and early stage companies seeking growth capital. victoria will host the western regional summit february 21 – 23, so be sure to put it in your calendar now .
earlier this month, i made a quick trip to milano to attend an italian government sponsored start - up event with 21 investors from around the globe. upon returning from there, yuri navarro, naco’s ceo and i headed to ottawa to meet with key ministries to share our members’ concerns over the proposed tax reforms, particularly as they relate to the use of private corporations when investing in start - ups. our meetings were a follow - up to our written response submitted on october 2nd. we believe our voices are being heard and await further clarification from ottawa on how they intend to ensure these reforms do not adversely impact angel investment. download a copy here .
steve hardy, rallyengine’s president & vp marketing shared recent developments with us last week, stating that the company has signed a prominent diplomatic client, pitched one of the largest resort groups in the world and is now nearly confirmed as a 100 resilient cities official partner. rallyengine is in market now for a seed round. learn more .
donna tilden, rateseer’s founder & ceo has just returned from finovatefall 2017 in nyc where she and head of business development brian smith presented their denoti financial services platform to an engaged audience. watch presentation here .
crowd capital has been approved as a venture capital corporation by the alberta investor tax credit program. our micro - venture fund will invest in alberta’s innovative early - stage companies led by extraordinary talent with big ideas and big markets. learn more .
naco’s efforts to increase collaboration between early - stage community members will be in full swing at our 2018 western regional angel summit in victoria bc .
so, save the date – february 21 – 23, and join us for a packed agenda to highlight victoria’s thriving tech scene. registration will open soon .
in 2012, our team of ex - bankers, entrepreneurs and technology geeks had an idea. wouldn’t it be great if companies could raise capital and close private placements on - line? after all, our team had investment banking experience, were long time entrepreneurs and had built businesses that embraced technologies that made products better and made the delivery of services more efficient. we knew how complicated and time consuming a paper based capital raise was. so, how hard could it be ?
we learned a few things in our ‘first mover’ stage. we knew we had a winner with our technology. the fact that you could actually execute a subscription agreement on - line was exciting for issuers, their lawyers and their agents. our original vision of bringing technology to the private capital markets was a reality. we just needed to refine the model to match the needs of the industry .
so, with a major client onboard, we re - engineered the on - line process to meet the needs of issuers and their agents and last month, deployed dealpoint, a saas solution that streamlines the execution and closing of private placements. the platform offers ‘white label’ solutions where issuers and their agents can present details about their exempt offerings in private, branded dealrooms accessed by ‘invitation only’. investors are directed to dealrooms to execute subscription documents, initiate the opening of registered plan accounts and complete investor onboarding in accordance with their own internal policies and procedures .
imagine, dealing representatives armed with ipad’s rather than notepads. they can walk through the on - line investment process together with their client, or send them a link to do it on their own. investors are presented with the appropriate subscription agreement and other supporting documentation based on their exemption and their jurisdiction. when they complete an on - line conversation, the documents are generated and presented for signature. it’s the right document every time .
when the investor has executed their documents, the dealing representative and cco login to the compliance console where they conduct a review of the investor paperwork and document the suitability process. when the private placement is fully subscribed, the issuer, their agent and their legal counsel access data and documents to proceed to close. the platform has api integrations to facilitate the uploading of completed documents to external investor dashboards, making the entire process seamless and transparent.
seedups is an equity crowdfunding platform for seed investment to launch and focuses on startup companies . it was founded by michael faulkner and gavin gallagher in 2010 and is aimed at tech startups in the usa , ireland and the uk . since launch over 2200 tech businesses have registered . it is only available to accredited or sophisticated investors . the platform is headquartered in republic of ireland with offices in the uk , us and canada . each funding project on seedups lasts for the same duration , namely 180 days . a 2011 report by the european expert network on culture ( eenc ) suggested that seedups seemed to be " the most successful european crowdfunding platform for investments " , while a 2012 piece in the irish independent reported that seedups had been " featured in the forbes top 10 crowdfunding platform list " . equity crowdfunding in the us has been awaiting sec rules under the jobs act . 
seedups is an equity crowdfunding platform for seed investment to launch and focuses on startup companies. it was founded by michael faulkner and gavin gallagher in 2010 and is aimed at tech startups in the usa, ireland and the uk. since launch over 2200 tech businesses have registered. it is only available to accredited or sophisticated investors. the platform is headquartered in republic of ireland with offices in the uk, us and canada. each funding project on seedups lasts for the same duration, namely 180 days. a 2011 report by the european expert network on culture (eenc) suggested that seedups seemed to be " the most successful european crowdfunding platform for investments ", while a 2012 piece in the irish independent reported that seedups had been " featured in the forbes top 10 crowdfunding platform list ". equity crowdfunding in the us has been awaiting sec rules under the jobs act.
seedups is an equity crowdfunding platform for seed investment to launch and focuses on startup companies. it was founded by michael faulkner and gavin gallagher in 2010 and is aimed at tech startups in the usa, ireland and the uk. since launch over 2200 tech businesses have registered. it is only available to accredited or sophisticated investors. the platform is headquartered in republic of ireland with offices in the uk, us and canada. each funding project on seedups lasts for the same duration, namely 180 days. a 2011 report by the european expert network on culture (eenc) suggested that seedups seemed to be " the most successful european crowdfunding platform for investments ", while a 2012 piece in the irish independent reported that seedups had been " featured in the forbes top 10 crowdfunding platform list ". equity crowdfunding in the us has been awaiting sec rules under the jobs act.