Karsten Wenzlaff, Advisor
August 26th, 2025
Karsten Wenzlaff is a Crowdfunding and Fintech Expert from Germany. He is Secretary-General of Digit[...]
Category Archives: Equity Crowdfunding, Alternative Funding
How banks can help companies restructure for growth
WEF | Michael Spellacy, Alan McIntyre, and Derek Baraldi | Sep 28, 2020
- The banking industry has to walk the tightrope of balancing relief with financial responsibility.
- Where private investors are unwilling to step in, governments are filling the void.
- Structured correctly, pension funds and other long-term investors might be the “patient capital” required to support local community businesses.
The fallout from COVID-19 continues to challenge and disrupt economies around the world, but the banking and capital markets sectors can help steady the ship. Through new, innovative liquidity plays, they can support small and medium enterprises (SMEs), struggling industries, and emerging markets to ensure that all sections of the global economy emerge successfully on the other side of this crisis.
Banks and capital markets firms need to play a leading role in the three distinct phases of this rescue effort – the sovereign phase, the debt phase, and the equity phase. Government support in many countries is likely to taper off this autumn, whereupon we will increasingly see economies transitioning into phases 2 (debt) and 3 (equity). During the debt phase, banks and fixed income investors will bear the primary burden of providing capital and liquidity. Whereas private investors and public capital will be the main players in the equity phase, when businesses, unable to service their debt, will need to be restructured and recapitalized.
See: NEW REPORT: Small Business SOS – It’s Time to Supercharge Local Crowdfunding to Unlock Needed Capital
Financial institutions that participate in both phases 2 and 3 will need to think beyond short-term shareholder returns and take a “big picture” approach – finding opportunities that can benefit the wider economy while making smart, responsible bets for long-term growth.
Dealing with debt
During the debt phase, financial institutions will initially need to evaluate the landscape by reviewing their existing credit book to understand their levels of exposure across different sectors, and proactively identifying where new credit is needed.
As they begin to extend debt, they’ll need to spread their risk among different credit businesses while continuously checking for viability and assessing their credit capacity. They’ll need to set criteria to decide who should get relief and who needs to be restructured, which will prevent the rise of zombie corporations that are allowed to stagger on when it would be in the broader societal interest for them to default and restructure. This will require a delicate balancing act as financial institutions will need to identify the true strugglers, while still striving to be fair and equitable.
During the first phase of economic stabilization, the banking sector, in addition to offering standard debt vehicles, has largely acted as a conduit for the central banks’ guaranteed loan programmes for SMEs. However, bank lending has remained limp since the 2008 financial crisis as a result of uncertainty, regulation, and monetary policy, which means that they’re not the market’s panacea when it comes to smoothing the passage of loans, even if they’re backed by the government. That has provided an opening for the shadow banking industry – capital markets players, including private equity – to increase their direct private lending, either in the form of debt restructuring or bridge financing. In markets like the US, direct lending by institutional credit funds has become a powerful force in SME lending and in some recent time periods the majority of credit extended has come from these sources of capital.
See: Debt vs. Equity Financing: Pros And Cons For Entrepreneurs
In phase 2, fewer loans will be backed by the government, so the industry has to walk the tightrope of balancing relief with financial responsibility. That will be especially true when it comes to dealing with struggling sectors. This is when Banking and Capital Markets players will need to be extra vigilant of economic indicators to constantly re-assess the depth of the crisis and their capacity to extend new debt to borrowers who are teetering on the edge of medium-term viability.
Roger Bieri, Head of Multinationals Clients at UBS, says: “The first thing that we focus on is trying to understand if a company is a designated survivor, i.e. has the company performed well before the crisis, and does it has a business model that is future-proof? If the answer is no, we help these companies, together with external advisors, to review their business model and potentially restructure the business and/or find new investors."
Needed: creative equity solutions
For many businesses, getting to the other side of this pandemic will require more than credit. In the US so far this year, 45 businesses, each with over $1 billion in liabilities, have already gone bankrupt. That number could double by the end of the year. In the small and medium-sized business sector, 50% of companies now consider themselves under severe financial strain and millions have indicated they may have shut their doors for good. To help these struggling businesses, the banking and capital markets industry will need to find creative, versatile solutions in the equity phase. These solutions will need to smooth the transition from phase 2 to 3 and benefit a large segment of struggling entities, from large companies and developed nations, to smaller businesses and emerging markets.
See: Advisory experts back P2P lending sector to become mainstream investment class
Bernie Mensah, President of Bank of America’s International Bank, says:
“Our capital markets colleagues are having a whole bunch of conversations with eligible borrowers about structures that give them access to the liquidity that is there and typically, you’ll see innovative structures.”
They will make use of three traditional equity vehicles. The most disruptive is bankruptcy and recapitalization, where existing shareholders are wiped out and new capital repurposes assets. The second is new equity injections from either private or public sources, typically in preferred structures that give the new investors more of the upside. The third option is converting existing debt to equity in order to strengthen company balance sheets and improve available cashflow. Through this process, lenders (both public and private) become owners.
With falling valuations and low interest rates, the current conditions present an attractive opportunity for private investors. However, being an active player during a period of restructuring will require the banking and capital markets industries to innovate and find new ways to reach deeper into severely affected sectors and go beyond the highly visible large corporate sector to support and reshape the SME sector that accounts for the vast majority of employment in most economies.
Finding solutions for smaller businesses
Banks and capital markets have devised equity restructuring solutions before, but they’ve never had to deal with the scale of challenge that this crisis presents. This moment calls for the creation of new asset classes that can attract capital while ensuring that the impact of that capital is broad based. For example, investors could take direct equity stakes in large corporations that supply liquidity to SMEs through trade credit.
See: FintechBeat Podcast: Save the Money
Or they could invest directly in SME-focused exchange traded funds (ETFs). Additionally, private investors and private equity firms could provide lower-risk liquidity for SMEs by taking minority stakes in businesses, which lessens the valuation sensitivity and reduces the risk of ownership by maintaining existing shareholder control. There is also a role for the public sector in making SME equity investments attractive by changing the tax treatment of returns, or providing matching funds through business development schemes.
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The National Crowdfunding & Fintech Association (NCFA Canada) is a financial innovation ecosystem that provides education, market intelligence, industry stewardship, networking and funding opportunities and services to thousands of community members and works closely with industry, government, partners and affiliates to create a vibrant and innovative fintech and funding industry in Canada. Decentralized and distributed, NCFA is engaged with global stakeholders and helps incubate projects and investment in fintech, alternative finance, crowdfunding, peer-to-peer finance, payments, digital assets and tokens, blockchain, cryptocurrency, regtech, and insurtech sectors. Join Canada's Fintech & Funding Community today FREE! Or become a contributing member and get perks. For more information, please visit: www.ncfacanada.org
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NEW REPORT: Small Business SOS – It’s Time to Supercharge Local Crowdfunding to Unlock Needed Capital
SBE Council | Sep 16, 2020
New Report Highlights Investment Crowdfunding’s Success, and COVID-19 Policy Opportunities for Recovery
Today, Crowdfund Capital Advisors (CCA) and the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council (SBE Council) released a new report detailing the growing power and prevalence of investment crowdfunding and the need for a “Main Street Recovery Co-Investment Fund.”
“We need to act quickly to stop the bleeding on Main Street,” says Sherwood Neiss, Principal at Crowdfund Capital Advisors.
“Short term band aids might slow the trauma, but we need a program that can quickly get capital to local businesses in a way that is supported by local investors. This will create a long-term win that will rebuild and sustain local economies, provide dividends to investors and achieve what Congress is trying to accomplish at the local level,” adds Neiss.
In the report, Regulation Crowdfunding by Congressional District: A Report Card, CCA and SBE Council review the progress of investment crowdfunding since 2016. The Jumpstart Our Businesses Startup Act (JOBS Act) of 2012 enacted changes that ushered in investment crowdfunding, which officially launched following the finalization of Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) rules in 2016.
Currently, the SEC is in the process of advancing regulatory proposals that would enable issuers to raise more capital than what is allowed by current caps, and provide for other changes to make Regulation Crowdfunding more accessible and effective for small businesses and startups. In addition, in response to COVID-19, the SEC recently extended temporary rules intended to expedite the offering process for small businesses by providing conditional relief from certain requirements of Regulation Crowdfunding.
See:
NCFA Response to CSA on NI 45-110 Harmonized Securities Crowdfunding Rules
NCFA Open Letter: Government should collaborate with Fintechs
NCFA Response to the Modernizing Ontario’s Capital Markets Consultation Taskforce
FFCON20 Video: State of Equity Crowdfunding in 2020
As noted in the report, there have been no cases of fraud with investment crowdfunding.
SBE Council president & CEO Karen Kerrigan asserts that innovative solutions like a “Main Street Recovery Co-Investment Fund” are desperately needed to help the nation’s economy dig out of its deep hole, and allow local communities to survive by supporting their businesses and new startups.
A comprehensive approach needs to include a co-investment fund to help local economies recover, rebuild and reinvent themselves. This includes urban and rural areas alike, along with enabling new business creation given the massive volume of business closures that will profoundly affect local communities.
The good news is that this type of fund has been successful in the UK through its Future Fund, which means our government will not be testing a new concept. The co-investment fund injects federal dollars into businesses that have been validated by local investors on regulated platforms, and accountable under an existing federal framework. There has been no fraud since inception,” said Kerrigan.
Under the co-investment funding model, the federal government would match 100% of funds raised from communities via a securities-based crowdfunding platform (not to exceed $250,000 per business). The federal money that is received by small businesses would be paid back. CCA and SBE Council are recommending that $20 billion be allocated to the fund.
U.S. JOBS Act Equity and Debt Crowdfunding Results Since 2016:
● 3,100 stock offerings have been listed by 2600-plus companies.
● These offerings occurred in 90% of U.S. Congressional Districts (393 districts):
-95% of women-led districts had JOBS Act stock offerings
-93% of minority-led districts had JOBS Act stock offerings
-77% of districts had multiple offerings
-Nearly 50% of districts had campaigns that raised from $250,000 to $5 million
● $500,000,000 has been committed to these offerings.
● 700,000 retail investors participated in diverse offerings across the United States.
● Capital has been delivered to companies in 450-plus industries and across 850 cities.
● This capital has supported over 100,000 JOBS.
● Average amount raised per offering: $342,000.
● Since inception, the SEC and Crowdfund Capital Advisors have each concluded that there has been NO SECURITIES FRAUD in these offerings.
● Pre-Covid-19: The monthly volume of capital raised in February 2020 was $9 million. During the Covid-19 crisis, the monthly amount raised has increased dramatically.
-In August 2020, the amount of capital raised was $25 million, which represents an INCREASE of 2.8x in just 6 months. Community-focused investing is delivering significant capital to local businesses.
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The National Crowdfunding & Fintech Association (NCFA Canada) is a financial innovation ecosystem that provides education, market intelligence, industry stewardship, networking and funding opportunities and services to thousands of community members and works closely with industry, government, partners and affiliates to create a vibrant and innovative fintech and funding industry in Canada. Decentralized and distributed, NCFA is engaged with global stakeholders and helps incubate projects and investment in fintech, alternative finance, crowdfunding, peer-to-peer finance, payments, digital assets and tokens, blockchain, cryptocurrency, regtech, and insurtech sectors. Join Canada's Fintech & Funding Community today FREE! Or become a contributing member and get perks. For more information, please visit: www.ncfacanada.org
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RegCF Online Investment: Highest Monthly Activity in July; Small Firms Most Affected by COVID-19 Find Ready Investors and Capital
Crowdfund Capital Advisors | Sherwood Neiss | Aug 13, 2020
Online investment by both retail and accredited investors into startups and small businesses was legalized by the JOBS Act in 2012. Regulation Crowdfunding, one of the provisions in the Act, allows firms to raise up to $1.07 million online each year and went into effect in May 2016. The industry was slow to gain traction but 4 years later, momentum is building. July, which has typically been one of slowest months, saw records for the highest number of offerings in a single month, the highest amount of commitments, as well as the highest number of investors.
Our data analysis signals a few things:
- Based on the number of firms that reference COVID-19, many companies are coming online to search for capital where they can’t get it from banks or government programs like the Payroll Protection Program (PPP). We expect this to continue.
- Based on the number of firms that are more than 3 years old and are revenue generating, companies see online finance as a viable alternative that puts them in control of their fundraising efforts as opposed to relying on a bank or venture capital.
- Market awareness about this new method of raising funds is finally gaining traction and expanding at a rate we have yet to see.
Here is how July 2020 compares:
See:
How crowdfunding is supporting Black livelihoods and communities
Video: FFCON20 Panel - State of RegCF (Equity Crowdfunding) in 2020
Offerings:
- July is typically the second slowest month for new offerings.
- This July was the highest month of new offerings since the industry started with 128 new offerings. This was 74 more offerings than July 2019 or a 137% increase.
- The next month closest to that was October 2019 with 100 new offerings.
- Since the launch of Regulation Crowdfunding there have 2,768 offerings. Of all these offerings 11% happened in the first quarter of this fiscal year.
Commitments:
- July was the highest month of investor commitments at $23.2 million. The next closest month was October 2019 with $18.5 million. (See chart below)
- June and May of this year were the 3rd and 4th highest months of commitments.
- The first quarter of this fiscal year saw more commitments than the entire first year of Regulation Crowdfunding.
- We expect this trend to continue throughout the year.
Investors:
- July was the highest month of investors with more than 40,000.
- According to interviews with the platforms and issuers, 80% of investors are retail and 20% are accredited and 80% of capital comes from friends, family, customers and followers.
- October 2019 was the second highest at 39,400.
- There have been more investors in the first quarter of this fiscal year than the first seven quarters of Regulation Crowdfunding.
- This proves that there is an appetite among local investors to support their local businesses as more than just customers but as investors as well.
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The National Crowdfunding & Fintech Association (NCFA Canada) is a financial innovation ecosystem that provides education, market intelligence, industry stewardship, networking and funding opportunities and services to thousands of community members and works closely with industry, government, partners and affiliates to create a vibrant and innovative fintech and funding industry in Canada. Decentralized and distributed, NCFA is engaged with global stakeholders and helps incubate projects and investment in fintech, alternative finance, crowdfunding, peer-to-peer finance, payments, digital assets and tokens, blockchain, cryptocurrency, regtech, and insurtech sectors. Join Canada's Fintech & Funding Community today FREE! Or become a contributing member and get perks. For more information, please visit: www.ncfacanada.org
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Seedrs Founder Jeff Lynn: We are experiencing meaningfully higher levels of fundraising and investment activity than the same time last year
Crowdfund Insider | | Aug 11, 2020
Seedrs is a top UK based investment crowdfunding platform that is active in both the UK and continental Europe. Launched in 2012, Seedrs is a trailblazer in online capital formation for early-stage ventures. Since inception, Seedrs has booked over 1100 funded deals recording about £950 million in investment while hosting the most robust marketplace for secondary transactions for crowdfunded securities. Many well-known tech-names have utilized the platform to raise growth capital while enlisting a wider audience of investors that may become unofficial brand ambassadors. Revolut, one of the top UK based digital banks, has crowdfunded on Seedrs.
When COVID dropped the world into a global pandemic, like almost all businesses, Seedrs was impacted. Yet out of the shattering economic decline, Seedrs, like some other online investment platforms, has adapted and in many respects thrived. Seedrs quickly embraced the Future Fund schemed crafted by HM Treasury to help support startups and early-stage ventures that did not qualify for loan based Coronavirus support programs. In the weeks since the Future Fund became actionable, Seedrs has helped dozens of early-stage firms to utilize the government program to raise matching funds in a convertible security offering. Seedrs is probably the most active digital platform leveraging the Future Fund.
See: NCFA Open Letter: Government should collaborate with Fintechs to Recovery the Economy Faster
Seedrs co-founder Jeff Lynn was Seedrs longtime CEO until passing the baton over to Jeff Kelisky and stepping into the role as Chairman of the firm. As Chairman, Lynn has remained a staunch advocate of Seedrs’ mission to recreate early-stage funding Recently, Crowdfund Insider queried Lynn about Seedrs performance during the COVID pandemic. Our conversation is below.
How has Seedrs adapted to the new environment of social distancing and remote work?
Jeff Lynn: As a digital business, we’re very fortunate that we’re able to work remotely, and that we can continue to provide the same level of service to our entrepreneurs and investors as we could when we were in the office. That being said, I think the whole team misses getting to work together in person, and looks forward to being back in the office eventually.
Do you anticipate that some of these changes will stick long term?
Jeff Lynn: Like many businesses, we are having a conversation with our team about how to combine the benefits of working from home, which we’ve all experienced over the last few months, with the value that comes from being in the office. I don’t know where that will land in the long run, but it would not surprise me if we see a general shift in the working world — at least among digital businesses — to one in which most people work in the office a few days a week and at home the other days.
See: Ontario introduces interim registration and prospectus exemptions to facilitate start-up securities crowdfunding
Seedrs quickly moved to list issuers under the Future Fund scheme. How many issuers have participated in this program? How is it working out so far?
Jeff Lynn: It’s been great. The Future Fund is a very important initiative that has helped to unlock private capital during a time when it might have frozen up, while at the same time providing additional government funding in order to extend runways and help businesses navigate (and in some cases continue to grow) through this crisis. So far we’ve had 26 Future Fund campaigns, and there are more to come. We’re very pleased to be able to play a part in this powerful and unusual funding opportunity.
Just recently, variable pricing was announced for Seedrs Secondary Market – a significant change. How is your marketplace progressing? A quick glance displays a lot of green (higher values).
Jeff Lynn: We’re thrilled with the continued growth of the Seedrs Secondary Market. It is one of the pillars of our well-publicised efforts to move beyond crowdfunding and toward becoming a full-scale marketplace for private capital. And the introduction of a basic form of variable pricing, which launched this month, is a key part of the Secondary Market’s evolution. We won’t know the exact impact on numbers until after this month’s trading cycle closes, but just based on observation it looks like there has been a significant takeup of the opportunity to offer shares at a premium or discount.
Continue to the full article --> here
The National Crowdfunding & Fintech Association (NCFA Canada) is a financial innovation ecosystem that provides education, market intelligence, industry stewardship, networking and funding opportunities and services to thousands of community members and works closely with industry, government, partners and affiliates to create a vibrant and innovative fintech and funding industry in Canada. Decentralized and distributed, NCFA is engaged with global stakeholders and helps incubate projects and investment in fintech, alternative finance, crowdfunding, peer-to-peer finance, payments, digital assets and tokens, blockchain, cryptocurrency, regtech, and insurtech sectors. Join Canada's Fintech & Funding Community today FREE! Or become a contributing member and get perks. For more information, please visit: www.ncfacanada.org
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Ontario introduces interim registration and prospectus exemptions to facilitate start-up securities crowdfunding
OSC | Press Release | Jul 31, 2020
Toronto – The Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) today announced that in light of COVID-19 and the challenges it presents to small businesses seeking to raise capital, the Ontario Securities Commission (OSC) made an interim local order that adopts the start-up crowdfunding regime currently in place in certain other Canadian jurisdictions (the Interim Order).
The Interim Order, which takes effect in Ontario on July 30, 2020, provides registration and prospectus exemptions for start-up crowdfunding that are substantially similar to the local exemptions in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.
On February 27, 2020, the CSA published for comment National Instrument 45-110 Start-Up Crowdfunding Registration and Prospectus Exemptions (the Proposed National Instrument), which will replace and harmonize the local start-up crowdfunding exemptions in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Québec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia (as well as those in Ontario adopted through the Interim Order). The comment period on the Proposed National Instrument ended on July 13, 2020.
“The adoption of the Interim Ontario order will better facilitate access to capital for start-ups and other small businesses, while still providing appropriate investor protection,” said Louis Morisset, Chair of the CSA and President and CEO of the Autorité des marchés financiers. “These types of businesses have faced significant funding challenges as a result of the pandemic, and can benefit from having more unified regulatory requirements to expand their access to capital.”
The Interim Order can be found on the OSC’s website and remains in effect until the Proposed National Instrument is adopted or until 18 months from the effective date of the order. Other jurisdictions will make corresponding updates to their local guidance documents to include Ontario.
See: OSC announces leadership of new Office of Economic Growth and Innovation
Proposed National Instrument 45-110 Start-Up Crowdfunding Registration and Prospectus Exemptions can be found on CSA members’ websites.
The CSA, the council of the securities regulators of Canada’s provinces and territories, co-ordinates and harmonizes regulation for the Canadian capital markets.
View: original release
The National Crowdfunding & Fintech Association (NCFA Canada) is a financial innovation ecosystem that provides education, market intelligence, industry stewardship, networking and funding opportunities and services to thousands of community members and works closely with industry, government, partners and affiliates to create a vibrant and innovative fintech and funding industry in Canada. Decentralized and distributed, NCFA is engaged with global stakeholders and helps incubate projects and investment in fintech, alternative finance, crowdfunding, peer-to-peer finance, payments, digital assets and tokens, blockchain, cryptocurrency, regtech, and insurtech sectors. Join Canada's Fintech & Funding Community today FREE! Or become a contributing member and get perks. For more information, please visit: www.ncfacanada.org
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Bid – Ask: Seedrs Secondary Market Now Allows Variable Pricing for Listed Securities
Crowdfund Insider | | Jul 27, 2020
Seedrs
has long been an innovator in the secondary market for crowdfunded securities. Today, the leading UK based crowdfunding platform is announcing variable pricing for its secondary market.
Launched in 2017, Seedrs Secondary Market has continued to iterate and add new features and functionality. Of course, the biggest challenge is liquidity but that is something that should resolve itself over time as the platform grows and external issuers utilize the marketplace.
According to a recent blog post, Seedrs July market volume saw levels return to their “pre-Revolut levels of trading.” Seedrs states that during the July opening, 907 share lots were sold worth £229,000. There were 456 buyers and 423 sellers trading in securities issued by 162 businesses at an average value per business of £1.4k. Seedrs reports that each seller made an average profit of £202.
See: OSC LaunchPad approves TokenGX (Tokenfunder) for Secondary Trading of Digital Securities
Variable pricing should make it easier for buyers and sellers to make a market by matching supply with demand more effectively.
In an email, Seedrs founder and Chairman Jeff Lynn said variable pricing represents an “important milestone in our work to be a full-scale marketplace for private investments.”
“The change will work as follows. Previously, as a prospective seller, you have only been able to list shares on the Seedrs Secondary Market at the set price we determine under our Valuation Policy (which is usually the company’s latest valuation). Buyers in turn have only been able to buy the shares at that price. Starting now, however, we will allow sellers to list their shares at a premium or discount price – up to 30% above or below the marked share price – if they so choose. Buyers will see each share lot and the price at which it is listed, and they can make their investment decision accordingly.”
The change is effective as of today and will be available during the August market day.
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The National Crowdfunding & Fintech Association (NCFA Canada) is a financial innovation ecosystem that provides education, market intelligence, industry stewardship, networking and funding opportunities and services to thousands of community members and works closely with industry, government, partners and affiliates to create a vibrant and innovative fintech and funding industry in Canada. Decentralized and distributed, NCFA is engaged with global stakeholders and helps incubate projects and investment in fintech, alternative finance, crowdfunding, peer-to-peer finance, payments, digital assets and tokens, blockchain, cryptocurrency, regtech, and insurtech sectors. Join Canada's Fintech & Funding Community today FREE! Or become a contributing member and get perks. For more information, please visit: www.ncfacanada.org
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After Crowdfunding on FrontFundr, the Very Good Food Company IPOs on Canadian Securities Exchange
Crowdfund Insider | | Jun 19, 2020
Nov 2018: Very Good Butchers wins NCFA's VanFUNDING pitch event, closing their current round on the spot and receive a Dragons Den golden ticket!
The Very Good Food Company Inc. (CSE: VERY) has completed an initial public offering (IPO) on the Canadian Stock Exchange.
Mitchell Scott, CEO of VGF, issued the following statement on the successful listing:
“We were very pleased to see investors welcome our company to the public markets with open arms. After months of preparation for our public listing, we can all breathe a sigh of relief as the results of our first day truly exceeded our expectations. We are humbled to see customers become shareholders, as they look to align themselves with our vision. Yet, our work is far from done and we are focused on seizing on our momentum to grow the Very Good brand into a global leader in the plant-based food technology industry.”
VGF floated 16.1 million shares on the CSE at a price per share of $0.25 raising over $4 million in gross proceeds. Today, the shares are trading significantly higher at $0.92/share. Canaccord Genuity managed the offering and the banker was said to have exercised the over-allotment offering on the IPO.
See: Vote for your favourite FFCON20 Fintech Draft Shotlisted companies!
Scott said the IPO was a critical milestone for the company as it seeks to realize their vision of becoming a global leader in food technology. Scott said they have seen significant growth in their eCommerce and in-store sales, including a rapid increase in subscriptions to their monthly recurring delivery service.
Two years ago, VGF raised capital on Canada’s top crowdfunding platform – FrontFundr. At that time, VGF raised $600,000 from 240 individual investors in a three-year convertible note.
FrontFundr CEO and founder Peter-Paul Van Hoeken congratulated the Very Good Food Company with the successful completion of their IPO. Van Hoeken stated:
“Two years ago, The Very Good Food Company successfully raised capital on FrontFundr from the public and they are now one of the first plant-based food companies listed publicly in Canada. This is a great example of how equity crowdfunding enabled the public to invest at the very beginning and empowered the founders to build a remarkable company!”
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The National Crowdfunding & Fintech Association (NCFA Canada) is a financial innovation ecosystem that provides education, market intelligence, industry stewardship, networking and funding opportunities and services to thousands of community members and works closely with industry, government, partners and affiliates to create a vibrant and innovative fintech and funding industry in Canada. Decentralized and distributed, NCFA is engaged with global stakeholders and helps incubate projects and investment in fintech, alternative finance, crowdfunding, peer-to-peer finance, payments, digital assets and tokens, blockchain, cryptocurrency, regtech, and insurtech sectors. Join Canada's Fintech & Funding Community today FREE! Or become a contributing member and get perks. For more information, please visit: www.ncfacanada.org
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