Rojin Nair, Advisor
June 1st, 2021
At Incyub8 Inc, Rojin is focusing on nurturing and guiding various national and international start-[...]
FrontFundr announces new chair of the board
FrontFundr | Victoria Bennett | April 25, 2019
International business leader and executive, Prof. David R. Beatty C.M., O.B.E., F.ICD, CFA has joined as Chairman of the Board of Silver Maple Ventures Inc., doing business as FrontFundr and SMV Capital Markets.
Toronto, Canada, 23 April 2019 FrontFundr today announced Prof. David R. Beatty C.M., O.B.E., F.ICD, CFA as Chairman of the Board of Directors. Professor Beatty has served on 39 different boards of directors and been chairman of nine public companies in five different countries. He was on the board of the Bank of Montreal (BMO Financial Group) for over 20 years, including seven terms as Chairman of the Risk Review committee. In 2018, he was awarded the International Corporate Governance Network (ICGN) Lifetime Achievement award. ICGN is an investor led organization that includes over 200 Asset Managers who manage over $US34 trillion.
Peter-Paul Van Hoeken, FrontFundr’s Founder and CEO said of the appointment:
“As Canada’s largest investment crowdfunding platform, we have democratized investing in private companies. The appointment of such an experienced business leader as David, reflects our transition into the next phase of mainstream financial services. I look forward to working with him to take our position as leading online private capital markets platform to the next level - unlocking investing in private companies to the wider investor community and building out our trusted brand.”
Beatty responded,
“I have been impressed how FrontFundr, and most recently SMV Capital markets has led the way in opening access to capital for private companies and investing in the private capital markets for all Canadians. I look forward to working with the team to make this the norm for businesses seeking capital and individuals looking to get access to investment opportunities in private companies.”
FrontFundr continues to expand in the private capital markets, helping more Canadian companies get funded. From start-ups that are looking for seed capital and growth companies looking for expansion capital.
Founded in Vancouver four years ago, FrontFundr now operates its fully bilingual online investing platform in eight provinces, including Quebec. Last year, the firm opened a Toronto office, solidifying its leading position as an online private markets platform in Canada.
Silver Maple Ventures Inc. (SMV) operates an online investing platform that empowers Canadians to find and make direct investments in the private companies they believe in - and become stakeholders in their future. SMV’s online Exempt Market Dealer (EMD) status plus its modern technology enables users across Canada to easily invest in innovative growth businesses in under 12 minutes and starting from $250. Invest in the Future.
Professor David R. Beatty C.M., O.B.E., F.ICD, CFA is the Conway Chair of the Clarkson Centre for Board Effectiveness, Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto. He has served on 39 different boards of directors and been chairman of 9 public companies. He was the founding Managing Director of the Canadian Coalition for Good Governance (2003-2008). At the University of Toronto, he created the Directors Education Program (DEP) and remains curriculum overseer. Internationally, he created Saudi Aramco’s Joint Venture Director Training and he has been a member of the IFC’s GCGF advisors. In 2018, he was awarded the International Corporate Governance Network (ICGN) Lifetime Achievement award. In 2013, he was inducted into the Order of Canada the nation’s highest civilian honor and in 1994 he was made an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (the O.B.E. above) by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II for his services to Papua New Guinea.
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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Guest Post | Nov 25, 2022 There has been a change in the corporate world regarding the necessity to protect assets during the last few years. The definition of what must be safeguarded and to what extent has become more difficult. Only 15 years ago, most businesses focused on safeguarding assets as they were the most valuable ones. Data are typically at the top of the list of assets that businesses must now include in their inventory. In addition to branding, connections, non-revenue rights, and intellectual property, your data is a form of intangible asset that you own. Let’s take a look at how to protect your data in this data room review. All digital papers are kept in electronic format in a virtual data room. It lessens the amount of physical paperwork produced by firms and aids in protecting their intellectual assets. To maintain track of commercial transactions, a lot of businesses use VDRs. They will also be beneficial for asset management and fundraising. The best virtual data room providers can stop files from being downloaded. They safeguard each file present in the data room. What Exactly Is a Business Data Asset? A particular kind of intangible asset made ...
Read More
Guest Post | Nov 25, 2022 Video conferencing has become an essential part of business, and it’s easier than ever to use it. You can use video conferencing for any type of call, including sales calls, customer service calls, and even team meetings. Video conferencing can help your company grow by making every call more personal—and therefore more effective at closing deals. Use video to give your sales demo. Video conferencing is also a great way to give your product a demo. If you're selling an online course or software, it's important that a prospect understands what they're buying before the sale is made. Video conferencing allows you to show off your product in action and discuss its features and benefits with potential customers. In addition to demos, video conferencing can be used when conducting sales calls with multiple people on either side of the call. In this scenario, having all parties in one room makes it easy for everyone involved in the call to see each other—and build rapport by seeing each other’s faces as they talk about their products or services (or how much fun they had last weekend). Use video to make yourself compelling and cut through ...
Read More
Protos | Nov 23, 2022 The Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC) is an over-the-counter (OTC) traded fund meant to track the price of bitcoin. Grayscale Investments is owned by Barry Silbert’s crypto mammoth Digital Currency Group (DCG), which also owns beleaguered crypto trading and lending firm Genesis. For a long time, GBTC traded at a significant premium to its NAV, with shares trading for as much as double the value of the corresponding bitcoin. While this premium persisted, institutional investors were incentivized to lock up bitcoins and receive GBTC shares, which they hoped to sell once the six month period elapsed. However, this trade become popular among a variety of firms, including BlockFi and Three Arrows Capital (3AC). As shares began to unlock, GBTC eventually started trading at a discount to NAV. This became particularly challenging for BlockFi, which had lent 3AC money against GBTC collateral. Eventually, 3AC was liquidated by BlockFi, which meant increased selling of GBTC into the market, further raising the discount. Currently, GBTC trades at around a 45% discount to NAV. Grayscale will not share proof of reserves See: SEC Rejects Bid to Turn the Largest Bitcoin Fund Into an ETF -> Grayscale Sues SEC Fundraising: DCG, ...
Read More
Guest Post | Nov 25, 2022 For many companies, pricing software is seen as a way to solve all the problems associated with this process. Yes, software today boasts a range of features and capabilities. These include even the ability to perform various tasks according to given algorithms using artificial intelligence. But are ready-made software solutions able to get rid of all problems? Let's take a look at their advantages and disadvantages. Should You Use Pricing Software? Customers need personalization in every area of retail. According to Epsilon about 80% of them want to see it at different stages of the purchase, including pricing. Today there are no software solutions that could completely replace the work of specialists, but they can help with the automation of work processes. Today it is as important a tool as CRM. Why? Let's look at the benefits. Benefits Pricing software has a number of key benefits: Building optimal prices. The software is able to analyze the overall pricing. This allows the business of both the B2B and B2C segments to remain competitive. By collecting data from different sources such as CRM, GA, e-commerce platforms, etc., the software can offer the best pricing options. Evaluation ...
Read More
Fortune | Alena Botros | Nov 23, 2022 The former CEO of PIMCO sees three trends that suggest a transformation in the global economy is under way. There’s a tendency to see economic challenges as “temporary and quickly reversible,” El-Erian wrote in a commentary for Foreign Affairs. He referenced economic theory that a recession occurs when a business cycle reaches its natural endpoint and before the next cycle really takes flight, but he said this time won’t be one more turn of the “economic wheel,” as he sees the world experiencing major changes that “will outlast the current business cycle.” 3 Major Shifts: 1. The first shift was driven by the effects of the pandemic, beginning with the entire system coming to a halt and stimulus from the government, or what El-Erian called “enormous handouts,” causing “demand surges well ahead of supply.” 2. It’s tied to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine that resulted in sanctions and geopolitical tensions, along with a widespread labor shortage brought forward by the pandemic. These disruptions in supply chains gave way to “nearshoring,” a more permanent shift of companies moving their production closer to home, rather than a reconstruction of the 2019-era supply chain. This essentially ...
Read More
Nov 25, 2022 There are countless altcoins in existence, but only a minute percentage have the potential to outmatch Ethereum, which has come second only to Bitcoin for some time now. Even with the market crash following the NFT surge and ‘The Merge’ taking place, Ethereum still holds a strong position. If you haven’t already got Ethereum in your investment portfolio, continue reading for three reasons why you should. Ethereum Has a Functional Ecosystem Ethereum broke into the blockchain landscape back in 2015 and bought with it the incredible power of smart contracts, which can be built over the blockchain. Smart contracts are automated programs designed to execute once any terms are met, meaning the middleman becomes redundant. For example, if someone gives collateral to secure a loan it can be returned automatically once the repayment terms have been made. The smart contract infrastructure sits at a completely polar opposite to Bitcoin, which only exists as a digital currency. The smart contract infrastructure of Ethereum is the main reason why developers flocked to the platform. Currently, more than 4000 developers are working on Ethereum each month. According to findings from State Of The DApps, more than 4000 applications are running ...
Read More
Yahoo Finance via Reuters | Huw Jones | Nov 24, 2022 LONDON (Reuters) - The crash of FTX exchange has injected greater urgency into regulating the crypto sector and targeting such 'conglomerate' platforms will be the focus for 2023, the new chair of global securities watchdog IOSCO said in an interview. Jean-Paul Servais said regulating crypto platforms could draw on principles from other sectors which handle conflicts of interest, such as at credit rating agencies and compilers of market benchmarks, without having to start from scratch. IOSCO, which coordinates rules for G20 countries and others, has already set out principles for regulating stablecoins, but now the focus is turning to platforms which trade in them. In mainstream finance there is functional separation between activities like broking, trading, banking services and issuance, with each having its own set of conduct rules and safeguards. "For investor protection reasons, there is a need to provide additional clarity to these crypto markets markets through targeted guidance in applying IOSCO’s principles to crypto assets," Servais said. "We intend to publish consultations report on these matters in the first half of 2023," he added. The European Union's new markets in cryptoassets or MiCA framework is an ...
Read More
DOJ | Release | Nov 21, 2022 Two Estonian citizens were arrested in Tallinn, Estonia, yesterday on an 18-count indictment for their alleged involvement in a $575 million cryptocurrency fraud and money laundering conspiracy. According to court documents, Sergei Potapenko and Ivan Turõgin, both 37, allegedly defrauded hundreds of thousands of victims through a multi-faceted scheme. They induced victims to enter into fraudulent equipment rental contracts with the defendants’ cryptocurrency mining service called HashFlare. They also caused victims to invest in a virtual currency bank called Polybius Bank. In reality, Polybius was never actually a bank, and never paid out the promised dividends. Victims paid more than $575 million to Potapenko and Turõgin’s companies. Potapenko and Turõgin then used shell companies to launder the fraud proceeds and to purchase real estate and luxury cars. See: Digital Asset Classification vs Wire Fraud: What’s the Most Powerful Law in Crypto Right Now U.S. Attorney Nick Brown for the Western District of Washington: The size and scope of the alleged scheme is truly astounding. These defendants capitalized on both the allure of cryptocurrency, and the mystery surrounding cryptocurrency mining, to commit an enormous Ponzi scheme. They lured investors with false representations and then ...
Read More
Guest Post | Nov 24, 2022 In the world of finance and technology or fintech, innovation can be a powerful tool in improving customer experience and driving business growth. One aspect of this innovation is the use of location-based data to maximize financial performance. This data can be used in various ways to track competitors, optimize logistics and improve customer relationships, among other things. Let’s dive into how location-based data can help you get ahead in the ever-evolving fintech world. Location Data 101: Definition Benefits Location data is information derived from a device or system, for example, a smartphone, GPS tracker, Phone Number Location Tracker, or other interconnected gadgets. This data can furnish profoundly precise details about an individual's movement and the time they were in any given area. Fintechs utilize this agglomerated location data drawn from several sources and then synthesized into one single platform to make smarter and more informed decisions. Location data can enable fintech companies to: Identify new customers and build a better understanding of their behavior Monitor competitors’ activities, customer visits, marketing campaigns, and more Make strategic decisions about pricing, product offerings, and promotions Foster loyalty and drive repeat purchases Improve customer experience by delivering ...
Read More
EuroNews.Next | Pascale Davies | Nov 21, 2022 Sir Timothy Berners-Lee, the person who made it possible to read this online article, first came up with the concept of the Web back in 1989. The creator of the World Wide Web is now on a mission to save it. He believes tech platforms “control the world and manipulate people by providing information”. His solution to the dysfunctions of Web2.0 is the third layer of protocols, giving a person the ability to log into something with their own personal ID. He came up with a new project called Solid, and later a new company called Inrupt to help Solid launch. Berners-Lee’s platform can be accessed from your browser See: Anthony Di Iorio Unveils Web3 Blockchain Hardware and Game Theory Project: Andiami But it is not an app; he calls it a “Pod,” where you can store your private data and access it very easily [with a key or digital ID]. He said this is his vision for Web3.0, emphasising that it is not Web3 which uses the Ethereum blockchain system and promises to be decentralised. The issue with Web3 is that data such as health records can easily be traced; as ...
Read More
Guest Post | Nov 25, 2022 There has been a change in the corporate world regarding the necessity to protect assets during the last few years. The definition of what must be safeguarded and to what extent has become more difficult. Only 15 years ago, most businesses focused on safeguarding assets as they were the most valuable ones. Data are typically at the top of the list of assets that businesses must now include in their inventory. In addition to branding, connections, non-revenue rights, and intellectual property, your data is a form of intangible asset that you own. Let’s take a look at how to protect your data in this data room review. All digital papers are kept in electronic format in a virtual data room. It lessens the amount of physical paperwork produced by firms and aids in protecting their intellectual assets. To maintain track of commercial transactions, a lot of businesses use VDRs. They will also be beneficial for asset management and fundraising. The best virtual data room providers can stop files from being downloaded. They safeguard each file present in the data room. What Exactly Is a Business Data Asset? A particular kind of intangible asset made ...
Read More
Read More
Guest Post | Nov 25, 2022 Video conferencing has become an essential part of business, and it’s easier than ever to use it. You can use video conferencing for any type of call, including sales calls, customer service calls, and even team meetings. Video conferencing can help your company grow by making every call more personal—and therefore more effective at closing deals. Use video to give your sales demo. Video conferencing is also a great way to give your product a demo. If you're selling an online course or software, it's important that a prospect understands what they're buying before the sale is made. Video conferencing allows you to show off your product in action and discuss its features and benefits with potential customers. In addition to demos, video conferencing can be used when conducting sales calls with multiple people on either side of the call. In this scenario, having all parties in one room makes it easy for everyone involved in the call to see each other—and build rapport by seeing each other’s faces as they talk about their products or services (or how much fun they had last weekend). Use video to make yourself compelling and cut through ...
Read More
Read More
Protos | Nov 23, 2022 The Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC) is an over-the-counter (OTC) traded fund meant to track the price of bitcoin. Grayscale Investments is owned by Barry Silbert’s crypto mammoth Digital Currency Group (DCG), which also owns beleaguered crypto trading and lending firm Genesis. For a long time, GBTC traded at a significant premium to its NAV, with shares trading for as much as double the value of the corresponding bitcoin. While this premium persisted, institutional investors were incentivized to lock up bitcoins and receive GBTC shares, which they hoped to sell once the six month period elapsed. However, this trade become popular among a variety of firms, including BlockFi and Three Arrows Capital (3AC). As shares began to unlock, GBTC eventually started trading at a discount to NAV. This became particularly challenging for BlockFi, which had lent 3AC money against GBTC collateral. Eventually, 3AC was liquidated by BlockFi, which meant increased selling of GBTC into the market, further raising the discount. Currently, GBTC trades at around a 45% discount to NAV. Grayscale will not share proof of reserves See: SEC Rejects Bid to Turn the Largest Bitcoin Fund Into an ETF -> Grayscale Sues SEC Fundraising: DCG, ...
Read More
Read More
Guest Post | Nov 25, 2022 For many companies, pricing software is seen as a way to solve all the problems associated with this process. Yes, software today boasts a range of features and capabilities. These include even the ability to perform various tasks according to given algorithms using artificial intelligence. But are ready-made software solutions able to get rid of all problems? Let's take a look at their advantages and disadvantages. Should You Use Pricing Software? Customers need personalization in every area of retail. According to Epsilon about 80% of them want to see it at different stages of the purchase, including pricing. Today there are no software solutions that could completely replace the work of specialists, but they can help with the automation of work processes. Today it is as important a tool as CRM. Why? Let's look at the benefits. Benefits Pricing software has a number of key benefits: Building optimal prices. The software is able to analyze the overall pricing. This allows the business of both the B2B and B2C segments to remain competitive. By collecting data from different sources such as CRM, GA, e-commerce platforms, etc., the software can offer the best pricing options. Evaluation ...
Read More
Read More
Fortune | Alena Botros | Nov 23, 2022 The former CEO of PIMCO sees three trends that suggest a transformation in the global economy is under way. There’s a tendency to see economic challenges as “temporary and quickly reversible,” El-Erian wrote in a commentary for Foreign Affairs. He referenced economic theory that a recession occurs when a business cycle reaches its natural endpoint and before the next cycle really takes flight, but he said this time won’t be one more turn of the “economic wheel,” as he sees the world experiencing major changes that “will outlast the current business cycle.” 3 Major Shifts: 1. The first shift was driven by the effects of the pandemic, beginning with the entire system coming to a halt and stimulus from the government, or what El-Erian called “enormous handouts,” causing “demand surges well ahead of supply.” 2. It’s tied to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine that resulted in sanctions and geopolitical tensions, along with a widespread labor shortage brought forward by the pandemic. These disruptions in supply chains gave way to “nearshoring,” a more permanent shift of companies moving their production closer to home, rather than a reconstruction of the 2019-era supply chain. This essentially ...
Read More
Read More
Nov 25, 2022 There are countless altcoins in existence, but only a minute percentage have the potential to outmatch Ethereum, which has come second only to Bitcoin for some time now. Even with the market crash following the NFT surge and ‘The Merge’ taking place, Ethereum still holds a strong position. If you haven’t already got Ethereum in your investment portfolio, continue reading for three reasons why you should. Ethereum Has a Functional Ecosystem Ethereum broke into the blockchain landscape back in 2015 and bought with it the incredible power of smart contracts, which can be built over the blockchain. Smart contracts are automated programs designed to execute once any terms are met, meaning the middleman becomes redundant. For example, if someone gives collateral to secure a loan it can be returned automatically once the repayment terms have been made. The smart contract infrastructure sits at a completely polar opposite to Bitcoin, which only exists as a digital currency. The smart contract infrastructure of Ethereum is the main reason why developers flocked to the platform. Currently, more than 4000 developers are working on Ethereum each month. According to findings from State Of The DApps, more than 4000 applications are running ...
Read More
Read More
Yahoo Finance via Reuters | Huw Jones | Nov 24, 2022 LONDON (Reuters) - The crash of FTX exchange has injected greater urgency into regulating the crypto sector and targeting such 'conglomerate' platforms will be the focus for 2023, the new chair of global securities watchdog IOSCO said in an interview. Jean-Paul Servais said regulating crypto platforms could draw on principles from other sectors which handle conflicts of interest, such as at credit rating agencies and compilers of market benchmarks, without having to start from scratch. IOSCO, which coordinates rules for G20 countries and others, has already set out principles for regulating stablecoins, but now the focus is turning to platforms which trade in them. In mainstream finance there is functional separation between activities like broking, trading, banking services and issuance, with each having its own set of conduct rules and safeguards. "For investor protection reasons, there is a need to provide additional clarity to these crypto markets markets through targeted guidance in applying IOSCO’s principles to crypto assets," Servais said. "We intend to publish consultations report on these matters in the first half of 2023," he added. The European Union's new markets in cryptoassets or MiCA framework is an ...
Read More
Read More
DOJ | Release | Nov 21, 2022 Two Estonian citizens were arrested in Tallinn, Estonia, yesterday on an 18-count indictment for their alleged involvement in a $575 million cryptocurrency fraud and money laundering conspiracy. According to court documents, Sergei Potapenko and Ivan Turõgin, both 37, allegedly defrauded hundreds of thousands of victims through a multi-faceted scheme. They induced victims to enter into fraudulent equipment rental contracts with the defendants’ cryptocurrency mining service called HashFlare. They also caused victims to invest in a virtual currency bank called Polybius Bank. In reality, Polybius was never actually a bank, and never paid out the promised dividends. Victims paid more than $575 million to Potapenko and Turõgin’s companies. Potapenko and Turõgin then used shell companies to launder the fraud proceeds and to purchase real estate and luxury cars. See: Digital Asset Classification vs Wire Fraud: What’s the Most Powerful Law in Crypto Right Now U.S. Attorney Nick Brown for the Western District of Washington: The size and scope of the alleged scheme is truly astounding. These defendants capitalized on both the allure of cryptocurrency, and the mystery surrounding cryptocurrency mining, to commit an enormous Ponzi scheme. They lured investors with false representations and then ...
Read More
Read More
Guest Post | Nov 24, 2022 In the world of finance and technology or fintech, innovation can be a powerful tool in improving customer experience and driving business growth. One aspect of this innovation is the use of location-based data to maximize financial performance. This data can be used in various ways to track competitors, optimize logistics and improve customer relationships, among other things. Let’s dive into how location-based data can help you get ahead in the ever-evolving fintech world. Location Data 101: Definition Benefits Location data is information derived from a device or system, for example, a smartphone, GPS tracker, Phone Number Location Tracker, or other interconnected gadgets. This data can furnish profoundly precise details about an individual's movement and the time they were in any given area. Fintechs utilize this agglomerated location data drawn from several sources and then synthesized into one single platform to make smarter and more informed decisions. Location data can enable fintech companies to: Identify new customers and build a better understanding of their behavior Monitor competitors’ activities, customer visits, marketing campaigns, and more Make strategic decisions about pricing, product offerings, and promotions Foster loyalty and drive repeat purchases Improve customer experience by delivering ...
Read More
Read More
EuroNews.Next | Pascale Davies | Nov 21, 2022 Sir Timothy Berners-Lee, the person who made it possible to read this online article, first came up with the concept of the Web back in 1989. The creator of the World Wide Web is now on a mission to save it. He believes tech platforms “control the world and manipulate people by providing information”. His solution to the dysfunctions of Web2.0 is the third layer of protocols, giving a person the ability to log into something with their own personal ID. He came up with a new project called Solid, and later a new company called Inrupt to help Solid launch. Berners-Lee’s platform can be accessed from your browser See: Anthony Di Iorio Unveils Web3 Blockchain Hardware and Game Theory Project: Andiami But it is not an app; he calls it a “Pod,” where you can store your private data and access it very easily [with a key or digital ID]. He said this is his vision for Web3.0, emphasising that it is not Web3 which uses the Ethereum blockchain system and promises to be decentralised. The issue with Web3 is that data such as health records can easily be traced; as ...
Read More
Read More
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