David Durand, Advisor, Innovation and Advocacy
September 9th, 2020
David Durand, LL.L., B.Sc. chem., – Founder and Managing Partner of Durand Lawyers – Lawyer (Québec)[...]
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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CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 2020 FINTECH DRAFT PITCHING AND DEMO COMPANY WINNERS!   |
Guest Post | March 5, 2021 Starting a new business isn’t easy at all. The world is littered with start-ups that failed in their first year, and you don’t want to become one of them. However, if it wasn’t challenging, then everyone would be doing it, and it’s all part of the experience of creating a start-up. While every business journey is different, here are some of the challenges most start-ups face. Financing Setting up a successful business doesn’t come cheap. To see your idea through, you may need millions of dollars of investment, and finding it isn’t always easy. This area has been opened up a lot in recent years with changes to initiatives like equity crowdfunding, but it’s still one of the biggest hurdles start-ups face. Getting that initial money in can set the ball rolling for your business, but you’ll have to work hard to secure it. Expectations Sometimes it’s your own expectations that can hold you back the most. The word start-up is very loaded. We tend to think of exponential growth, exciting markets, and fast money when we hear the word start-ups, but for many businesses, this is far from the truth. Business success takes ...
Read More
Toronto.com | Veronica Appia | Feb 25, 2021 As countries continue to devalue their currency amid COVID-19, cryptocurrency is becoming more appealing to investors. - Pexels photo Experts weigh in on Bitcoin, crypto resiliency In an economy deeply impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, citizens and businesses have been experiencing financial hardship for months and governments have been using stimulus money to create supports and aid in economic recovery. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced $100 billion to be spent over three years, beginning this year, in an effort to bolster the current state of the economy. But giving away stimulus money in such large amounts devalues a country's currency, said Henry M. Kim, an associate professor of operations management and information systems and co-director of the BlockchainLab at Schulich School of Business. See: Privacy laws might prove to be a blessing in disguise for crypto This, in turn, creates a case for certain types of cryptocurrency, such as Bitcoin, to become more attractive. "Bitcoin doesn’t act like money. What’s winning out is the notion that Bitcoin is digital gold," Kim said. "And Bitcoin, as volatile as it is, is not a currency that central banks are devaluing." For this reason, he ...
Read More
CB Insights | March 3, 2021 The future of blockchain is near and banking isn't the only industry affected. What began as the basis of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, blockchain technology — essentially a virtual ledger capable of recording and verifying a high volume of digital transactions — is now spreading across a wave of industries. Blockchain has gone far beyond its beginnings in banking and cryptocurrency: Annual funding to blockchain companies, despite falling from 2018’s record high, more than doubled in 2020 compared to 2017. Annual spending on blockchain solutions will reach nearly $16B by 2023, according to CB Insights’ Market Sizing Tool. Industries from insurance to gaming to cannabis are seeing blockchain applications. See: Tokenizing Assets and Unlocking Value on the Blockchain Bitcoin’s popularity helped demonstrate blockchain’s application in finance, but entrepreneurs have come to believe the tech could transform many more industries. Ultimately, the use cases for a transparent, verifiable register of transaction data are practically endless — especially since blockchains operate through a decentralized platform requiring no central supervision, making them resistant to fraud. Energy Management Energy management is another industry that has historically been highly centralized. In the US and UK, to transact in energy one ...
Read More
CBS Sports | Gabriel Fernandez | March 2, 2021 What you should know about the new NBA craze in digital investing in collectibles Something rather typical happened for an atypical reason on Feb. 25: A community within NBA Twitter was mad online. No, these weren't Denver Nuggets fans up in arms over their close loss to the lowly Washington Wizards, despite a 34-6-6 performance from Jamal Murray. Nor were they frustrated Los Angeles Clippers fans complaining about their team's stars being unable to do much against a Memphis Grizzlies squad that only just returned to a .500 record. They weren't even fans preemptively whining over their favorite superstar getting snubbed from this year's All Star Game. No, this was a relatively new group of people, sitting on the intersection of hoops fandom, memorabilia collection and digital investing, while looking to get into what's been described as the next big thing for those who belong to any of those three crowds: NBA Top Shot. Before getting into what tilted some of that base last week, let's first get into what Top Shot is, exactly. See: The Outer Space Men are Landing at Liquid Avatar NBA Top Shot is an online company ...
Read More
Wealth Professional | James Burton | March 2, 2021 Finance app Hardbacon receives boost to growth plan as it prepares to go public A Montreal-based fintech company has secured more than $1.1 million through the Frontfundr equity crowdfunding portal as it positions itself to go public. See: Fintech Fridays EP51: Bacon and Eggs Hardbacon brought in $1,136,400 from more than 800 investors, smashing its $500,000 fundraising goal. The company, which markets a personal finance app, has thus completed one of the largest rounds of equity crowdfunding in Canada, with this laterst round bringing its total financing to more than $2.2 million since its inception. A B2C app for self-directed investors, it generates revenue from Hardbacon Premium subscriptions as well as from lead generation and sales of its two white label solutions for financial institutions: a portfolio analysis module and a financial planning module. Its partners include National Bank Direct Brokerage and Desjardins Online Brokerage, and it also has an advisor feature. The funding will be used to accelerate the fintech’s growth and fuel its ambition to reach the summit of the lead generation market in the financial services industry. CEO Julien Brault told WP: “Raising a round of over $1 ...
Read More
Edelman | Feb 17, 2021 Canada is facing a crisis in leadership This year, after months of unprecedented disaster and turbulence – including the COVID-19 pandemic, economic crisis, the global outcry over systemic racism and political instability – the findings reveal widespread misinformation and mistrust of societal leaders in Canada. See: Future Market Dynamics Part 3 – data sharing, trust and a world of choice In fact, 50% of respondents worry that business leaders are purposely trying to mislead them, and 46% believe the same about government leaders – this is a wake-up call for leaders, who need to take action to build trust amongst their stakeholders, or risk falling behind. Spring trust bubble bursts with no institution remaining in the trusted category In the Spring, business, government and NGOs all saw a spike in trust, moving them into the trusted category among the Canadian general population. Since then, the trust bubble has burst, with all institutions giving back most (if not all) of the gains they saw and returning to the neutral zone. Government saw the biggest increase in the Spring with a 20-point increase; however, despite declining 11 points in the past six months, government remains the most ...
Read More
Be[in]crypto | David Lucatch | March 2, 2021 In Brief COVID-19 has changed the very fabric of our world and how we live our daily lives. The use cases of user-controlled digital credentials are nearly limitless. We must continue to support regulation like GDPR in the EU, CCPA in California, PEPIDA in Canada, and others. It’s no secret that COVID-19 has changed the very fabric of our world and how we live our daily lives. For example, consumer online spending with US retailers increased 44% in 2020, compared to 2019, according to the latest Digital Commerce 360 analysis. International tourist arrivals declined by 74% (roughly one billion fewer trips) in 2020, compared to the previous year, making it “the worst year in tourism history.” Plus, 29% of polled working professionals said they would quit their jobs if they couldn’t continue working remotely, as the world begins to reopen. All of these changes will impact the way that business is done moving forward. They will push organizations to closely consider the vulnerabilities of their current online and on-premise privacy and data management policies and procedures. See: Digital transformation: 9 emerging roles you need on your team The internet has always been ...
Read More
Betakit | Meagan Simpson | March 2, 2021 Payments Canada has selected its second solution provider for the country’s upcoming real-time payments system. Interac Corp. has been selected as the exchange solution provider for the Real-Time Rail (RTR). Expected to launch in 2022, RTR consists of two components: a clearing and settlement component and an exchange component. Mastercard-owned Vocalink was selected last year to operate the settlement component. A real-time payment system designed to modernize Canada’s core payments infrastructure, RTR will allow for payments to be sent and received within seconds. The system will be operated by Payments Canada and regulated by the Bank of Canada. The idea behind RTR is to create a payment system that is fast, secure, and flexible, to allow for innovation. See: Revolut to roll out QR code payments for business customers in 25 countries Interac might be considered a natural choice for Payments Canada to work with when it comes to building the exchange. Interac is set to use the already-existing technology behind its Interac e-Transfer service to build the exchange component of Canada’s RTR. Interac e-Transfer is currently used by millions of Canadians daily and connects to almost 300 financial institutions in the ...
Read More
FCAC | March 2021 Overview The Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC) is a federal financial sector regulator, which oversees federally regulated financial entities’ compliance with consumer protection measures, promotes financial education, and raises consumers’ awareness of their financial rights and responsibilities. In addition, FCAC is responsible for monitoring and evaluating trends and emerging issues that may have an impact on consumers of financial products and services, as well as providing timely and objective information and tools to help consumers navigate financial products and services. The Advisory Committee on Open Banking (the Committee) shared consultation materials with interested stakeholders, including the FCAC, in fall of 2020. FCAC welcomes the opportunity to participate in the development of a uniquely Canadian open banking solution that prioritizes the right of the consumer to control their financial data and puts in place safeguards to ensure they are protected from financial and non-financial harm. This submission has been submitted to the Committee for their consideration in the context of their consultations. See: NCFA OpEd: Canada’s Open Banking Consultations: Let’s Get it Done! FCAC is broadly supportive of a hybrid model for open banking that carves out specific roles for government and industry and sets out ...
Read More
KABN (LQID) | Cara Buckspan | March 1, 2021 Liquid Avatar name and symbol change better reflects Company's corporate branding TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / March 1, 2021 / KABN Systems NA Holdings Corp. (CSE:KABN)("KABN" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has changed its name from KABN Systems NA Holdings Corp. to Liquid Avatar Technologies Inc. (www.liquidavatartechnologies.com) and its ticker symbol from KABN to LQID. Subject to approval by the Canadian Securities Exchange (the "CSE"), the Company expects the name and symbol change to take effect for trading purposes on March 3, 2021 when its common shares will begin trading on the CSE under the new name, CUSIP number and new ticker symbol. On February 18, 2021, the Company launched the first phase of its flagship product, the Liquid Avatar (www.liquidavatar.com) app in the Apple Store and Google Play. Like search, online communications and browser usage, digital identity is addressable to up to 100% of the online market and is a very early-stage market opportunity, with the potential to reach up to 400 Million people in North America and over 5 Billion people online globally. See: KABN North America Launches Liquid Avatar App in the Apple Store and ...
Read More
Guest Post | March 5, 2021 Starting a new business isn’t easy at all. The world is littered with start-ups that failed in their first year, and you don’t want to become one of them. However, if it wasn’t challenging, then everyone would be doing it, and it’s all part of the experience of creating a start-up. While every business journey is different, here are some of the challenges most start-ups face. Financing Setting up a successful business doesn’t come cheap. To see your idea through, you may need millions of dollars of investment, and finding it isn’t always easy. This area has been opened up a lot in recent years with changes to initiatives like equity crowdfunding, but it’s still one of the biggest hurdles start-ups face. Getting that initial money in can set the ball rolling for your business, but you’ll have to work hard to secure it. Expectations Sometimes it’s your own expectations that can hold you back the most. The word start-up is very loaded. We tend to think of exponential growth, exciting markets, and fast money when we hear the word start-ups, but for many businesses, this is far from the truth. Business success takes ...
Read More
Read More
Toronto.com | Veronica Appia | Feb 25, 2021 As countries continue to devalue their currency amid COVID-19, cryptocurrency is becoming more appealing to investors. - Pexels photo Experts weigh in on Bitcoin, crypto resiliency In an economy deeply impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, citizens and businesses have been experiencing financial hardship for months and governments have been using stimulus money to create supports and aid in economic recovery. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced $100 billion to be spent over three years, beginning this year, in an effort to bolster the current state of the economy. But giving away stimulus money in such large amounts devalues a country's currency, said Henry M. Kim, an associate professor of operations management and information systems and co-director of the BlockchainLab at Schulich School of Business. See: Privacy laws might prove to be a blessing in disguise for crypto This, in turn, creates a case for certain types of cryptocurrency, such as Bitcoin, to become more attractive. "Bitcoin doesn’t act like money. What’s winning out is the notion that Bitcoin is digital gold," Kim said. "And Bitcoin, as volatile as it is, is not a currency that central banks are devaluing." For this reason, he ...
Read More
Read More
CB Insights | March 3, 2021 The future of blockchain is near and banking isn't the only industry affected. What began as the basis of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, blockchain technology — essentially a virtual ledger capable of recording and verifying a high volume of digital transactions — is now spreading across a wave of industries. Blockchain has gone far beyond its beginnings in banking and cryptocurrency: Annual funding to blockchain companies, despite falling from 2018’s record high, more than doubled in 2020 compared to 2017. Annual spending on blockchain solutions will reach nearly $16B by 2023, according to CB Insights’ Market Sizing Tool. Industries from insurance to gaming to cannabis are seeing blockchain applications. See: Tokenizing Assets and Unlocking Value on the Blockchain Bitcoin’s popularity helped demonstrate blockchain’s application in finance, but entrepreneurs have come to believe the tech could transform many more industries. Ultimately, the use cases for a transparent, verifiable register of transaction data are practically endless — especially since blockchains operate through a decentralized platform requiring no central supervision, making them resistant to fraud. Energy Management Energy management is another industry that has historically been highly centralized. In the US and UK, to transact in energy one ...
Read More
Read More
CBS Sports | Gabriel Fernandez | March 2, 2021 What you should know about the new NBA craze in digital investing in collectibles Something rather typical happened for an atypical reason on Feb. 25: A community within NBA Twitter was mad online. No, these weren't Denver Nuggets fans up in arms over their close loss to the lowly Washington Wizards, despite a 34-6-6 performance from Jamal Murray. Nor were they frustrated Los Angeles Clippers fans complaining about their team's stars being unable to do much against a Memphis Grizzlies squad that only just returned to a .500 record. They weren't even fans preemptively whining over their favorite superstar getting snubbed from this year's All Star Game. No, this was a relatively new group of people, sitting on the intersection of hoops fandom, memorabilia collection and digital investing, while looking to get into what's been described as the next big thing for those who belong to any of those three crowds: NBA Top Shot. Before getting into what tilted some of that base last week, let's first get into what Top Shot is, exactly. See: The Outer Space Men are Landing at Liquid Avatar NBA Top Shot is an online company ...
Read More
Read More
Wealth Professional | James Burton | March 2, 2021 Finance app Hardbacon receives boost to growth plan as it prepares to go public A Montreal-based fintech company has secured more than $1.1 million through the Frontfundr equity crowdfunding portal as it positions itself to go public. See: Fintech Fridays EP51: Bacon and Eggs Hardbacon brought in $1,136,400 from more than 800 investors, smashing its $500,000 fundraising goal. The company, which markets a personal finance app, has thus completed one of the largest rounds of equity crowdfunding in Canada, with this laterst round bringing its total financing to more than $2.2 million since its inception. A B2C app for self-directed investors, it generates revenue from Hardbacon Premium subscriptions as well as from lead generation and sales of its two white label solutions for financial institutions: a portfolio analysis module and a financial planning module. Its partners include National Bank Direct Brokerage and Desjardins Online Brokerage, and it also has an advisor feature. The funding will be used to accelerate the fintech’s growth and fuel its ambition to reach the summit of the lead generation market in the financial services industry. CEO Julien Brault told WP: “Raising a round of over $1 ...
Read More
Read More
Edelman | Feb 17, 2021 Canada is facing a crisis in leadership This year, after months of unprecedented disaster and turbulence – including the COVID-19 pandemic, economic crisis, the global outcry over systemic racism and political instability – the findings reveal widespread misinformation and mistrust of societal leaders in Canada. See: Future Market Dynamics Part 3 – data sharing, trust and a world of choice In fact, 50% of respondents worry that business leaders are purposely trying to mislead them, and 46% believe the same about government leaders – this is a wake-up call for leaders, who need to take action to build trust amongst their stakeholders, or risk falling behind. Spring trust bubble bursts with no institution remaining in the trusted category In the Spring, business, government and NGOs all saw a spike in trust, moving them into the trusted category among the Canadian general population. Since then, the trust bubble has burst, with all institutions giving back most (if not all) of the gains they saw and returning to the neutral zone. Government saw the biggest increase in the Spring with a 20-point increase; however, despite declining 11 points in the past six months, government remains the most ...
Read More
Read More
Be[in]crypto | David Lucatch | March 2, 2021 In Brief COVID-19 has changed the very fabric of our world and how we live our daily lives. The use cases of user-controlled digital credentials are nearly limitless. We must continue to support regulation like GDPR in the EU, CCPA in California, PEPIDA in Canada, and others. It’s no secret that COVID-19 has changed the very fabric of our world and how we live our daily lives. For example, consumer online spending with US retailers increased 44% in 2020, compared to 2019, according to the latest Digital Commerce 360 analysis. International tourist arrivals declined by 74% (roughly one billion fewer trips) in 2020, compared to the previous year, making it “the worst year in tourism history.” Plus, 29% of polled working professionals said they would quit their jobs if they couldn’t continue working remotely, as the world begins to reopen. All of these changes will impact the way that business is done moving forward. They will push organizations to closely consider the vulnerabilities of their current online and on-premise privacy and data management policies and procedures. See: Digital transformation: 9 emerging roles you need on your team The internet has always been ...
Read More
Read More
Betakit | Meagan Simpson | March 2, 2021 Payments Canada has selected its second solution provider for the country’s upcoming real-time payments system. Interac Corp. has been selected as the exchange solution provider for the Real-Time Rail (RTR). Expected to launch in 2022, RTR consists of two components: a clearing and settlement component and an exchange component. Mastercard-owned Vocalink was selected last year to operate the settlement component. A real-time payment system designed to modernize Canada’s core payments infrastructure, RTR will allow for payments to be sent and received within seconds. The system will be operated by Payments Canada and regulated by the Bank of Canada. The idea behind RTR is to create a payment system that is fast, secure, and flexible, to allow for innovation. See: Revolut to roll out QR code payments for business customers in 25 countries Interac might be considered a natural choice for Payments Canada to work with when it comes to building the exchange. Interac is set to use the already-existing technology behind its Interac e-Transfer service to build the exchange component of Canada’s RTR. Interac e-Transfer is currently used by millions of Canadians daily and connects to almost 300 financial institutions in the ...
Read More
Read More
FCAC | March 2021 Overview The Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC) is a federal financial sector regulator, which oversees federally regulated financial entities’ compliance with consumer protection measures, promotes financial education, and raises consumers’ awareness of their financial rights and responsibilities. In addition, FCAC is responsible for monitoring and evaluating trends and emerging issues that may have an impact on consumers of financial products and services, as well as providing timely and objective information and tools to help consumers navigate financial products and services. The Advisory Committee on Open Banking (the Committee) shared consultation materials with interested stakeholders, including the FCAC, in fall of 2020. FCAC welcomes the opportunity to participate in the development of a uniquely Canadian open banking solution that prioritizes the right of the consumer to control their financial data and puts in place safeguards to ensure they are protected from financial and non-financial harm. This submission has been submitted to the Committee for their consideration in the context of their consultations. See: NCFA OpEd: Canada’s Open Banking Consultations: Let’s Get it Done! FCAC is broadly supportive of a hybrid model for open banking that carves out specific roles for government and industry and sets out ...
Read More
Read More
KABN (LQID) | Cara Buckspan | March 1, 2021 Liquid Avatar name and symbol change better reflects Company's corporate branding TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / March 1, 2021 / KABN Systems NA Holdings Corp. (CSE:KABN)("KABN" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has changed its name from KABN Systems NA Holdings Corp. to Liquid Avatar Technologies Inc. (www.liquidavatartechnologies.com) and its ticker symbol from KABN to LQID. Subject to approval by the Canadian Securities Exchange (the "CSE"), the Company expects the name and symbol change to take effect for trading purposes on March 3, 2021 when its common shares will begin trading on the CSE under the new name, CUSIP number and new ticker symbol. On February 18, 2021, the Company launched the first phase of its flagship product, the Liquid Avatar (www.liquidavatar.com) app in the Apple Store and Google Play. Like search, online communications and browser usage, digital identity is addressable to up to 100% of the online market and is a very early-stage market opportunity, with the potential to reach up to 400 Million people in North America and over 5 Billion people online globally. See: KABN North America Launches Liquid Avatar App in the Apple Store and ...
Read More
Read More
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