New York-based Kickstarter, the world’s largesst crowdfunding platform, officially launched in Canada. Kickstarter’s crowdfunding model allows investors to pledge cash towards a project in exchange for products and perks, but the pledges are conditional upon the entire funding goal being… Read more »
SemiosBIO Technologies Receives Funding From Investing in Business Innovation (IBI)
SemiosBIO Technologies Inc. a discoverer and developer of pheromone-based pest control solutions recently received up to $474,000 through the Investing in Business Innovation (IBI) fund. The IBI fund assists start-up businesses to accelerate the commercialization of new products, processes, and… Read more »
Cornwall Business Expands with Assistance From the Southern Ontario Fund for Investment in Innovation (SOFII)
Chalk up another victory for Canadian government funding as MPIQC expands its facilities with assistance from the Southern Ontario Fund for Investment in Innovation (SOFII) program. MPIQC is an electronics manufacturer that provides products and services for a vast assortment… Read more »
IBI Invests in Startups Involved in Innovation
Woodland Biofuels has received a $800,000 loan from Fed Dev through the Investing in Business Innovation (IBI) initiative for the construction of their new efficient biofuel plant. The plant hopes to produce ethanol for half of the cost it takes… Read more »
Study Finds Canada’s Interactive Digital Media Sector Suffers from Lack of Private Financing at Early Stages
According to a study by the Canadian Interactive Alliance (CIAIC), Canada’s interactive digital media sector has benefited from government assistance and public financing. However, gaps exist when it comes to the financial support of companies in early-stage development. Many Canadian startups… Read more »
Crowdfunding in Canada
Pebble’s Eric Migicovsky jump-started his company by selling 85,000 pre-sold watches and generating $10 million in advance revenue through Kickstarter. Unfortunately, Kickstarter isn’t readily accessible to Canadian companies. Migicovsky’s initial company was based in Waterloo (part of University of Waterloo’s Velocity… Read more »
Private Equity Firm Focuses on Management Buyouts
With the manufacturing economy still recovering from the last recession, corporate financing is difficult to come by. Many owners of small- to medium-sized manufacturers are looking for exit strategies, and may be hard-pressed to find one, because few financing options exist. NorthSpring Capital… Read more »
Why Venture Capital is so Important
Greg Smith, president of Canada’s Venture Capital and Private Equity Association (CVCA), described the current landscape of Canadian entrepreneurship: “Canada has an historic opportunity to become an innovation leader by making major investments that enable our best technology businesses to… Read more »
Is Entrepreneurship Waning in Canada?
The Globe and Mail recently addressed the fact that in recent years, the relative impact of self-employment across Canada has been waning. Self-employment has always been an important feature of the Canadian economy; the OECD lists Canada as one of the… Read more »