Start-up crowdfunding

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  Securities Division

  Suite 601, 1919 Saskatchewan Drive

  Regina, Saskatchewan S4P 4H2

  Tel: (306)787-5645

  Fax: (306)787-5899

  Email: fcaa@gov.sk.ca
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  Start-up crowdfunding

  You may have heard of crowdfunding as a way for small businesses or creative projects to raise funds online from the public. Traditional crowdfunding (non-securities based) typically involves raising money through donations or by pre-selling products. Start-up crowdfunding, however, is a process of investing in a start-up or early stage company by buying securities, such as debt securities (like bonds) or equity securities (like shares). Start-up crowdfunding investments are made on-line through a funding portal website and involve significant risk.

  For information about start-up crowdfunding select from the options below.

   

  • Start-up Crowdfunding Guide for Investors
  • Start-up crowdfunding rules and exemptions
  • Overview of start-up crowdfunding rules
  • Start-up crowdfunding funding portals

   

  Start-up crowdfunding rules and exemptions

  In Canada, there are rules and procedures in place that govern how businesses and funding portals conduct start-up crowdfunding. Certain provinces have also created start-up crowdfunding registration and prospectus exemptions, in order to make the system simpler for businesses. The provinces with exemptions include Saskatchewan (Start-up Crowdfunding exemptions), British Columbia, Manitoba, Québec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia (known together as “the participating jurisdictions”).

   

  Overview of start-up crowdfunding rules

  • Both the business and the investor must be located in one of the participating jurisdictions.
  • Businesses can have two start-up crowdfunding distributions per year, and raise up to a maximum of $250,000 in each distribution.
  • No person or company may invest more than $1,500 in any one start-up Crowdfunding distribution.
  • The business cannot be a reporting issuer or an investment fund.
  • Businesses must post their start-up crowdfunding offering document on a funding portal’s website. The offering document describes the security the business is offering to investors.
  • The funding portal facilitates the trade between the business and an investor by electronically receiving payment for the security purchase.

   

  Start-up crowdfunding funding portals

  The following is a list of funding portals operating in Saskatchewan:

  • FrontFundr
  • CanaDragon Enterprise Equity Crowdfunding Interchange
  • Vested Technology Corp

   

  For information regarding start-up crowdfunding funding portals in other participating jurisdictions, please contact those jurisdictions directly.

  Securities Division

  Suite 601, 1919 Saskatchewan Drive

  Regina, Saskatchewan S4P 4H2

  Tel: (306)787-5645

  Fax: (306)787-5899

  Email: fcaa@gov.sk.ca