🚀 2 Launches: ethical coffee and semi-professional sports ☕ ⚽

🔔 Your campaign updates feed

☕ Dispatch Coffee has launched on FrontFundr! Dispatch is building Canada's leading responsible coffee brand, offering ethically sourced, high-quality coffee delivered directly to consumers. Learn more.

Invest in Dispatch Coffee | $51K Raised | 21% of target

⚽ Rovers Football Club is back! Now is the chance to become a co-owner in your very own soccer club just in time for the Rovers to kick off the new season. A free season ticket is included with each investment! Learn more.

Invest in Rovers FC | $274K Raised | 78% of target

🥬 Fieldless is advocating for Canadian food independence! President Jon Lomow wrote a memo about the importance of a Canada-First Food Policy, targeting a national goal to have 95% of Canada’s nutritional needs met domestically by 2045. Read more.

Invest in Fieldless Farms | $2.07M Raised | 99% of target

⚡ VoltSafe is a Canadian solution to a global challenge! VoltSafe shares more about how their innovative technology can help solve rising energy costs, lack of infrastructure, pollution, and safety around the world. Read more.

Invest in VoltSafe | $884k Raised | 118% of target

🤔 What’s on our minds

Breaking Barriers: The Power of Investing in Female Founders

Women-led businesses are thriving in Canada—but they still receive a fraction of the investment capital compared to their male counterparts. Despite studies showing that startups founded by women deliver higher revenue per dollar invested, female founders continue to face significant funding gaps. It’s time to change that.

At FrontFundr, we believe that investing in women isn’t just the right thing to do—it’s smart business. Our platform provides a space where female founders can access the capital they need to scale, and where investors—of all backgrounds—can support the next generation of women-led innovation.

Why does this matter?

• Economic Growth – If women entrepreneurs had equal access to capital, Canada’s GDP could see a $150 billion boost by 2026.

• Higher Returns – Female-founded startups generate 78 cents of revenue per dollar invested, compared to 31 cents for male-founded companies.

• Diverse Perspectives – Businesses with diverse leadership make better decisions and outperform their peers.

This International Women’s Day, let’s move beyond conversation and take action. By investing in female founders, we’re not just funding businesses—we’re funding a more inclusive, innovative future.

Rather than waiting for a seat at the table, female founders can build their own—and choose exactly who gets a seat—through FrontFundr.

Explore how you can back women-led ventures on FrontFundr: www.frontfundr.com

✍ From the desk of our CEO

Tariffs Are Here – What They Mean for Canadian Businesses
By Peter-Paul Van Hoeken

The Impact of Tariffs on the Canadian Economy

The Trump tariffs and Canada’s countermeasures officially took effect on March 4, igniting a trade battle with far-reaching consequences for both economies. While these tariffs will make life more expensive for Americans, the impact on Canada is also significant—especially given that Canada is the U.S.’s largest export market (TD, January 25, 2025).

If these tariffs remain in place for an extended period, Canadian businesses will face job losses, economic strain, and inflationary pressures, while industries on both sides of the border will feel the ripple effects. The question now is: how do we adapt?

The Need for Market Diversification

Regardless of whether these tariffs are temporary or long-term, Canada must rethink its trade relationships and export strategies. Reducing reliance on the U.S. is not just a defensive move—it’s an opportunity.

However, diversifying markets isn’t easy, particularly for small businesses that may lack the time and resources to expand internationally in uncertain economic conditions. Canadian companies must take a strategic approach to growth, balancing short-term resilience with long-term market expansion.

How Startups Can Adapt

While market diversification is a longer-term strategy, Canadian startups have immediate opportunities to adapt:

• Tight Cost Control: Economic headwinds could slow sales, making efficiency more critical than ever. Now is the time to cut unnecessary costs, optimize operations, and scale efficiently—adding revenue at a faster rate than costs.

• Shifting Growth Strategies: Startups affected by tariffs—especially those in manufacturing, food, and consumer goods—may benefit from focusing on the Canadian market in the short term. Canada offers a large enough customer base to validate business models, establish product-market fit, and scale before expanding internationally.

A Surge in Canadian Support

Beyond government policies, consumer sentiment is shifting. Canadians are showing stronger preference for homegrown businesses, opting to buy from domestic brands. This trend presents a major opportunity for Canadian startups to build local brand loyalty, secure early traction, and create sustainable revenue streams.

Investing in Canadian Businesses

From an investor’s perspective, the current environment raises key questions:

• How reliant is a startup’s growth strategy on the U.S. market?

• To what extent is capital being allocated to expansion outside Canada?

Startups that focus on Canadian growth may find it easier to attract investment, as investors seek opportunities with reduced exposure to trade uncertainty.

Now Is the Time to Back Canadian Innovation

Trade policies may shift by the day, but our focus should remain on supporting Canadian businesses and innovation.

At FrontFundr, we’re proud to be made in Canada—owned and supported by nearly 1,200 everyday Canadians. In these challenging times, we remain committed to helping startups raise capital from fellow Canadians, strengthening our economy from within.

Now more than ever, it’s time to invest in Canada.

🎙️ Hear from our latest founder feature

Revolutionizing Food Sustainability: The Story of Fieldless Farms with President & Co-Founder, Jon Lomow.

💡 On the mission: Over 90% of Canada’s leafy greens are imported, losing nutrients and facing contamination risks. We knew there had to be a better way. So, we built Fieldless Farms to grow fresher, safer, and more sustainable greens locally. Launching in early 2020—right as the world shut down—was chaos. We worked 18-hour days, harvesting and packaging ourselves. It was tough, but it proved why our mission matters.

🪴 On leadership: Sustainability shouldn’t require sacrifice. The best solutions improve lives—delivering fresher food, a stronger local supply chain, and real impact. My role as a leader is to create an environment where innovation and resilience thrive.

💲 On a defining moment: One of our first customers emailed to say they loved our lettuce. Our Head of Operations, a grocery industry veteran, told me: "I’ve never seen that happen before." That moment proved we were onto something. Now, we’re scaling Fieldless and inviting others to help build a more sustainable food system in Canada.

Want to listen to the full episode?

Spotify / YouTube