🔋Clean energy milestones, insights from Netflix’s latest hit & beverage founder stories

🔔 Your campaign updates feed

🔋RheEnergise innovations and meet the founders

RheEnergise has developed a fluid 2.5x denser than water. Their IP protected and innovative fluid is so dense, concrete floats. This innovation unlocks nearly 300,000 new pumped hydro sites across North America. Join their founders this August for a live Q&A and hear how HD Hydro could transform clean energy.

Invest in RheEnergise | $3.2M Raised | 62% of target

🔔 Alumni updates

💪 VEGAIN’s SURGE™ has been chosen as a top 10 finalist for this year’s BC Food & Beverage Awards for Product of the Year. And a top 3 finalists for the Rise Award for Innovation!

🌷Flower Turbines Project Series 1 LLC has secured their fourth Power Purchase Agreement (PPA), adding Lawrence, Kansas to the list. According to NextEra Energy CEO, energy demand is expected to rise 55% in 20 years.

🚁AIRmarket is showcasing their BVLOS capabilities by conducting a night flight from Village of Andrew to St.Paul Airport on September 24th. As part of the Alberta HUB Skyway project to demonstrate the safety and scalability of drone operations in Alberta.

🪵 Prairie Clean Energy is now Prairie Clean Enterprises (PCE) as they are more than just energy! Unlocking the full potential of flax straws they now have divisions in bioenergy, retail and fibre. Read more!

🤔 What’s on our minds

🎥 From Chart-Topper to Missed Opportunity: The Business Story of K-Pop Demon Hunter

K-Pop Demon Hunter was a surprise blockbuster nine years in the making. Not only did it become Netflix’s most-watched movie of all time with over 236 million views, but four songs from its soundtrack also landed in the Billboard Top 100. Notably, Golden by Huntrix became the first girl group song to reach No. 1 since Destiny’s Child in 2001.

While Netflix is receiving widespread praise for the film’s release and success, there is another side to the story. Sony Pictures Animation, the original developer and producer of K-Pop Demon Hunter, ended up with the short end of the stick.

According to a detailed report cited by Forbes, despite the movie’s critical acclaim and commercial popularity, Sony did not own the intellectual property (IP) and failed to anticipate just how big the project would become. Sony invested $100 million in making the film but sold the property rights to Netflix for only $20 million. Netflix recouped that $20 million within just two days of theatrical release, and the ongoing revenue from music sales, streaming, merchandise, and endorsements continues to flow mainly to Netflix and the artists’ management companies.

📈 Investing in Entertainment

The success of K-Pop Demon Hunter offers valuable lessons for everyday investors navigating the evolving economics of entertainment. First and foremost, intellectual property remains king. Owning the rights to a film, show, or music can make all the difference in capturing profits. Sony’s early decision to sell its rights meant sacrificing long-term revenue streams. 

Meanwhile, Netflix’s hybrid release strategy, combining a limited theatrical run with global streaming, maximized both audience reach and revenue. The film’s theatrical release generated an estimated $18–$20 million, while its Netflix premiere reactivated 41 million lapsed subscribers. Adding to this, the movie’s authentic cultural resonance, blending Korean folklore with K-pop, helped it connect deeply with key markets like South Korea, Japan, and the U.S., showing that culturally rooted content can outperform expectations and unlock new opportunities.

💬 Final Thought

This diversification of revenue streams helps stabilize income and reduce risk, a critical factor for investors when evaluating entertainment stocks. The film exemplifies the emerging hybrid content model that blends theatrical releases, streaming platforms, and multimedia tie-ins, a strategy expected to shape future entertainment investments. 

However, the story also highlights the risks of undervaluing intellectual property (IP); companies that fail to secure or retain rights risk missing out on lucrative long-term income even when a project becomes a blockbuster hit. For everyday investors, tracking how companies adapt to these shifts provides important clues about where entertainment profits will flow next. Whether from the next blockbuster film, hit soundtrack, or viral show, ownership and innovative distribution will be key drivers.

🎙️ Hear from our latest founder feature

Collective Arts: Fusing innovative beverages with emerging artists with Matthew Johnson

Q: What inspired the creation of Collective Arts?

A: The idea really came from a belief that creativity makes the world better. In the beverage industry, creativity was always in the liquid but not on the outside. Most labels were generic, following the same rules. We wanted to flip that by pairing world-class drinks with emerging artists and musicians. For the artists, it meant exposure beyond gallery walls; for consumers, it meant holding “the world’s most refreshing art gallery” in their hands. That spark was the moment Collective Arts was born, to bring art and beverages together in a purposeful way.

Q: What makes Collective Arts stand out in a crowded beverage market?

A: From the start, we’ve been unapologetically different. For us, it’s not enough to just make a great drink, though we do that too. It’s about building a borderless brand rooted in creativity and community. We’ve now had nearly 40,000 art submissions, paid over $1 million directly to artists, and kept ownership rights in their hands. Consumers today, especially Gen Z, want brands that stand for more than a product. That’s why when someone picks up a Collective Arts can, they’re not just buying a drink. They’re buying into a movement that blends culture, purpose, and creativity.

Q: Looking back, are there a few standout moments in Collective Arts’ journey?

A: It’s hard to pick just one, so I’ll give you a few. The first was our launch party at the Gladstone Hotel in Toronto. We had over 600 people show up, the walls covered in art, and for the first time, we saw beer drinkers reacting to this crazy idea we’d been working on. The second was our U.S. launch in Boston, being this young Canadian company making waves in such a creative city felt huge. And most recently, we’ve got some big initiatives coming up, new national retail partnerships and disruptive products, that I can’t fully share yet, but they’re among the moments I’m most proud of. Each of these milestones reminded me that what started as a small art project had the potential to grow into something much bigger.

🎧 Want to listen to the full episode?

Spotify / YouTube / Apple

📌 FrontFundr bulletin

Blossom Investor Tour 2025

FrontFundr will be boothing at Blossom Socials Investor Conference 2025, Sunday September 21st from 11:30 AM to 6 PM in Toronto! Blossom is hosting Canada’s largest event for retail investors, live from the iconic Rogers Centre. Get your tickets here!

Ecom North Toronto Summit 2025

FrontFundr will be attending the Ecom North’s Toronto Summit Tuesday September 23, 2025, in Toronto! Ecom North is Canada’s only event dedicated to ecommerce and we will be participating in the reverse pitch segment. If you’re interested, learn more here.

📣CMD Summit: Brand vs. Performance with Trieste Reading

FrontFundr’s Trieste Reading will be speaking at CMD Summit Surrey 2025 this October, hosted by the Melville School of Business at Kwantlen Polytechnic University. She will be moderating the Fireside Chat – Brand vs Performance: Finding the balance between voice and ROI. If you’re in the Vancouver area and want to dive deep into marketing, check out this event!