🔋Cleantech closing soon, female founder wins & fall tech trends

🔔 Your campaign updates feed

🔋RheEnergise closing soon!

RheEnergise is closing in 8 days! Be part of the clean energy future with High-Density Hydro®, an innovative form of pumped hydro that delivers long-duration storage with minimal environmental impact. Learn more about how their low-impact, scalable solution is changing the game in energy storage.

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

🔔 Alumni updates

🔵 Joni’s Co-Founder and CEO, Linda Biggs, is named a finalist for Toast x BetaKit's Top 25 Women in Tech. In recognition of Joni’s tech-enabled innovation, The Model V, the only smart commercial feminine hygiene dispenser.

💪 VEGAIN’s SURGE™ Clear Protein has been chosen as a finalist for the BC Food & Beverage Rise Awards: Innovation Award! If you want to show support you can cast your vote today. Learn more here.

🍷 Drink Glimmar Wine celebrates their one-year anniversary! Available in 150+ retailers across BC, and officially launched distribution in Alberta and Ontario.

🪵 Prairie Clean Enterprises (PCE) secured financing for the world’s first integrated flax processing facility in Weyburn, Saskatchewan. A major step for PCE and the future of sustainable innovation in Saskatchewan.

🤔 What’s on our minds

📱Fall Phone Frenzy: Why September Still Sets the Tone for Tech Stocks

For over a decade, the month of September has been pivotal for the consumer tech industry, especially for smartphone manufacturers. Anchored by Apple’s annual iPhone event, the fall season has become a critical period where hardware reveals, stock performance, and consumer expectations intersect. For companies like Apple, Samsung, and Google, phone releases are strategic events that can sway investor sentiment, move billions in revenue, and shape the competitive landscape. Here’s a look at the history of these launches, their financial and market impact, and what to watch in 2025.

📅 A Brief History of September Phone Releases

Synchronized global phone launches weren’t the norm before smartphones. Manufacturers typically timed releases around regional carriers or major trade shows like CES and Mobile World Congress. That changed with Apple.

While the first iPhone debuted in 2007, it was the iPhone 5 in 2012 that cemented September as “iPhone Month.” Since then, Apple’s consistent early-September launches have trained both consumers and investors to expect major updates at the end of Q3.

Others followed:

• Samsung now times its Galaxy Note and FE models for late summer and fall.

• Google launches Pixels in October but starts teasing them in September.

• Chinese brands like Xiaomi, OnePlus, and Huawei sync with IFA Berlin in early September.

💼 How Phone Launches Impact Business and Stocks

New phone releases are now high-stakes financial and strategic moments for major tech companies. In 2025, the narrative is being shaped by three key trends: the rise of on-device AI, intensifying competition in foldables, and growing economic pressure on consumer spending.

Apple

Apple remains the most sensitive to iPhone performance. As one of the most valuable companies in the world, its financial health is closely tied to the iPhone, which generates nearly half of its total revenue. A strong launch can boost Apple’s market cap significantly. For instance, the iPhone 12, released in 2020, helped Apple become the first $2 trillion company. Conversely, a lukewarm cycle like the iPhone XS in 2018 contributed to Apple’s first major revenue warning in over 15 years.

The iPhone 17, expected this September, marks Apple’s most ambitious push into AI yet. New features include an enhanced Siri, real-time translation, and smarter camera tools. After a flat year in the markets, this launch is critical for regaining momentum ahead of the holiday season.

Samsung

Samsung’s mobile division is part of a larger, diversified conglomerate. However, smartphones remain a core business, particularly for showcasing new hardware like foldable screens, chipsets, and camera sensors. While Samsung’s stock isn’t as reactive to mobile releases as Apple’s, its role as a leader in the Android market is driven by its ability to set trends.

The Galaxy S25 FE, launched this September, targets value-conscious buyers with near-flagship specs, while Samsung also competes at the high end with its Z series foldables.

Google 

Pixel phones may not drive significant revenue yet, but they are critical to Google’s AI-first vision. The newly released Pixel 10 series, unveiled in August 2025, features the powerful Tensor G5 chip and introduces advanced AI capabilities like the Gemini Live assistant, Magic Cue proactive help, and real-time translation during calls.

With these enhancements, Google aims to expand its footprint in key markets such as North America and Japan, positioning the Pixel line as both a technology showcase and a growing competitor in the premium smartphone segment. 

🧠 Final Thought

Phone releases in September have become more than consumer electronics showcases. They’re indicators for broader trends in innovation, consumer confidence, and tech strategy. With the rise of generative AI and hardware saturation, the question isn't just which phone looks best or has the highest megapixel count.

With margins tightening and growth harder to find, this year’s fall phone cycle could determine which tech giants lead the next wave and which fall behind.

🎙️ Hear from our latest founder feature

Kalemart24: Redefining Convenience Stores for the Health-Conscious Generation with Oussama Soudi

Q: What inspired the creation of Kalemart24?

A: I was always grabbing food on the go, but most convenience stores only offered junk. As a health-conscious Millennial, I saw a gap. There were no quick, healthy options nearby. That’s when I had the idea: create a Whole Foods-style convenience store that makes healthy, organic products accessible around every corner.

Q: What makes Kalemart24 stand out?

A: We’re reimagining convenience. Our stores offer natural and organic snacks, drinks, personal care, and pet products in a clean, modern space. We’re also using a multi-channel model, such as in-store, delivery apps, and e-commerce, and expanding fast through franchising.

Q: What are some standout moments so far?

A: Being called “the Whole Foods of convenience stores” by Canadian Grocer was huge. Our concept going viral on LinkedIn brought unexpected media coverage. Now, we’ve secured our first three locations in Montreal and are raising funds to open more through equity crowdfunding on FrontFundr.

🎧 Want to listen to the full episode?

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📌 FrontFundr Bulletin

Blossom Investor Tour 2025

FrontFundrwill have a booth 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!