🚀Diversified income trust launch, Canada makes space history, FrontFundr 2025 lookback

🔔 Your campaign updates feed

🏠Capital Direct I Income Trust has launched!

Capital Direct I Income Trust offers Canadians the opportunity to invest in a proven, income-generating strategy built on secured Canadian residential mortgages. The fund is supported by a 19-year track record of consistent, income-focused returns.

Invest in Capital Direct | $85M Raised | 85% of target

🔔 Alumni updates

🌾 Prairie Clean Enterprise is testing equipment and pellet dies at its Flax Processing Facility in Weyburn, SK. The fibre baler is operational, and packaging for Prairie Clean Cat Litter and Flax Bedding has arrived on site.

📦 BOXABL and FG Merger II Corp. have filed an amended Form S-4 with the SEC, moving one step closer to completing their proposed merger.

🔵 Joni highlights trends for facility managers in 2026. The newsletter covers smarter janitorial practices that reduce waste, ensure compliance, and stay within budget.

🤔 What’s on our minds

Kepler Makes History With the World’s First Optical Satellite Network

Kepler Communications, a Canadian space telecommunications startup, has reached a milestone moment in space technology with the successful deployment of the first tranche of satellites in its optical relay network. The Canadian telecommunications startup has taken an ambitious vision from early prototype missions to operational reality, establishing itself as a pioneer in next-generation space communications.

🛰️ How Kepler Got Started

Founded in 2015 by 4 students from the University of Toronto, Kepler set out to address longstanding gaps in satellite communications by building an “internet for space.” From its origins in university labs and startup incubators, the company quickly demonstrated technological promise with early CubeSat and radio-frequency missions. Over the years it expanded both its technical capabilities and investor support, raising more than $200 million in venture capital across multiple funding rounds to fuel development of advanced optical communications technology.

Kepler’s path from concept to orbit included numerous engineering milestones. In 2023, the company successfully launched two optical Pathfinder satellites to test and validate key laser-based communication technologies. Subsequent in-orbit demonstrations established optical inter-satellite links and bidirectional optical communications with air and ground assets, laying the foundation for a fully connected space network.

🌐 The Biggest Achievement Yet

On January 11, 2026, Kepler successfully launched the world's first optical relay satellites network aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The “Twilight Mission” deployed ten satellites built in Toronto that are designed to act as data centers in space, enabling real-time, low-latency data transmission between spacecraft, hosted payloads, and ground stations.

CEO and co-founder Mina Mitry described the launch as ushering in “a new paradigm to space applications,” highlighting the network’s ability to process and route data directly on orbit rather than relying on traditional ground relay infrastructure.

📌 What Happens Next

Looking forward, Kepler intends to build out its optical network further with additional satellite tranches and enhanced capabilities, including advanced computing and hosted payload services in orbit. As the space economy grows, the company’s role as a key provider of real-time communications infrastructure is likely to become increasingly central to both commercial and government space operations. Beyond its technical success, Kepler’s latest launch reflects a broader change in how space-based data networks are being designed and deployed.

🎙️ Hear from our latest founder feature

Kalemart 24: Making Healthy Convenience Convenient with Oussama (Sam) Saoudi

This podcast was recorded back in 2023

Q: What inspired the creation of Kalemart 24?
 A: The idea came from a simple realization: healthy food options are hard to find on the go. Convenience stores are everywhere, but most are stocked with junk food. I wanted to create a store where busy, health-conscious consumers, especially Millennials and Gen-z, could grab nutritious snacks and beverages easily.

Q: What makes Kalemart 24 stand out in a crowded convenience market?
 A: Kalemart 24 combines the accessibility of a convenience store with the quality and experience of a small natural market. We source the best organic and natural foods, support local suppliers, and design stores to feel welcoming and modern. It’s convenience without compromise, and we’re creating a model that can scale across neighborhoods in Canada and the U.S.

Q: Looking ahead, what excites you most about Kalemart 24’s journey?
 A: The opportunity to redefine what a convenience store can be. No one else is offering healthier, better-for-you options at this scale. From our first stores in Montreal to franchises across North America, it’s about making nutritious, convenient food available to everyone, everywhere.

🎧 Want to listen to the full episode?

Spotify / Apple

📌 FrontFundr Bulletin

🎉 FrontFundr’s lookback at 2025 highlights

FrontFundr marked 2025 as a milestone year, investing over $80M across 50+ companies and growing its investor community to 63,000 nationwide. Beyond the numbers, the platform celebrated 10 years since Canada’s first equity crowdfunding investment, expanded coast to coast, and supported record-breaking raises like Blossom Social’s TSX market closing. 

As 2026 begins, FrontFundr continues to back companies like Edison Motors and Gander Social, driving momentum in Canada’s private markets.

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