🎁 New Year Extensions, holiday spotlights, and a new op-ed

🔔 Your campaign updates feed

📱Gander Social extends till January 2026!

Gander Social is extending their raise to the end of January 2026! Last week Gander social surpassed their goal of $1.5M CAD with over 2,000 Canadian co-owners. This extension gives investors additional time to complete their investment.

Invest in Gander Social | $1.7M Raised | 113% of target

🍻Collective Arts extends into 2026

Collective Arts is extending their raise, giving more investors the opportunity to join. They also shared a short video message from their Founder & CEO Matt Johnston, highlighting the company’s philosophy of shared ownership.

Invest in Collective Arts | $247K Raised | 50% of target

🔔 Alumni updates

👟Hettas was spotlighted at Toronto Eaton Center for BMO’s Gifting Calendar, an initiative by BMO to support Canadian small businesses this holiday season.

🍷Proxies Dry Cider has been recognized as Best New Product of 2025 by BevNet.com.

🔵 joni highlights its longtime partner The Period Purse and encourages support for menstrual justice, with all Giving Tuesday donations matched to double their impact.

🤔 What’s on our minds

The Warner Brother Discover Buyout Battle

Warner Brothers Discover (WBD) is in the middle of one of the most consequential acquisition battles of the decade. The companies vying for WBD includes streaming giant Netflix and traditional media legacy Paramount Skydance. Both fighting for control of one of the industry’s most iconic entertainment companies.

🧐 What’s Driving the Battle

Earlier in December, Netflix reached a binding agreement with WBD to acquire its film and television studio assets, including Warner Bros. and HBO Max, in a deal valued at approximately $82.7 billion. Having the support of both company boards, the transaction is structured as a mix of cash and stock. With a closing expected in 2026, the agreement still remains subject to regulatory and shareholder approval.

But the story didn’t end there. Paramount Skydance immediately jumped in with a hostile takeover bid, appealing straight to shareholders with an all-cash offer of $30 per share, valuing WBD at roughly $108.4 billion. Paramount positioned its proposal as a higher-value and faster path to control, encompassing assets beyond those included in Netflix’s agreement.

💡 Why Stakeholders Should Pay Attention

This contest is more than a game of corporate chicken; it highlights key tensions in media consolidation and the future of content distribution:

• WBD’s board has firmly rejected Paramount’s hostile bid, finding it “inferior” to the Netflix merger and warning that it carries significant risks, including reliance on uncertain financing structures and high leverage. The board has recommended that shareholders reject Paramount’s offer and stay with the Netflix deal.

• Paramount disagrees, asserting to shareholders that its all-cash offer is superior and that it has assembled committed financing, despite disagreement over backstopping from the Ellison family trust.

• Netflix executives have reaffirmed their commitment to closing the deal and emphasized expanding their content library and maintaining theatrical releases will strengthen their competitive position.

📌 What Happens Next

The Warner Bros. acquisition saga is far from settled. WBD’s board has set the stage for a shareholder vote in spring or early summer 2026, while Paramount’s proposal remains on the table, leaving room for revised bids, renewed offers, or strategic counter-moves from Netflix.

This ongoing battle highlights a broader shift in the entertainment industry, where legacy studios, streaming giants, and opportunistic bidders compete for the content libraries and brands that will shape the future of film, television, and global media.

🎙️ Hear from our latest founder feature

Valley of Mother of God Gin: Canadian Luxury Gin with Malcolm Roberts and Shelly Perry, Co-Founders

Q: What inspired you to start a distillery?

A: We wanted to create something distinctly Canadian, a gin that captures the beauty, complexity, and refinement of this country. I’ve worked in global beverage marketing, and Shelley’s background is in food science, so we had the perfect mix of creativity and chemistry. It was a passion project that grew into something much bigger once we realized how unique our formula really was.

Q: What makes your gin stand out in such a crowded spirits market?

A: Our botanicals are what set us apart. We use locally sourced ingredients that highlight the Canadian landscape, things like birch bark, wild juniper, and grains of paradise. Every element is intentional. We also think about gin as an expression of craftsmanship. There’s a level of precision and restraint that makes our gin elegant, not overpowering.

Q: You’ve seen strong traction and recognition so far. What’s been most exciting about the response?

A: The feedback from both consumers and the industry has been incredible. Within our first year at the LCBO, we moved from a direct delivery program to a general listing, which almost never happens for a new distiller. And we’re now featured in some of the best bars and restaurants in the country. It’s been validating to see people really connect with what we’re building.

🎧 Want to listen to the full episode?

Spotify / YouTube / Apple

📌 FrontFundr Bulletin

✍️FrontFundr’s Founder and CEO Peter-Paul Van Hoeken shares Op-ed on Canada’s productivity challenges

Canada’s most promising companies struggle not because of ideas, but because of access to growth capital. Budget 2025 leans heavily on government funding while ignoring a powerful alternative: Canadian investors themselves.

Read the full op-ed: Canada’s Productivity Problem Starts in Private Markets

🎄 FrontFundr Holiday Hours

FrontFundr will close for a half-day on December 24 and remain closed for the holidays through January 5, 2026. We wish you a safe and enjoyable holiday season and look forward to reconnecting in the new year.