Equivesto

What Equivesto does

Equivesto is a Canadian equity crowdfunding platform and licensed Exempt Market Dealer that enables private companies to raise capital by issuing small portions of ownership to a broad base of retail and accredited investors. Incorporated as Equivesto Canada Inc. and founded in 2017 following the introduction of Canadian prospectus exemptions for equity crowdfunding, the company is headquartered in Toronto and operates exclusively within the domestic Canadian market under registration across all provinces and territories. The platform serves two primary customer segments: (1) private Canadian issuers — primarily startups, small businesses, and real estate projects seeking to raise between CAD $100,000 and CAD $1,500,000 per year — and (2) individual investors, including non-accredited Canadians over 18 and accredited investors, who can participate starting at a CAD $100 minimum.

The core product is the Equivesto Platform, a web-based investment portal (portal.equivesto.com) where issuers create 30- to 90-day campaigns and investors complete KYC, browse offerings, and fund investments electronically with digital document signing and e-funds transfer. The company operates as the regulated broker-of-record for each transaction, supported by identity-verification integration with Trulioo and TFSA/RRSP-eligible holding arrangements through Western Pacific Trust Company and Olympia Trust Company. Surrounding the core portal is a substantial educational and tooling layer — including a Company Master Class, ECF Bootcamp, Pitch Deck Review, Pitch Perfect, Corporate Governance Class, VC Deal Structuring content, and free financial calculators — designed to prepare issuers for raises and to support investor onboarding.

Equivesto's revenue model is transaction-based. The company charges issuers a non-refundable application fee before campaign review, a 7% success fee on capital raised in completed campaigns, and an optional CAD $1,000 TFSA/RRSP trust setup fee. Investors pay no platform fees. Go-to-market is community-led: issuers are expected to source their own investor base from existing networks, while Equivesto drives top-of-funnel demand through email/newsletter, content marketing, webinars, organic social, and referral partnerships with community organizations such as DMZ and PCMA. Disclosed funding to date totals approximately CAD $953K across two equity rounds (CAD $756,527 in October 2019 and CAD $196,803 in April 2022), and headcount remains in the 1–10 range.

Name

Equivesto

Legal name

Equivesto Canada Inc.

Website

https://equivesto.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Equivesto is a Canadian equity crowdfunding platform, operating as a licensed Exempt Market Dealer across all provinces, that enables private companies to raise CAD $100K–$1.5M from retail and accredited investors starting at CAD $100 per investment.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Equity Crowdfunding Platform

NAICS

Investment Banking and Securities Intermediation (523150)

SIC

Security Brokers, Dealers & Flotation Companies (6211)

akta.pro primary industry

E-commerce & Digital Business Brokerage (FSAEAIAH)

Keywords

• Equity crowdfunding
• Exempt market dealer
• Private market investing
• Capital raising platform
• Startup investing

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Transaction/Brokerage Fee: Equivesto charges a 7% success fee on completed campaigns. Companies pay this fee upon successful campaign closing, deducted from funds raised before transfer to the company.
2. Application Fee: Non-refundable application fee charged to companies before the application review begins to cover initial evaluation costs.
3. TFSA/RRSP Trust Services: Optional trust company setup fees of CAD $1,000 through Western Pacific Trust Company or Olympia Trust Company for campaigns eligible to be held in TFSA/RRSP accounts.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Equivesto is a Canadian equity crowdfunding platform and licensed Exempt Market Dealer that enables private Canadian companies to raise CAD $100,000 to $1,500,000 per year by issuing small portions of equity to a community of investors through campaign-style offerings (typically 30–90 days). Investors can browse vetted Canadian startups, small businesses, funds, and real estate offerings on the digital portal starting at a CAD $100 minimum, with optional TFSA/RRSP eligibility through partner trust companies. Issuers pay a non-refundable application fee and a 7% success fee on capital raised, while investors access the platform free of charge.

Product overview

Equivesto is a Canadian equity crowdfunding platform that operates as a single unified product—the Equivesto Platform—enabling private companies to raise up to $1.5M CAD through equity crowdfunding campaigns. The platform connects investor-investors with vetted Canadian startups, small businesses, funds, and real estate opportunities, with a minimum investment of $100 CAD. The offering includes a web-based Investment Portal for browsing and participating in offerings, accompanied by a suite of educational products (Company Master Class, ECF Bootcamp, Pitch Deck Review, Pitch Perfect, Corporate Governance Class, VC Deal Structuring) to prepare companies for raising and investors for participating. Additional supporting tools include free financial calculators and licensed Exempt Market Dealer services for regulatory compliance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Equivesto Investment Platform (Crowdfunding Portal) Web-based online investment portal at portal.equivesto.com where private Canadian companies run 30–90 day equity crowdfunding campaigns to raise CAD $100,000 to $1,500,000 per year, and where Canadian investors browse and fund vetted startups, small businesses, funds, and real estate opportunities starting at CAD $100 per offering.
• Exempt Market Dealer Services Licensed Exempt Market Dealer service enabling private Canadian companies to issue and sell securities through prospectus exemptions including startup equity crowdfunding, accredited investor, offering memorandum, and family/friends exemptions, with suitability assessments, KYC, dealing-representative oversight, and Ontario-style regulatory compliance.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered supporting.

• DMZ (Digital Media Zone)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner - startup accelerator/incubator network providing potential deal flow and ecosystem support for Canadian startups seeking equity crowdfunding.
• PCMA (Professional Convention Management Association)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner - industry association supporting event and meeting professionals, potentially providing access to entrepreneurial community for investment opportunities.
• TrulioosupportingTechnology or IntegrationIdentity verification service provider used for KYC compliance. Bound by same confidentiality and security requirements as Equivesto for protecting investor personal information.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• StartEngine: StartEngine is a major US-based equity crowdfunding platform with a large issuer base and strong brand among retail investors. It is comparable to Equivesto in product offering (online equity raises from the crowd) but operates at much greater scale and funding.
• Wealthsimple: Wealthsimple is a large Canadian digital wealth platform with TFSA/RRSP accounts and a growing private markets offering. While broader in scope than Equivesto, it competes for the same Canadian retail investor base seeking tax-advantaged private market exposure.
• Wefunder: Wefunder is one of the largest US equity crowdfunding platforms under Regulation Crowdfunding, supporting startups and small businesses raising from retail investors. It serves as a benchmark competitor for issuer experience and platform scale.
• Republic: Republic is a large multi-vertical private markets platform offering equity crowdfunding, tokenized assets, and venture funds. While US-headquartered, it accepts Canadian issuers and represents a scaled, well-funded competitor to Equivesto in the equity crowdfunding category.
• SeedInvest: SeedInvest is a US equity crowdfunding and venture platform that curates startup offerings for accredited and retail investors. Its selective deal-flow approach is similar in principle to Equivesto's curated Canadian offerings.

Regional players

• Crowdcube: Crowdcube is a UK-headquartered equity crowdfunding platform for high-growth startups and scale-ups. While it operates in a different geography, it offers a highly relevant product and business model comparison for Equivesto's curated approach.
• Seedrs (now part of Republic Europe): Seedrs is a European equity crowdfunding platform offering curated startup raises to retail and professional investors. Although UK/Europe-based, it is a strong comparability reference for an online investment portal intermediating private securities.

Direct peers

• FrontFundr: FrontFundr is a Canadian equity crowdfunding platform and Exempt Market Dealer that connects private companies with retail investors. It is the closest direct competitor to Equivesto, operating the same regulated securities intermediation model in Canada.
• SeedUps Canada: SeedUps is a Canadian equity crowdfunding portal that helps startups and small businesses raise capital from a community of investors. It overlaps directly with Equivesto in offering regulated capital-raising access for early-stage Canadian issuers.

Others

• AngelList: AngelList is a US-based private markets platform powering syndicates, funds, and rolling funds. It is an adjacent, enabling platform rather than a direct competitor, but it shapes the broader ecosystem in which equity crowdfunding portals like Equivesto operate.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments1 record

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Equivesto