32 BCBUSINESS NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020
Peter-Paul Van Hoeken
remembers what it was like
when he founded FrontFundr
in 2013. The Vancouver-based
crowdfunding outfit sought to
open up investing in private
companies to the public, some-
thing more or less unheard of
in Canada. Businesses were
happy to see FrontFundr hit
the market—it meant more
opportunities for them.
Likewise, small- and medium-
sized investors appreciated the
added options.
Professional investors and
venture capitalists were a
harder sell. "I remember going
to an angel investor conference
in the early days, and they were
all sort of dismissive about it,"
recalls Van Hoeken, who spent
F I N A N C E
Front Fac ing years at various financial insti-
tutions in Europe before com-
ing to Canada. "'Crowdfunding
doesn't work; what does the
public know about investing?'
They were definitely skeptical
of it, and they saw us as a new
kid on the block."
It's easy for the
CEO to
remember, because even after
funding 56 companies on the
platform as of early fall, he still
hears the same stuff. "I know
there are still VCs that are
participating on panels about
capital-raising and will still
dismiss it," Van Hoeken says.
"It's their profession, and it's
such a small world, especially
in Canada and Vancouver."
Whatever the critics think,
FrontFundr has reshaped
how some people think about
investing in Canada. Van
Hoeken has overseen a diverse
portfolio of businesses, from
FrontFundr founder and
CEO Peter-Paul Van Hoeken
