Overview

Need a quick rundown of what Equivesto is, who can invest, and how investing with us works? Look no further.

Transcript

Hi, welcome to Equivesto! I’m Riley. 

So you want to become an investor? Great! Investing is a fantastic way to take control of your future.  Equivesto lets you access exciting Canadian startups and small businesses and directly invest with as little as $100.  Whether you’re new to investing or you’re familiar with what it takes, I’m here to take you on a step-by-step journey of what it’s like to invest on Equivesto.

Equivesto is exciting and different for a few reasons:

1. First, until recently in Canada, the general public could not invest in start-up companies.  You would have had to be an accredited investor -  and accredited investors need to prove that they have a lot of money and are qualified enough to invest.  
   
   Thanks to changes made by our government, Equivesto can now allow the general public (meaning, YOU) to invest in companies for as little as $100. This means that so many more people can take part in these newfound opportunities.  Imagine being able to invest in Netflix before it became the sensation that it is today. That is what we are trying to create at Equivesto – More equal opportunities for both investors and companies!
   

2. The next exciting reason is that by creating Equivesto, we are giving start-ups and small businesses in our local Canadian communities a place to raise capital.  Why is this a big deal? Well, as a start-up or small business, they are too small to be on the stock exchange where most investing takes place, so it can be difficult for them to raise money to grow bigger.  
   
   This means that they may find it difficult to improve upon their awesome ideas, products, and services and they become limited to a few options: A) They can ask friends and family for financial support or investment, B) they can get a bank loan, C) they can try to convince Venture Capitalists or angel investors to believe and invest in their companies - think Dragons’ Den –, D) they can ask for donation-based crowdfunding - - think GoFundMe, or E) they can opt for rewards-based crowdfunding -  like KickStarter.
   

But, Equivesto is a new, fantastic option for these companies to raise funds.  We are an equity crowd-funding platform.  That means when people like you invest in these start-ups and small businesses, you are getting partial ownership of these companies instead of just items or thank-you notes.  This allows investors like you to share in the success and growth of these companies.  As your favourite company gets bigger and starts earning revenue, you can profit in the future too!

Alright, we’ve talked about who we are.  Now it’s time to talk about who you are.  You are qualified to invest on Equivesto if you are:

• Living in Canada 

• 18 or over

• And you have $100 to invest, or more of course.  

And that’s it! 

Before we go further, we need to make sure that you understand the risks of investing, specifically the risks of investing in equity crowdfunding. 

All investing is risky; and some investments are riskier than others.  At the same time, everything we do is a risk.  For example, if you leave your house, there is a risk that a meteorite could hit you on the head.  We’re not usually afraid of this because we’ve determined that this risk is very low.  However, if you choose to cross a busy highway, this is a much larger risk for obvious reasons.  

It works the same way when you choose what to invest in and the types of risks you take with your money.  At Equivesto, we must tell you that equity crowdfunding is considered high risk because you’re investing in start-ups and small businesses.  Even though you can invest only $100, Start-ups are still volatile and unpredictable! We don’t have a way of knowing which start-up will be the next Microsoft and which start-up will be a flop. Because of this, if you choose to invest, you should be aware that your investment might not get you any returns and could also take a few years to give you returns while these start-ups grow big enough to make a profit.  

But if you are patient, you educate yourself, and you have a realistic attitude about what the equity-crowdfunding experience will be like, then there are many potential benefits for you and your future. Research shows that having millions invested can make you really happy.

Okay, we talked about the risks and the rewards, so how can you actually get started? We’ll talk about that in our next video!