Ottawa, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - October 30, 2025) - Gander Social, the Canadian-built alternative to foreign-owned social platforms, has closed the first phase of its equity crowdfunding campaign-raising over $1 million with investments from over 1,300 Canadians in just over a week. The milestone was achieved without any paid promotion, driven entirely by organic and word-of-mouth sharing.
This early momentum signals clear product-market fit and reflects Canadians growing desire for a trustworthy, sovereign, and accountable homegrown alternative. At a time when sovereignty, privacy, and digital independence are top of mind, this campaign shows that people aren't just looking for change: they're investing in it.
Gander set the minimum investment at $255 to keep it accessible for Canadians, giving investors a say in platform design, early access to new features, friend invitations, and equity in a model built on community ownership.
With the first $500,000 milestone reached within a matter of hours and the $1M target exceeded just eight days later, the company is now opening the raise to the general public under a fresh offering document-inviting more Canadians to become co-owners ahead of its platform launch in Q1 2026.
"The response has been incredible. We raised half a million dollars in just the first few hours. Over a million in the first week. And that was just some of our early supporters. Thousands of them have invested and shown us they're tired of being manipulated by foreign big tech, tired of disinformation, hate speech, division. They've put up their hard-earned dollars to build something better in Canada, and they're ready for Gander to give the oligarchs a run for their money," said Ben Waldman, Founder and CEO of Gander Social.
Building for Sustainable Growth
Funds from this raise will fuel Gander's upcoming public launch, help onboard Canadians to the platform, and build out its team and feature set to reach long-term sustainability.
This includes:
- Hiring engineers, trust & safety staff, and growth roles to support launch
- Expanding core features like creator tools, verified accounts, and feed control
- Scaling to reach 500,000 Canadians on the platform
- Moving towards a subscription based revenue-generating model without surveillance ads or selling user data
What's Next: Closed Beta and Public Launch
In the coming weeks, Gander will launch its beta version of Gander Social. The beta is designed to stress-test the platform, gather real-world user feedback, surface bugs, and refine key features before Gander opens to the public in late Q1 2026.
For More Information
- To explore the business mode and view investor materials: FrontFundr.com/GanderSocial
- To learn more about the platform, the roadmap, and the full team: GanderSocial.ca
Investing in exempt market securities is risky. Details of the offering can be found in the Offering Document at frontfundr.com/gandersocial. This communication is for informational purposes only.
For questions or interviews, contact:
Stirling Coulter-Hayward
stirling.coulterhayward@gandersocial.ca
+1 (613) 612-0522
Not for distribution to United States newswire services or for dissemination in the United States.
To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/272596
SOURCE: Gander Social