At the Canadian Securities Exchange, we pride ourselves on being the exchange of choice for entrepreneurs from a range of industries around the world. The growing international demand for deep expertise in public venture capital, especially in areas like mining, cannabis and technology, are part of the reason why members from our team recently travelled to meet with entrepreneurs in Israel and Australia.
Israel: Connecting with Entrepreneurs
The CSE’s most recent trip to Israel in November is the continuation of more than five years of visits. Mark Francis, the CSE’s Senior Advisor of Listings Development for Western Canada, sought to strengthen key relationships and further the CSE’s interests in the region.
With an economy that encourages and nurtures entrepreneurship, especially at the growth stage, Israel offers a vibrant start-up environment. That said, according to sentiment on the ground, investment funding tends to skew towards bigger companies, which means growth-stage firms may need to look further afield for venture capital.
Fortunately, Canada – and the CSE in particular – are appealing to Israeli entrepreneurs because of our streamlined small-cap regulatory environment, strong company disclosure framework, large volumes of small-caps driving expertise, and integration with the US capital markets. Additionally, Mark noted that many Israeli entrepreneurs were quite open to sharing ownership with experts and investors who have a broad cross-section of skill sets in order to accelerate getting deals done.
Australia: A Mining Powerhouse
With mutual interests and expertise in mining, a history of Canadian companies listing in Australia and vice versa, Canada represents an important pool of investment capital for early-stage Australian mining companies.
The seemingly natural fit between these two global mining powerhouses is what motivated CSE’s Director of Listings Development for Western Canada Anna Serin to connect with entrepreneurs and various capital markets stakeholders at several mining-focused investment conferences in Australia this past November.
From Perth to Sydney to Melbourne to Noosa, Anna had the opportunity to meet with issuers, investors, and miners on their home court. Whether it was at the International Mining and Resources Conference (IMARC), the Noosa Mining Investor Conference, as well as at other local meetups, it was clear that there are opportunities for the CSE and Australian-domiciled companies to consider pursuing in the future.
What stood out to Anna during her time in Australia was the energy level around mining. In particular, the level of enthusiasm among attendees of mining events as well as the ease with which one could network, made these events as enjoyable as they were valuable.
Of course, one big topic of discussion and focus was lithium. Undoubtedly, this theme, as well as the conversation on how to raise capital in the current environment will continue to be topical in the upcoming slate of mining conferences here in Canada.
Continuing to Push Globally
Despite journeying to very different markets, the entrepreneurial spirit among early-stage companies is remarkably similar around the world. The combination of a tenacity to grow as well as the desire for accessible public venture capital mean that entrepreneurs across the globe are increasingly looking to the Canadian Securities Exchange as a destination to write the next chapter in their respective growth stories. And, we are undoubtedly happy to welcome them.
As 2022 winds down, the CSE team will be taking a well-deserved break from travelling. We look forward to hitting the road — and skies — again in 2023 and are especially excited to see our friends, old and new at events throughout the next year.