Regulatory changes at the beginning of 2016 opened equity crowdfunding up to more Canadian companies and retail investors. In the months since, a number of startups and growing ventures have sold small stakes to the public via online portals, though restrictions on interprovincial dealings mean they’ve largely used existing exemptions rather than the new rules.

Though the volumes remain low, there are plenty of positives for equity crowdfunding proponents claims Oscar Jofre, president and CEO of KoreConX Corp., an online tool that helps businesses through the process of obtaining capital and communicating with shareholders. He cites success stories like that of Vancouver-based RentMoola, which amassed a reported $5 million in a March campaign. “It is taking time to pick up, but it is moving forward,” he says.

Certain sectors have already embraced equity crowdfunding, among them the growing crop of cannabis companies. Jofre names drone manufacture, wealth management, and construction as other industries whose members are likely to raise capital from the public in the near future.