The team at Dffrnt sends hearty congratulations to Gander Social on the remarkable success of their recent equity crowdfunding campaign! It is thrilling to see such momentum as Gander moves closer to launching a truly sovereign Canadian social media platform.

Gander, an Ottawa-based company, successfully raised over $1 million through FrontFundr. This impressive achievement saw participation from more than 1,300 Canadian investors. This rapid success underscores the strong demand among Canadians for a community-first alternative designed to elevate Canadian voices.

Partnering for the Future

Dffrnt has committed to supporting Gander on their journey to launching a sovereign social media platform. Earlier this year, we engaged with Gander to understand the results from 2,700 survey respondents on what Canadians truly seek in an online experience.

The themes that emerged from the survey analysis confirmed the urgency for a new model built on Canadian values. From the survey results, Canadians want to see a platform that puts safety and authenticity first, as well as develop real connections and community. Canadians also seek an informative platform for news, entertainment and education.

We are clearly tired of seeing ads, fake accounts, misinformation, and AI-generated content rather than genuine connections and interests.

DFFRNT are excited to continue advising Gander as they prepare for their public launch. We are committed to supporting Gander by providing strategic insights based on user testing.

Our future engagements are set to include various rounds of user and systems tests. We will be getting in touch with Canadians to gain a deeper understanding of how they truly want to use a social media platform and how it will integrate into their day-to-day lives. The results from this testing will be crucial, informing design decisions and future iterations of the platform.

Looking Ahead to 2026

The funds Gander secured will be used to expand the team, enhance platform features, and prepare for the official launch. CEO Ben Waldman founded Gander to provide a sovereign Canadian social network, operating independently from major American tech giants.

DFFRNT looks forward to supporting Gander in achieving a truly equitable user experience based on trust, and sustainable growth.

Congratulations again to the entire Gander team. We are incredibly excited for what's to come!