Retail capital-raising software provider DealMaker eyes further acquisitions - CEO. 24th August 2026 07:05 PM By Deborah Balshem * Considers US targets with investor-relations or AI capabilities * Revenue tops USD 60m, targets USD 100m within two years * Gained its first institutional venture-capital backer last year DealMaker, a provider of retail capital-raising software, continues to look at acquisitions alongside a primary focus on organic growth, co-founder and CEO Rebecca Kacaba said. The company remains flexible on size, Kacaba said, looking at targets with roughly USD 1m-USD 20m in revenue and investor relations tools or generative artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities. Having relocated its headquarters to New York from Toronto in April 2025, DealMaker is now focused on US-based targets. In July 2025, it acquired Rally On Media, a New York-based video creative agency, a longtime partner, according to Kacaba. Kacaba told this news service in January 2025 that DealMaker was weighing acquisitions ahead of a potential sale or initial public offering (IPO) in two to three years, and could raise capital opportunistically in the interim. Asked about exit timing for this report, she declined to comment. DealMaker has been backed by its founders and early investors since 2018. In September, it hired Ryan Levenberg as CFO. Levenberg was previously CFO of investor relations platform Q4 Inc., which he took public on the Toronto Stock Exchange in 2021. Kacaba said the appointment does not signal a move toward a listing. In November 2025, DealMaker raised USD 20m in equity and debt, led by Information Venture Partners (IVP), its first institutional venture-capital partner, alongside existing lender CIBC Innovation Banking. The debt portion refinanced and expanded the CIBC facility, while DealMaker chose IVP, Kacaba said, for its guidance and its record of three to four unicorn exits. Q4 founder and chairman Darrell Heaps also joined DealMaker's board, adding capital-markets experience. Kacaba said DealMaker generated more than USD 60m in revenue in its fiscal year ended 31 March 2026 and remains on track to reach more than USD 100m within the next two years. Revenue is a mix of recurring and transactional sales, and the business continues to operate at breakeven by design. DealMaker provides white-label technology that lets companies run their own online securities offerings - under Regulation A+, Regulation CF, and Regulation D - raising capital directly from retail investors. It handles investor onboarding, identity and compliance checks, payment processing, and investor relations management, and layers on AI-driven marketing to attract and convert investors. Its affiliated broker-dealer, DealMaker Securities, acts as broker-dealer of record. A dedicated division, DealMaker Sports, launched in September 2025, applies the platform to fan-led ownership raises for teams, leagues, and athletes. The platform has more than 2m retail investors, Kacaba said, with an average investment of USD 3,600 and more than USD 2.8bn in capital processed, a figure she expects to approach USD 3bn by the end of this year. Kacaba and Chief Revenue Officer Mat Goldstein co-founded DealMaker. In 2022, the company acquired digital investor acquisition firm Ridge Growth Agency and the FundAmerica book of business from Prime Trust. Prior to its latest raise, DealMaker had raised tens of millions of dollars. Investors include the Canadian Securities Exchange, Mawer Investment Management, and Conconi Growth Partners. Other retail investment marketplaces and portals include StartEngine, Wefunder, Republic, and Netcapital. The biggest recent move in the space, according to Kacaba, has been Robinhood's push to give its 25m retail investors access to private companies through two publicly traded funds, listed in March 2026 and August 2026. SpaceX allocated roughly a fifth of its IPO to retail investors - more than double the 5% to 10% retail share of a traditional offering - and OpenAI and Anthropic, both moving toward IPOs, could do the same, Kacaba said, with OpenAI having signaled it wants a sizable retail allocation of its own. Recent deals in the private-markets and capital-raising space this year include Securitize's SPAC merger at a USD 1.25bn valuation; StartEngine's acquisition of Vinovest for a reported USD 14m in stock; Charles Schwab's USD 660m purchase of Forge Global; and Morgan Stanley's acquisition of EquityZen. In 2025, Republic acquired Canadian-listed INX Digital for up to USD 60m - a 457% premium. DealMaker has approximately 180 employees and additional offices in Los Angeles, Toronto, and Medellín, Colombia. The company uses law firm Dentons and accounting firm BDO.

Q4 wins 'Best Use of AI in Finance' in inaugural Champions in AI Awards. Judges praise Q4's AI-powered platform for investor relations, highlighting 'the wide range of functions that Q4 simplifies - from earnings call Q&A preparation and competitor analysis to investor targeting' TORONTO - Q4 Inc., the leading provider of AI-driven IR Ops software, today announced it is a winner in the inaugural Champions in AI Awards. Recognized... August 10, 2026 at 8:16 a.m. Judges praise Q4's AI-powered platform for investor relations, highlighting 'the wide range of functions that Q4 simplifies - from earnings call Q&A preparation and competitor analysis to investor targeting' TORONTO - Q4 Inc., the leading provider of AI-driven IR Ops software, today announced it is a winner in the inaugural Champions in AI Awards. Recognized as the "Best Use of AI in Finance," Q4 was honored for its secure, comprehensive, AI-powered platform and AI purpose-built for investor relations (IR). Among the factors cited by the judges were "the results achieved by clients... including a reported ROI of 212% over three years." Champions in AI - which celebrates "cutting-edge innovations and real-life applications in AI" - is a division of Best in Biz Awards, the only business awards program judged solely by top-tier media. Best in Biz Awards judges have included journalists from outlets such as the Associated Press, Fortune, The Wall Street Journal, WIRED and more. By combining the expertise of leading editors and reporters with the breadth of the outlets they represent, Best in Biz Awards brings an informed, cross-industry approach to evaluating innovation across the programs it operates. Take it from the judges According to the Champions in AI program: "Traditionally, investor relations has relied on fragmented tools and highly manual workflows, despite being one of the most high-stakes functions in modern finance. Q4 aims to be at the forefront of AI innovation in IR through its unified IR operations platform - bringing together IR website management, earnings preparation and execution, investor intelligence, CRM, analyst consensus management, and secure AI in a single ecosystem." Champions in AI had this to say about Q4: * The program cited Q4's ability to "help IR teams uncover and act on deeper insights, reduce manual workloads, and work with greater precision and confidence." * Judges praised "the wide range of functions that Q4 simplifies - from earnings call Q&A preparation and competitor analysis to investor targeting." * Judges noted "Q4's ability to bring secure, contextual AI into one of finance's most demanding functions." Continued AI innovation Recent innovations from Q4 continue to advance its vision of a unified AI-powered platform for investor relations, bringing together contextual AI, investor intelligence, AI-Native CRM, and Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) to simplify complex workflows and help IR teams operate with greater precision. At the center of Q4's AI strategy is Q, the first AI-powered IRO Agent(TM), which powers intelligent, context-aware workflows across the Q4 Platform. By combining proprietary investor data, market activity insights and AI-assisted capabilities, Q4 helps IR teams operate with greater efficiency and make more informed, strategic decisions. "Investor relations teams are under constant pressure to move faster, communicate with precision, and navigate increasingly complex market dynamics," said Lewis Black, CEO of Q4. "AI should help reduce complexity - not add to it. We're honored to be recognized by Champions in AI, and this award underscores Q4's commitment to providing a secure, unified platform that turns AI into an operational and strategic advantage." About Q4 Inc. Q4 Inc. is the world's leading IR Ops platform, designed to unify and simplify the complex workflows between public companies and the investment community. Supporting more than 2,600 global brands, including over 50% of the S&P 500, the AI-enabled Q4 Platform combines the largest amount of proprietary investor data with behavioral intelligence - helping C-suite executives and investor relations teams attract the right capital and drive premium valuations. By unifying the entire IR lifecycle into a single, AI-enabled ecosystem, Q4 streamlines the core pillars of the profession: delivering earnings, sustaining a corporate narrative, managing guidance and analysts, and targeting investors with precision. From investor websites and virtual events to IR CRM, stock surveillance, and consensus management, Q4 provides a comprehensive suite of solutions that empowers IR teams to manage every touchpoint of their investor strategy. Headquartered in Toronto, with a presence in New York, India, San Francisco, Boston, Mexico and London, Q4 is committed to providing the secure and compliant infrastructure that modern IR teams demand. Learn more at www.q4inc.com.