Rebecca Kacaba
New York-based DealMaker has raised $20 million in equity and debt from new investor Information Venture Partners, of Toronto, and existing partner CIBC Innovation Banking, as it pushes its claim as North America’s largest retail capital-raising platform. The startup has helped companies such as Green Bay Packers and EnergyX raise over $2.3 billion in capital directly from individual investors, creating an alternative to venture funding for young startups and other companies.
The funding round follows milestones including DealMaker’s recent acquisition of Rally On Media, expansion of its U.S. presence and new headquarters in New York City, the launch of DealMaker Sports, and record-breaking volumes in the first half of 2025, the company said in a release.
“We are very excited to have the backing of Information Venture Partners and CIBC Innovation Banking — two firms that share our vision for the democratization of capital markets and the power of direct to investor capital raising,” said DealMaker co-founder and CEO Rebecca Kacaba, a Canadian-born entrepreneur. “This positions DealMaker to be a market leader in a rapidly growing sector where more and more companies-from startups to the hottest IPOs are prioritizing retail investors,” she added.
Kacaba, who briefly worked for the Ontario Securities Commission, believes “it’s more important than ever to take a strategic approach to capital raising-from venture capital to retail equity to growth debt.” The funding round “allows us to accelerate the deployment of AI across our product line, capitalize on emerging ownership models across professional and collegiate sports, and deliver greater value to our customers.”
In February, months before the company announced its U.S. headquarters, Kacaba testified before the U.S. House Financial Services Committee’s Subcommittee on Capital Markets, telling lawmakers to bring about regulatory reforms to expand access to capital and harmonize crowdfunding rules.
DealMaker’s foray into sports, in particular, has enthused backers. It allows, among other things, sports fans to invest in their favored sports franchises.
“You walk into your favorite stadium and get a push notification to become a team owner,” Kacaba told Forbes in an interview. “Or you’re buying your favorite chips and can scan the bag to invest. That’s where this is going.”
Paul Freedman, co-founder of The Oakland Ballers, told Forbes his team used the platform to offer equity to fans. “We chose fan-led capital because it does more than raise money – it activates the people our entire business is built on,” he said.
“We share DealMaker’s vision and believe their AI-driven white-label platform is truly differentiating,” said Robert Antoniades, co-founder and general partner at Information Venture Partners. “With a long history of backing innovations that open and modernize markets, we see DealMaker as a natural fit-where we can add meaningful value-as it unlocks retail capital in a rapidly evolving, high-growth market “