Owning Sustainability Together: ecologyst Raises $1.14M From Their Customers

ecologyst is on a mission to build the clothing brand that mother nature would want us to have. Their vision is simple yet ambitious: to create the most sustainable apparel company this planet has ever seen, using only natural, biodegradable materials like Organic Cotton and Merino Wool. By eliminating synthetics, supporting local jobs in Canada and the U.S., and connecting people back to nature, ecologyst is reshaping the apparel industry around quality, responsibility, and community.

As Founder & CEO Rene Gauthier explains:

“They [our community] are how we exist. Without the people that demand and support what we create there would be no Ecologyst.”

In 2020, ecologyst turned to equity crowdfunding on FrontFundr to grow with their community. By listening closely to customers—many of whom had been asking how they could invest—the company opened the door for them to become co-owners in the mission.

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ecologyst’s raise in a snapshot

• $1.14M funds raised across two equity crowdfunding campaigns
• 710 investments completed from 628 unique investors
• $495,387 raised via FrontFundr, with an average investment of $1,548
• Minimum investment: $500
• Conversion rate: 1.47% (page views to investments)
• 43% of investors were between the ages of 25–34
• Top traffic sources: Instagram, Facebook, and email marketing
• Parallel growth: 3x annual e-commerce sales growth in 2020

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Turning customers into owners

The idea for raising through equity crowdfunding came directly from ecologyst’s customers. Originally, the team shared investor updates only with a small group of backers. In January 2019, they experimented by sending the update to their full customer list. The response was clear—many wanted to be investors too.

“One of the most common replies was: Can I be an investor too? This spurred us to seek ways for us to enable our customers to also become owners of our business. So like so much of what we do, we chose this route of financing because our customers asked for it.”

– Rene Gauthier, Founder & CEO

By opening ownership to their community, ecologyst gave loyal customers the chance to invest directly in a company they already believed in.

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Campaign strategies that worked

ecologyst’s success came from a mix of authentic storytelling and tactical promotion:

• Public ownership goal: They promoted a bold vision to be 20% community-owned, which became a rallying cry across social media (#equityforecologyst, #ownwhatyouwear).
• Every receipt as an ad: Whether shopping in-store or online, every receipt featured a clear call-to-action to invest.
• Engaging online ads: Their campaigns highlighted sustainability, community ownership, and urgency around the close date. Visuals and language like “Become a co-owner” resonated with their audience.
• Transparency as trust: By sharing quarterly updates and listening to feedback, ecologyst built credibility and strengthened investor relationships.

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Where the funds went

Funds raised supported ecologyst’s four key growth goals:

• Expanding in-house production capacity to maintain at least 30% of manufacturing locally.
• Scaling e-commerce marketing spend from $60k to $200k, targeting more than $1M in annual sales.
• Developing new products, particularly in the outerwear category.
• Building out the film production side of the business, further connecting apparel to storytelling.

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Rene attributes ecologyst’s raise—and their broader success—to one simple principle: listening. By placing customers at the center of their financing strategy, ecologyst didn’t just secure capital. They strengthened loyalty, expanded their base of advocates, and moved closer to their vision of building the most sustainable clothing brand in the world.

To learn more about raising capital on FrontFundr, visit our raise capital page. If you’re ready to reach out to our team, fill out our online application!