Online Grouplend raises $10.2 million

Vancouver-based Grouplend has raised $10.2 million to cement its status as "Canada's leading online lending platform", with plans to double staff this year with an influx of software engineers, data scientists, marketers and operators. Since its launch 10 months ago, Grouplend has positioned itself as a premier peer-to-peer lending platform, processing loans applications worth hundreds of million of dollars and servicing thousands of borrowers. The financing round was led by Marcus Frind — CEO of PlentyofFish, an online dating service that was recently sold for $575 million — Lance Tracey, founder of Pier 1 Hosting and Sutton Real Estate Group. They are part of the so-called Maple Syrup Mafia — recently minted millionaires investing in start-ups....