About Common Goods
Our Mission
Common Goods Collective is building Canada's premier discovery platform for domestic businesses—connecting Canadian consumers directly with the best products our country has to offer. In a time of increasing global economic uncertainty, we're creating essential infrastructure for Canadian economic resilience.
Image credit: Paul Zizka
Our Vision
At Common Goods, we believe in a future where Canadian businesses thrive through direct connections with domestic consumers. We're not just another e-commerce platform—we're building vital economic infrastructure that strengthens our national sovereignty and supports local communities.
Our platform addresses a critical challenge in the Canadian market: while 78% of Canadians express a desire to buy Canadian products, the digital infrastructure to connect her with domestic businesses remains fragmented, inefficient, and cannibalized by American pay-to-play tech giants.
Val Crisp, Founder
Val built a profitable marketplace at London's Antler startup accelerator before founding Common Goods based on this proven model. Her background spans styling for SUITS and running a made-in-Canada luggage brand for eight years. At Common Goods, Val leads product strategy, merchant acquisition, and platform vision—drawing from experience on both sides of retail to help Canadians support each other through purpose-driven commerce.
Lamia Bel Khadem, Software Engineer
Lamia is passionate about organization and efficiency, focusing on building and automating databases, integrating various applications, and optimizing workflows to save time and enhance productivity. Her expertise in automation and app integrations enables Common Goods to operate efficiently and ship new features at the speed of light.
Matt Green, Full-Stack Developer
Matt is a mission-driven engineer from Toronto, Canada with both experience as both high-impact engineer and technical manager. He brings senior software development experience from both large enterprises and startups to provide Common Goods with dynamic, high-impact solutions.
Ali Mercieca, Advisor, SEO
Ali is a digital marketing expert with a proven track record of driving organic growth for Canadian digital platforms. Specializes in strategic content positioning, technical SEO optimization, and developing data-driven visibility strategies for emerging marketplaces.
Sharad Kabra, Marketplace Consultant, CEO Shipturtle
Shipturtle helps brands create a custom vertical marketplace with order fulfillment functionalities to expand their business, poviding a full-stack tech solution right from onboarding vendors to calculating payouts for all kinds of marketplace i.e. product, service, hyperlocal or rental marketplace. Sharad is also an alumni of startup accelerator, Antler.
Katie Stannard, Partnership & Impact Consultant
Katie advocates for companies to make our communities more equitable and sustainable. Her background spans managing corporate social impact programs, business development, communications, non-profit fundraising and impact consulting. At Common Goods, Katie advises on partnerships, funding opportunities, and impact programming — to create opportunities for Canadians to support brands that align with their values.
Virginia Bowman, Virtual Assistant & Video Editor
Virginia is a media professional with 15+ years in broadcast and cable television, specializing in videography, photography, and marketing. She produces videos for small businesses and entrepreneurs, with experience in Canadian grassroots television. Her clients include Skate Canada, Dance Canada, BBCanada.com, and Yellow Pages. Virginia's technical and creative skills help Canadian entrepreneurs succeed through her work at Common Goods.
Our Approach
Common Goods is distinctly Canadian-owned and community-built, creating a discovery platform that puts merchants first:
No Upfront Costs: larger brands participate through existing affiliate programs, while smaller Canadian brands can list for free
Enhanced Discovery: Our advanced product tagging system ensures customers find exactly what they're looking for
Canadian-Specific: We're purpose-built for the unique needs of Canadian consumers and businesses
Community-Driven: Our roadmap is shaped by direct feedback from both merchants and consumers
Join Our Community
Common Goods is more than a marketplace—it's a movement to help Canadians support one another, creating a more resilient ecosystem. Whether you're a merchant looking to reach Canadian customers or a consumer wanting to support domestic businesses, we invite you to be part of building something essential for Canada's future.
Discover. Connect. Support Canadian.