Founded in 2006 by Ian Mclelland, Proactive Investors came into being to solve a problem in the financial world: small companies were being ignored by big news outlets. The idea sparked when Mclelland realized that while giant corporations got daily news coverage, thousands of smaller, growing businesses (known as "small-cap" companies) struggled to get their stories in front of potential investors. He launched the company in the UK to bridge this gap, using technology to connect these businesses directly with the public. Today, the company operates globally and is owned by Proactive Group Holdings. Today, Proactive Investors is run by a team of financial journalists and broadcasters and is mainly focused on stock market news, business trends, and technology and mining updates. For their North American operations, they are based in key financial hubs like Toronto, Vancouver, and New York City, serving as a primary source for investors looking for opportunities outside of the massive Fortune 500 companies. One interesting fact: A unique fact about Proactive Investors is its heavy focus on video journalism. Unlike traditional financial newspapers that rely mostly on text, Proactive operates professional broadcast studios where they film thousands of short, face-to-face interviews with company CEOs every year, allowing investors to hear directly from the people running the businesses.