Ben Waldman
CEO & Product Director
The Art Department, Field Effect, bv02, Clicko
We didn't set out to build another social app.
We started Gander to build something healthier, more human, and more accountable.
We believe social media can serve people.
Gander started with a simple idea: social media should help people feel more connected... not more anxious, angry, or manipulated.
As more of our public conversation moved onto foreign-owned platforms, we started asking bigger questions about trust, accountability, and sovereignty.
Founded by Ben Waldman alongside Jennifer Mitchell, and Stirling Coulter-Hayward, Gander is a Benefit Company building a different kind of social network for Canada: one rooted in trust, accountability, open infrastructure, and real human connection.
What began as a conversation about healthier public discourse quickly grew into a national movement. More than 2,500 Canadians co-invested over $2 million to help bring Gander to life... helping prove that people are ready for something better.
A mission for better social media.
To help build a healthier, more open social web rooted in trust, accountability, and human connection.
What's in a name?
Gander was inspired by its namesake in Newfoundland — a place that became known around the world for kindness, generosity, and helping strangers feel welcome.
Flying in formation for a better social web.
Meet the passionate and talented founders, advisors, and partners helping hit the reset button on social media..
Meet the core team
The folks who run the day-to-day at Gander.
Jen Mitchell
Chief Operating Officer
ActZero, Wren Insight Group, IntelliGO
Stirling Coulter-Hayward
Head of Communications
Refugee 613, MCC Canada, Royal Canadian Mint
Jeff Wood
Chief Technology Officer
Veritree, MindGeek, Guild Software
Emily Bertrand
Strategic Partnerships
Tenet Graph, InstaSwitch, Anitian
Dave Berney
Chief Financial Officer
HAB Strategy, Influx Technologies, Legacy+
Katie Dawson
Product Manager
Buffer Festival
Our strategic advisors
The champions who drive us to success.
Catherine Tait
Advisor, Media Acquisition
New_Public, CBC/Radio Canada, Global Task Force for Public Media
Blaine Cook
Advisor, Open Protocols
Twitter, Poetica, Condé Nast, New_Public
Taylor Owen
Advisor, Media Ethics
Machines Like Us; The Centre for Media, Technology & Democracy
Peter Dinsdale
Advisor, Social Partnerships
YMCA Canada, CSA Group, Assembly of First Nations
Jocelin Caldwell
Advisor, Talent Acquisition
Reimagine Work, Paidia Gaming, Argo Blockchain
Kwame McKenzie
Advisor, Equity & Marginalized Communities
Wellesley Institute, CAMH, World Health Organization
Faud Khan
Advisor, Cyber Security
TwelveDot, Standards Council of Canada, Alcatel-Lucent
Boris Mann
Advisor, AT Protocol
Z-Space, PROXXI, Fission, Finhaven
Dominira Saul
Advisor, User Experience
DFFRNT, University of Ottawa, You.i TV, Akendi
Our partners & suppliers
The providers we work with who make this work.
Interested in what we're building?
We're always looking to connect with people, communities, and organizations who share our vision of a healthier social web.
Get Gander for your mobile.
The browser version is on its way.
For now, scan the QR code using your phone to continue.
The browser version is on its way. For now, install the mobile app on your device.
