You Can Build More Than One Dream—Here’s How
In a world brimming with entrepreneurs, few names resonate across industries with the same clarity and impact as Cole Diamond. Known for his pivotal role in revolutionizing the Canadian cryptocurrency landscape, Diamond is far more than just a crypto pioneer. From fintech and hospitality to real estate and digital commerce, his career is a masterclass in bold leadership, strategic risk-taking, and future-oriented investment. As a co-founder of Coinsquare and Tetra Trust, and now a driving force behind ventures like Ghost Kitchen Brands and Vela Toronto, Diamond’s story is a case study in building the infrastructure of tomorrow—today.
Cole Diamond and the Crypto Revolution
When most of Canada was just beginning to grasp the concept of digital currencies, Cole Diamond was already leading the charge. As the co-founder and CEO of Coinsquare, Diamond transformed a small startup into Canada’s leading cryptocurrency exchange, earning the prestigious title of Top Tech Entrepreneur in Canada in 2019.
Under his leadership, Coinsquare:
Became Canada’s first IIROC-registered broker-dealer,
Launched the country’s first registered crypto marketplace,
Raised over $100 million in capital, and
Set a new bar for compliance, innovation, and investor confidence in digital assets.
But Diamond wasn’t content to stop there.
Recognizing the need for institutional-grade infrastructure in the digital asset space, he co-founded Tetra Trust, Canada’s first qualified custodian and trust company for digital assets. Tetra filled a critical gap, ensuring that Canadian financial institutions could securely hold and manage cryptocurrencies in a fully regulated environment.
Together, Coinsquare and Tetra Trust didn’t just ride the crypto wave—they built the very surfboard the Canadian market stands on today.
Expanding the Vision: Real Estate, Hospitality, and E-Commerce
Where most entrepreneurs choose a niche, Cole Diamond chose impact. As Coinsquare and Tetra Trust reached maturity, Diamond began deploying capital and strategic thinking across a range of sectors, diversifying his influence in meaningful and future-facing ways.
Real Estate and Digital Domains
Diamond is actively building a diversified real estate portfolio, with a keen eye on value creation in both commercial and residential spaces. Notably, he owns the premium digital real estate asset Diamond.com, reflecting both a personal brand and a long-term investment in digital identity.
Hospitality Reimagined
In the hospitality sector, Diamond is co-founder, Director, and largest shareholder of Vela Toronto, one of the city’s most refined culinary and social destinations. He is also a lead investor and Director of Stella West Hollywood, an upcoming boutique hospitality experience set to debut in 2023. In a post-pandemic world where physical spaces need to offer more than just aesthetics, Diamond’s involvement signals a new era of experiential luxury and operational excellence.
Ghost Kitchen Brands: Reinventing Food Delivery
Perhaps one of his most disruptive ventures is Ghost Kitchen Brands, where Diamond is the controlling shareholder. By leveraging cloud-based food service models, Ghost Kitchen Brands allows consumers to order from multiple top-tier brands through a single delivery. It’s a paradigm shift in how we think about restaurants, powered by data, logistics, and digital convenience.
Investing in the Next Generation of Innovators
A serial entrepreneur with a visionary lens, Cole Diamond is deeply committed to backing the next generation of game-changers. His investment portfolio includes an impressive roster of startups and early-stage ventures that span sustainability, fintech, health, and software-as-a-service.
Some notable investments include:
Shoptype – revolutionizing social commerce through decentralized sales infrastructure,
OneLocal – providing automated marketing solutions for local businesses,
RocketEV – contributing to clean transportation innovation,
Big Digital – enhancing digital out-of-home advertising,
Amino and NXM – building the future of health and secure mobility.
Beyond startups, Diamond also supports emerging fund managers like NorthSouth, XMonetae, CPS, Harlo, Ripple, and Union—demonstrating his belief not just in ideas, but in the people who fund and grow them.
This ecosystem-wide approach cements his role not just as a financier, but as an enabler of systemic change.
Leadership Philosophy: Future-Focused, Value-Driven
What sets Cole Diamond apart from the traditional tech mogul archetype is his multi-dimensional approach to leadership. His decisions are driven by both strategic foresight and social relevance. Whether it’s building regulatory-compliant crypto exchanges, promoting sustainable delivery models, or rethinking hospitality experiences, Diamond operates with an uncanny ability to anticipate trends and act decisively before the market catches on.
He doesn't just invest in industries—he elevates them.
Looking Ahead: Building a Borderless Future
As the world moves toward decentralization, digital identity, and AI-powered infrastructure, Cole Diamond is well-positioned to continue shaping the conversation. With a portfolio that bridges online and offline worlds, his work is helping redefine the infrastructure of modern living.
In many ways, Diamond represents a new archetype of Canadian leadership—one that is globally relevant, inherently diverse, and deeply entrepreneurial.
Conclusion: The Diamond Standard of Innovation
Cole Diamond’s story is still being written, but the chapters so far are rich with audacity, foresight, and tangible impact. Whether you know him from the early days of Coinsquare or the emerging success of Ghost Kitchen Brands and Vela, one thing is clear: he’s not just building companies—he’s building the future.
In an age where industries rise and fall at the speed of a tweet, Diamond’s steady, visionary leadership offers something rare: clarity of purpose and commitment to innovation that lasts.
Will the next generation of Canadian entrepreneurs follow in his footsteps—or walk a path he's helped pave? Either way, the standard is clear. It's the Diamond standard.