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Two months after announcing its acquisition of Montreal-based PWL Capital, OneDigital cofounder and chief growth officer Mike Sullivan says the Atlanta-based company is engaged in “up to 50 ongoing discussions with firms around Canada.” One has signed a letter of intent and another is about to, according to Sullivan.

The 25-year-old private-equity backed firm headquartered in Atlanta is just one example of a U.S. shop taking a hard look at expansion north of the 49th parallel, no matter the state of cross-border relations.

“The noise going on right now between the States and Canada,” he said in reference to the emerging trade war, “I would describe as absolutely ridiculous.”

OneDigital serves about 13,000 households in the U.S. and Canada. Its business model combines employer-sponsored group retirement and benefit plans with retail wealth management and insurance product advice — the former often provides leads to the latter.

“Our adjacency to the employer is a gateway to a boatload of conversations,” Sullivan said. “Here in the States, almost half of our clients find us through a 401(k) plan first. We’re going to bring the same model to Canada.”

OneDigital targets mass affluent clients primarily, but not exclusively. “We also want to help Main Street people that might need help getting out of debt, that might be early in the wealth accumulation process,” he said. “We’re going to help everyone along the spectrum with technology, call centre and face-to-face, brick-and-mortar operations.”

That, along with its plan for the group business in Canada, puts OneDigital up against the country’s largest banks and insurance companies. “The independent channel is going to grow,” Sullivan said. “We want to be one of those firms that are making a difference in the marketplace and presenting an alternative to Canadians.”

OneDigital began life as Insurance.com, in late 1999. “The dot-com bubble burst four months after we got started,” he said. “We were smart enough to drop the dot-com and navigate in a different direction.”

A quarter-century later, it is a fintech that sees an opening. By combining low-cost, “systematic investing” with high-tech advisor and client experiences, Sullivan is out to disrupt.

Two months in, “the phones are ringing,” he said. “I think over the next five years, we’re going to double or triple our size. Do we go from being a $25-million organization to a $100-million organization in Canada? I think we absolutely do.”

PWL Capital continues to serve clients under its own brand. It’s expected to take on the OneDigital branding, although no timetable has been set.