Nimar Bangash

Co-Founder & CEO

Obsiido

Mr. Bangash is the Co-Founder and CEO of Obsiido, a Toronto based technology enabled investment platform partnering with Canadian wealth managers to invest across private equity, private credit, and real assets through pooled and bespoke investment structures. Obsiido specializes in sourcing and managing evergreen, semi-liquid private market investments on behalf of its wealth manager clients. Mr. Bangash has spent 15 years in the Canadian investment management industry. Prior to founding Obsiido, he led the investment products group at a TSX listed, multi-billion dollar asset manager. He holds degrees from Queen’s University and Wilfrid Laurier University and is a CAIA Charterholder.

Aled ab Iorwerth

Deputy Chief Economist

CMHC – SCHL

Groundbreaking research by CMHC has revealed that inadequate supply is a key driver behind escalating house prices in cities like Vancouver and Toronto. The lead researcher for that project – Deputy Chief Economist Aled ab Iorwerth – now coordinates a diverse national team of researchers and analysts who are investigating impediments to housing supply and potential solutions.

“Housing markets are local. Broader challenges such as supply are often common, but the drivers and magnitude of these challenges may differ significantly across the country. My goal is to help understand and inform on market dynamics, how they support or hinder housing affordability goals and to provide thought leadership on housing economics across housing industry participants.”

Aled joined CMHC in 2016, bringing his strong analytical and research capabilities to bear on complex housing issues. He previously had a 15-year career at Finance Canada, in various research and analysis roles that included secondments to Environment Canada and the Council of Canadian Academies.

Aled holds a PhD in Economics from Western University and master’s degrees in European and International Relations (University of Amsterdam) and Economics (Carleton University). He speaks three languages: English, French and Welsh.

Mack Crawford

Co-Founder & CEO

Longridge Partners

Mack Crawford is the Co-Founder and CEO of Longridge Partners, a Toronto-based private investment firm focused on real estate and strategic ventures. Since founding the company in 2018, he has led its growth to more than 2,000 acres under management across the GTA, emphasizing sustainable development and nature-rich spaces.

Previously, Mack held senior leadership roles in the alternative investment industry, including Managing Director at SS&C CommonWealth and Co-CEO of Caledon Trust Company. He began his career as a Corporate Real Estate Advisor at Devencore and holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Queen’s University.

Guided by his passion for the outdoors, Mack’s philosophy is to “invest in good nature.” Outside of work, he enjoys travelling & spending time outdoors with his family and their dog, Carlton.

Jeff Szeto

CFO & Lead Investor

Avana Capital (Single Family Office) Alder Capital Sustainable Ventures (VC and PE firm)

Jeff is the CFO of Avana Capital, a family office, and leads VC and PE investments for Alder Sustainable Ventures, its private capital arm. He also provides CFO support to many portfolio companies, playing a key role in top grading, scaling, and growing these businesses by leveraging his 15 years of experience in leading finance functions for high-growth entrepreneurial companies. His career spans roles in M&A and corporate finance at top-tier institutions and as CFO for fast-growing private companies, guiding several from scale-up to exit.

Marcus Daniels

Founding Partner & CEO

Highline Beta

Marcus is Founding Partner & CEO of Highline Beta, a pre-seed VC and corporate venture studio that builds and funds new ventures from day one, earning global recognition as a leader in the venture studio model. With 26+ years as a serial tech entrepreneur and VC general partner, he has made 70+ investments and achieved a top-decile pre-seed track record with 12 exits.

Most recently, he co-founded Highline Beta ETH to harness Ethereum’s potential to reshape TradFi and Web3 innovation. He works closely with family offices to unlock new venture models that preserve wealth, capture asymmetric upside, and deliver exceptional blended returns.

Before Highline Beta, Marcus co-founded and led Highline VC as CEO, served as Managing Director of Extreme Startups, and built and scaled multiple successful digital product companies. A recognized ecosystem leader and global speaker, he also co-leads AI Salon Toronto and VNTR Toronto, a global investor network.

His academic background includes an MBA from Queen’s Smith School of Business, a BA in Psychology and Economics from McGill University, graduate studies in Finance and E-Commerce, and completed the Venture Capital Executive Program at UC Berkeley.

Sudharshan Sathiyamoorthy, 

Senior Quantitative Specialist

Star Mountain Capital

Sudharshan Sathiyamoorthy is Senior Quantitative Specialist at Star Mountain Capital. He brings nearly two decades of experience applying quantitative analysis to investment processes and manager research across alternative investments. Previously, he led Manager Diligence and served as Chair of the Investment Committee at Richter Family Office, where he oversaw due diligence on 50+ funds spanning private credit, private equity, and secondaries, and helped institutionalize the firm’s diligence framework. Earlier roles include developing and managing the external manager program at Alignvest Management Corporation and serving as an Associate Portfolio Manager at the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, contributing to research and investments in insurance-linked securities and macro/multi-strategy managers. He began his alternatives career at DGAM (acquired by Carlyle) after roles at RBC Capital Markets. He holds a PhD in Physics from the University of Toronto and an MBA (Dean’s Honor List) from Ivey Business School.

Mark Perry

Managing Director

Wilshire

Mark Perry serves as Managing Director at Wilshire and oversees sourcing, due diligence, and investment monitoring for private markets sectors in the United States and Canada. As Chair of the Private Markets Manager Research and Investment Committees and portfolio manager for the Wilshire Private Assets Fund, Mr. Perry provides strategic guidance and leadership.

Before joining Wilshire in 2012, he held the position of Vice President at Centinela Capital Partners, where he gained extensive experience in investment strategies. His educational background includes a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering and an MBA in Finance from the University of California, Los Angeles, as well as a Master’s in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University.

Chad Larson

Partner and Senior Portfolio Manager

Canaccord Genuity Wealth Management

Chad Larson is a distinguished leader in Wealth Management, celebrated for his strategic vision, client-focused approach, and innovation in alternative investing. After earning a Bachelor of Arts in Economics, Chad co-founded MLD Wealth Management in 2004 and today, he manages one of the largest multi-family offices in the country, serving high-net-worth (HNW) and ultra-high-net-worth (UHNW) clients across Canada and globally. With countless accolades including being named one of the top 50 most influential individuals in the Canadian investment Industry, and most recently as Advisor of the Year – Alternative Investments by Wealth Professional, Chad’s expertise and dedication has earned him the trust of Canada’s most discerning investors.

Christophe Truong

Senior Director, Co-Investments

Trans-Canada Capital

Christophe is responsible for private market co-investments at TCC, investing in global private opportunities across private equity, private debt, real estate and infrastructure. Christophe joined TCC in 2009 to help with the build-out and management of the private equity and co-investment programs. His past experience includes positions at leading Canadian public and corporate pension plans plans as well as global consulting, banks, asset and wealth management firms in Montreal, Toronto and Paris. Christophe holds a Master of Business Administration from McGill University and a Bachelor of Commerce from Concordia University. He is also a CFA charterholder.

Tom Gillespie

Partner and Head of the Alliance Fund

Geodesic Capital

Tom Gillespie is a Partner and Head of the Alliance Fund at Geodesic Capital, focused on investing in early-stage Deep Tech companies in areas such as space, maritime, power and energy, and autonomous systems. Prior to joining Geodesic, he served for a number of years as a Managing Partner on In-Q-Tel’s Investment Team and Investment Lead for In-Tel’s Deep Tech practice, investing in commercial, venture capital-backed technologies with the potential to address challenges faced by the U.S. national security community.
He has had a particular focus on commercial space technology and has led investments in over twenty space technology ventures, including launch vehicles, remote sensing constellations, space situational awareness, in-space logistics, and satellite componentry investments. In addition to space deals, he has led investments in the areas of robotics, materials, power sources, and autonomous systems, as well as several analytics ventures.
Prior to In-Q-Tel, Tom was a strategy consultant at Booz Allen Hamilton, serving clients in the aerospace, financial services, and government (national security and defense) sectors. Earlier experience includes positions in international privatization and the United States Congress, where he focused on telecommunications, space, financial services, and foreign affairs issue areas.
Tom earned a B.A. in Economics from Stanford University, and an M.B.A. in Finance from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Jonathan Planté

Director, Capital Markets

Omnigence Asset Management

Jonathan Planté is the Head of Capital Formation at Omnigence Asset Management. He is a seasoned alternative investment professional with 18 years of experience and a US$20Bn+ fundraising track record across all alternative asset classes, securing capital from North American and European institutional investors. His expertise spans investment structuring, market expansion, and distribution strategy optimization. Prior to joining Omnigence, he held senior positions in the asset management industry, driving significant AUM growth. Alongside his professional career, Jonathan has been teaching alternative investments at HEC Montréal for 10 years, mentoring students and young professionals entering the asset management industry.

Jonathan holds a Graduate Diploma in Finance from HEC Montréal (Canada), a Master’s degree in International Business Development from ESC St-Étienne (France), and the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) designation.

Greg Donovan

CEO

Avondale Private Capital

Greg has 17 years of credit-focused structuring, investing, and distribution experience, including 13 years in New York, London, and Toronto with a large Canadian firm. After founding Avondale four years ago to focus on niche underserved areas of middle market private credit and energy transition finance in North America, Avondale has grown to 22 professionals in Canada, the US and UK and has closed $500mm of credit transactions over the last 18 months.

Craig Machel

Portfolio Manager, Investment Advisor

Richardson Wealth

Craig empowers his clients to think differently about investing in order to ensure a positive impact in his clients’ financial circumstances. He works beyond traditional portfolio management in the equity and bond markets alone to include conservative and predictable alternative assets, offering more effective diversification and a benchmark that offers protection and peace of mind regardless of market conditions. Craig is a frequent commentator on alternative asset allocations for various media outlets, and a panelist and speaker at industry events.

Cam Richards

Chief Investment Officer

Guardian Partners

As Chief Investment Officer at Guardian Partners, Cameron’s mission is to combine the investment strategies and disciplined portfolio construction and risk management utilized by pension funds and endowments, with the customization and client responsiveness required by private clients, to increase the robustness of investment solutions and to enhance the experience of Guardian Partners’ clients. Previously, he served as CIO of the Nova Scotia Health Employees’ Pension Plan, and was the Head of Real Assets at Albourne Partners in London, England. He also served as the Co-Chief Investment Officer of University of Toronto Asset Management (UTAM), and Chair of the Investment Committee for the entirety of the university’s investment assets. Before joining Guardian Partners, he founded Isengard Capital Management, which provided capital markets research to Albourne Partners and also designed a research platform which applied global macro, stock selection and quantitative strategies to generate long and short exposures in stocks.

Cameron is a graduate of Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto, holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Mathematics from Queen’s University, earned an MBA from the Schulich School of Business and is a CFA® Charterholder. He has been called to the Bar in Ontario.

Darren Coleman

Senior Portfolio Manager

Raymond James

Darren Coleman started in the industry in 1992 and with Raymond James in 2012, providing comprehensive wealth services for a variety of clients. During this time, he has been managing brokerage offices, spearheading industry trends and leading his team at Portage Wealth to new territory.

Darren’s many professional accreditations include: Canadian Investment Manager, Financial Management Advisor and Fellow of the Canadian Securities Institute, with a Level II Life Insurance License and an Honours B.Comm from Ryerson University. He was one of the first Canadian professionals to attain the Professional Financial Planner, Certified Financial Planner and Certified Hedge Fund Specialist designations. Due to his success as an advisor in alternative investments, he was the first advisor to sit on committees for the Alternative Investment Management Association (AIMA), and on the Board for the Hedge Fund Association, as a member and an instructor.

An industry veteran before coming to Raymond James, Darren held management and advisor positions at major bank-owned brokerage and financial services firms. Through this experience, together with his involvement with industry boards, he has built a network of professional relationships with the industry’s top managers, firms and executives, through which he is able to offer his clients superior due diligence, access and insight.

Darren is considered a champion of Raymond James’ cross-border service offering and is among the Global Top 50 group of advisors within the firm across North America and the U.K.

He frequently speaks at conferences and educational events and currently sits on the Editorial Board for Advisor’s Edge Report for Canadian investment professionals, and is frequently interviewed for the Globe and Mail.

Prathna Ramesh

Partner

FutureSight Ventures

Prathna is an early-stage investor and operator in B2B SaaS companies. She is currently a Partner at SF & Toronto based FutureSight, a Vertical AI/B2B Saas firm that backs repeat entrepreneurs with an all-star team and formation capital. She is the former Managing Director of Maple Leaf Angels in Toronto, one of Canada’s most active angel networks, and served as GP of the MLA48 and Chief Compliance Officer. Prathna holds a Commerce degree from the Rotman School of Management, an Executive MBA from the Smith School of Business at Queens University and is an OSC licensed Exempt market professional.

Gavin Reiff

Vice-President, Real Estate Advisory

Richter Family Office

Gavin leads the Real Estate practice at Richter, managing its Real Estate Business Advisory and Investment Management services.

Gavin has real estate investment experience in both institutional private equity and public market environments. He has extensive investment transaction and management experience as a principal investor and a joint venture partner. Gavin is also a member of advisory boards for real estate investment funds.

Allan Perez

Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer

CanFirst Capital Management

Allan Perez is a co-founder & Chief Executive Officer of CanFirst Capital Management, a private real estate equity firm. CanFirst invests on behalf of institutional and private high net worth investors and has raised in excess of $1.5 billion of equity capital since its inception. Allan’s real estate career encompasses 40 years of senior executive positions with real estate organizations including The Prudential Insurance Company of America, Canderel Ltd., Dundee Realty Corporation and V&A Properties. His responsibilities included acquisition and disposition, development, marketing, leasing, e-commerce and asset management.

Allan graduated from McGill University in 1980 with a Bachelor of Commerce degree where he majored in Finance and Marketing.

Tony Deegan

Senior Vice President, Capital Markets

Walton Global

As Senior Vice President, Capital Markets at Walton Global, Tony Deegan is responsible for sourcing new debt & equity capital for Walton and its investment vehicles, maintaining and growing client and partner relationships, and assisting in the execution of investment strategies in both Canada and throughout Latin America. Tony has held multiple executive level positions over his 24 years with Walton including COO for Walton for Southeast Asia out of Singapore in 2018 and 2019, President of Walton International Group Canada from 2015 to 2017 and positions in Business Development, Operations, Marketing, and Investor Relations