CAASA Alternative Perspectives 2025: Private Market Focus

Overview

Now in its second year, this one-day forum brings together institutional investors, family offices, GPs, asset managers, and service providers active in real assets, private equity, venture capital, infrastructure, and private lending. Building on an expanded 2024 program, the 2025 edition will deliver even richer content, sharper analysis, and broader networking opportunities—designed to elevate real-world investing strategies across the private markets.

MSC Cruises Get-away Give-away 2025

We are happy to partner with MSC Cruises for a super prize to be awarded to one of our event attendees (must attend and complete a ballot to be eligible).

Draw will occur at our Networking Night on October 7, 2025.

*Subject to travel restrictions, all details provided to the lucky winner upon receipt.

When

  • September 17, 2025
  • 8:00 am – 6:00 pm ET

Where

Borden Ladner Gervais LLP

Bay Adelaide Centre, East Tower, 22 Adelaide St W #3400, Toronto, ON M5H 4E3

Keynote Speakers

Distinguished Speakers

2025 Agenda

Day 1

  • September 17, 2025
  • 8:00 am – 6:00 pm

  • September 17, 2025
  • 8:00 am – 6:00 pm

Conference Day

8:00 am

Breakfast & Registration

8:30 am

N1 – NowTalk

9:00 am

P1 – The New Age of Venture: Rethinking Capital, Innovation, and Access

The venture capital landscape is undergoing a profound transformation—shaped by shifting economic conditions, emerging technologies, alternative funding models, and a broader push for inclusivity and impact. This panel brings together next-generation investors, founders, and ecosystem builders to explore what the future of venture looks like. From the rise of solo capitalists and venture DAOs to a growing emphasis on sustainability, AI-driven startups, and global deal flow, we’ll discuss how innovation is being financed and who gets to participate. Join us for an inside look at the evolving dynamics of venture in this new era.

Tom Gillespie, Geodesic Capital
Prathna Ramesh, FutureSight Ventures
Jeff Szeto, Avana Capital & Alder Capital Sustainable Ventures

9:45 am

Core or Satellite? Are alts a base or an extension for your portfolio?

The ideas of ‘hub & spoke’ or ‘core & explore’ usually denotes traditional investments as a base and then alternatives as a diversifier or ‘extra’ allocation – but what if alts are the portfolio foundation and traditional assets (if any!) are the diversifiers. Correlations of alts to traditional option is typically low and alt strategies and assets to each other is also low – so why not use them as the 80%-90% ‘core’ and then diversify by adding beta via traditional assets?

Jonathan Planté, Geodesic Capital
Sudharshan Sathiyamoorthy, Star Mountain Capital
Greg Donovan, Avondale Private Capital
ModeratorJames Burron, CAASA

10:30 am

1:1 meetings / Morning Refresher

This is everyone’s opportunity to meet – either as established via our conference meeting & messaging app or ad hoc

11:30 am

Private Investments for Everyone?

A great deal of progress has occurred in creating platforms and the regulatory infrastructure to provide private investments (hitherto accessible only by those deemed wealthy enough to take on the ‘risk’ attributed to these investments). As institutional investors have been seen to make great gains in private assets such as PE, private lending, and infrastructure, the idea of restricting access to all other investors (who are not in defined benefit pensions) has been derided as ‘undemocratic’, adding supply and demand pressures to these asset classes. This panel will explain where we are in this evolution of markets and what to expect in the next short while.

Cam Richards, Guardian Partners
Mark Perry,
Wilshire
Christophe Truong, Trans-Canada Capital
Nimar Bangash, Obsiido

12:15 pm

Lunch & Keynote

Keynote will begin at 12:30PM

This fireside features two major players/investors in private markets as they discuss how private markets – including real estate, private equity and venture, private/alternative lending, infrastructure, and more esoteric areas such as ILS and data centres – have come into their own in the economy and portfolios of investors of all types and sizes.  They will brief the audience on how they see the market for these offerings and discuss the potential (known and somewhat unknown) pitfalls that investors should be cognizant of when contemplating these investments.

Speakers TBD

1:15 pm

Table Talks

Your opportunity to join a table and discuss the topic on offer, lead by one of our sponsoring CAASA members.

2:00 pm

No Longer Plain Vanilla PE: Sponsored debt, co-investments, and NAV financing

Textbook private equity transactions by a GP are simply equity tranches or deals taken down by one sponsor or fund and then sold later for (one hopes) a profit. However, given the size of transactions private debt (in the case of its attachment to a PE transaction it’s called sponsored debt) one needs to raise money for the debt piece. As well, either for diversification or simply because of size, investors may club deals and at the end of a fund’s life NAV financing may come into play. This panel will speak to all parts of a transaction – especially from the debt side – to give everyone clarity.

Ben Keen, BLG

2:30 pm

Where do we stand on housing?

Aled will give an overview of the housing system across Canada as well as deliver a synopsis of the risks inherent in the system and the market. The audience will be treated to copious amounts of background information as well as the opportunity to pose their questions to him both during the session and one-on-one for the balance of the conference. Attendees can also feel free to connect with him via the meeting app for more insight and connection.

Aled Ab Iorwerth, CMHC – SCHL

3:00 pm

Nap of the Earth: Getting into the nitty-gritty of today’s real estate market

Real estate underpins the net worth of virtually every investor: if they are ‘smaller’ retail investors then one’s principal residence is likely their largest asset and liability but it has the benefit of providing shelter. If mass affluent or wealthier, these assets take on a more investment-like place in one’s mind and balance sheet – they need to perform to create positive wealth creation over many years. This panel will look into how specific real estate markets are positioned to provide this to investors; as well as the risks of certain markets.

Gavin Reiff, Richter Family Office
Tony Deegan
, Walton Global
Allan Perez, CanFirst Capital Management
Mack Crawford, Longridge Partners

3:45 pm

Oh the Portfolios You Will See: How Investment Advisors are creating resilient portfolios

The Investment Advisor or financial consultant/relationship manager is where the rubber meets the road – and it’s their product due diligence and integrity in assessing suitability that allows appropriate client portfolios to be created. This panel will discuss each advisor’s modus operandi regarding product sourcing and investigation as well as client communication during all types of market and economic situations.

David Sheng, Aksia
Chad Larson
, Canaccord Genuity Wealth Management
Craig Machel, Richardson Wealth
Darren Coleman, Raymond James

4:30 pm

Reception

Time to make a few more connections and chat about the day

6:00 pm

End of conference

See you at our next event!

Registration

End Investor means pensions, foundations/endowments, sovereign wealth funds, and single family offices. Intermediary investors means Multi-family offices, investment advsiors/dealers, wealth managers, and investment consulting companies and +1 means the first delegate is gratis but each additional delegate attracts a small charge. Manager and service provider delegates must be CAASA members in good standing and pay the requisite per person fee ($1,000 + tax).

Sponsorship is an additional $3,500 and does NOT include a delegate pass (those are purchased separately in all cases).

Note : Single Family Office means the those related to the family or full-time members of the investment team. All parties must not have outside commercial interests, as determined by CAASA, such as investment funds seeking external money, investment banking operations, or other activities that would also be performed by our members.

Pension and other institutional investor (e.g., E&F) attendees need to be full-time employees of the investor. Acting as a consultant, board member, or advisor (whether compensated or not) is not sufficient. Individuals who have an outside commercial interest are required to be employed by CAASA members and pay the requisite delegate pass fee.

CAASA Members

Members of CAASA including asset managers, service providers, multi-family offices, and investment advisors/consultants.

Register Now

Non-Members

Investors such as pensions, foundations & endowments, and single family offices.

Register Now

Thank You to Our 2025 Title Sponsor

Thank You to Our 2025 Venue Sponsor

Thank You to Our 2025 Gold Sponsors

Thank You to Our 2025 Silver Sponsor