Portage

We’re excited to announce that Parinaz Sobhani will be joining Sagard as Managing Director & Head of AI. Before joining Sagard, Parinaz led AI at Georgian, a Toronto-based VC firm specializing in growth-stage B2B software companies. With a strong background in translating business problems into practical machine-learning solutions, Parinaz has implemented these solutions across various domains. She developed advanced neural machine translation models at Microsoft Research and contributed to deep neural network models for sentiment analysis at the National Research Council of Canada. At Sagard, Parinaz will be supporting our investment teams, LPs, and Portfolio Companies on the due diligence and implementation of AI strategies. To learn more about her appointment, you can read her interview in BetaKit here: https://lnkd.in/eA5W5yh4

Join Portage Co-Founder and CEO Adam Felesky on The Hard Part podcast with host Evan M. Adam shares the story of Portage's creation, the upcoming wave in SaaS, and the unique challenges of operating in the ETF space. From leveraging a global investment strategy to exploring the potential of open banking, they discuss the ever-evolving landscape of fintech. Listen to the full episode here: https://lnkd.in/e_GzJZZx

Congratulations to Faye on securing $31M to continue innovating the travel insurance experience! We're excited to see where this journey takes you. #insurtech #PortageInvests

In partnership with Taktile, we present the Top 50 US fintech companies disrupting consumer finance in 2024. 🚀 “We’re excited about companies using technology to expand access to credit in traditionally underserved markets by creating brand new categories of products. From new credit-building products to asset-backed credit products to companies enabling and using income-based underwriting models. We’re looking forward to seeing the next generation of companies which we believe will be able to combine sophisticated hyper-targeted data models with a frictionless customer experience.” says Portage Partner Stephanie Choo.

Tune in to The Full Ratchet podcast with Portage Co-Founder & CEO Adam Felesky and Nick Moran as they discuss the prospects and primary benefits of #openbanking, assessing multi-variate risk in #fintech, and whether larger outcomes will arise from embedded fintech or vertically integrated platforms. Listen here: https://lnkd.in/ewSXYipR #GlobalMarkets #FinancialInfrastructure #FintechInvesting #TechInnovation #FinancialServices

Portage Partner Devon Kirk sat down with Amber Kanwar on BNN Bloomberg to explore the exciting growth of fintech in Canada. Devon highlighted AI's opportunities to enhance productivity, revenue generation, and risk management, emphasizing the advantage of data access. Tune in to catch her insights into the transformative impact of AI in financial services, the dynamic later-stage fintech market, and the outlook for fintech IPOs. Watch the full segment here: https://lnkd.in/eTZYbZwn

Portage Partner Devon Kirk recently joined Edward Ludlow on Bloomberg Technology to discuss the fintech growth equity market in the US and Europe. Here are some of Devon's key insights: ➡️ Investment activity in growth-stage fintechs is expected to increase with recovering B2C valuations and more optimism on the M&A and IPO markets ➡️ AI is already providing significant opportunities for productivity improvements, but over the long-term access to data will be a more important differentiator ➡️ Technology that improves efficiency and accuracy of compliance processes (RegTech) is critical to enabling innovation in financial services Watch Devon's full interview on Bloomberg: https://lnkd.in/e6G5ay9q

Congratulations to nesto on this significant acquisition! We're thrilled to see nesto leading the charge in revolutionizing the Canadian mortgage and fintech ecosystem.

From investment strategies to management partnerships, Devon Kirk explored Portage’s approach on Northstar's Private Equity Fast Pitch® with Jeff Henningsen. ⚾️ Devon reveals how sector focus and quality management drive Portage's FinTech investments, including B2B SaaS, embedded payments, and consumer finance. Plus, get career advice for women in private equity. For more details, catch the full episode here: https://lnkd.in/gd_9W3yi

Last week, Victoire de Lavigne, Principal at Portage, shared her insights at Viva Technology alongside Déborah Loye from Eurazeo and Gülsah Wilke from DN Capital. The panel discussion, "Driving Change: The Role of DEI in Venture Capital," explored the origins, future, and transformative impact of DEI on venture capital. They emphasized the importance of tracking diversity in deal flow and portfolios, especially at the founders and C-level, as diverse leadership is key to future innovation. 💡