Adam Felesky from Portage

Adam Felesky is the Co-Founder and CEO of Portage.

Portage is a global investment platform focused on fintech and financial services. Their team partners with ambitious companies across all stages, providing flexible capital and deliver a global network of investors, commercial partners, advisors and value-creation experts. With deep industry knowledge and entrepreneurial experience, Portage is committed to supporting the leaders who are reshaping financial services.

Takeaways

• Starting Horizons ETF and nuances to the ETF business.
• The founding story of Portage.
• Fintech in Canada and Portage's portfolio companies Wealthsimple and KOHO.
• Secondary funds and liquidity.
• Regulatory environment in Canada and open banking.
• Building an investment team globally.
• Infrastructure and AI are promising areas in the fintech space.
• Portage's different funds and their relationship with Diagram Ventures.
• The importance of timing.

Chapters

00:00 The ETF Landscape in 2005 and Building a Successful ETF Business

07:47 The Growth of the Fintech Ecosystem in Canada

10:49 The Importance of a Supportive Regulatory Environment for Fintechs

12:01 Timing and Opportunities in the Fintech Market

17:34 Investing in Local Winners and the Role of Incumbents

20:15 Portage Ventures and Diagram: Investing in Going Concerns and Building Companies from Scratch

24:20 Building a Complementary Team and the Importance of Team Dynamics

26:18 The Role of Board Members and Supporting Portfolio Companies

28:25 Liquidity Options for Investors: Secondary Funds and IPOs

30:40 The Regulatory Environment and the Need for Open Banking

32:44 The Future of Fintech and the Importance of Consumer Access

33:30 Qualities of Successful Founders and Building a Clear Vision

34:11 Investing in Infrastructure and AI: Opportunities for Growth and Innovation

38:38 Journey of an Entrepreneur

Keywords

Adam Felesky, KOHO, Wealthsimple, Horizons ETFs, Portage, ETF landscape, fintech market, challenges, opportunities, infrastructure, AI, complementary team, support, ecosystem