History
Our history
Sagard was created in 2002 at the initiative of Power Corporation of Canada, a major investor in Europe and North America.
It finds its roots with entrepreneurial families but has grown with the support of renowned institutional investors, including Canada’s pension plans, family offices, financial institutions and other corporates in a shared commitment to supporting talented entrepreneurs.
Today, Sagard has developed into a global alternative asset manager active in venture capital, private equity, private credit, real estate. Since 2016, Sagard has experienced significant growth, with assets under management¹ increasing to over $25.1B, some 300 professionals joining the team and over 150 companies in the portfolio.
Sagard has achieved this growth while developing a culture anchored in the core values of entrepreneurship, innovation, rigor, collaboration and authenticity.
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2002
Sagard is launched in Europe by the Desmarais family and other European industrial families to invest in and support talented entrepreneurs in growing their middle-market businesses.
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2005
Sagard is launched in North America.
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2016Sagard takes on new leadership, headed by Paul Desmarais III, beginning its transformation to become a global alternative asset manager.
2016Launch of Portage Ventures, a global early-stage fintech venture capital strategy dedicated to supporting fintech and financial services entrepreneurs, led by Adam Felesky.
Learn more2016Launch of Diagram, a venture builder that conceives and launches technology companies in the fintech, web3 and climate tech spaces, led by François Lafortune.
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2017
Launch of Sagard Credit, a non-sponsor direct lending strategy focused on middle-market companies in North America, led by Adam Vigna and Mustafa Humayun.
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2019Launch of Sagard Healthcare, an investment strategy that invests in credit backed by approved and commercialized biopharmaceutical products, diagnostics and medical devices, led by David MacNaughtan, Ali Alagheband and Raja Manchanda.
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2020
Partnership with Grayhawk, a private wealth investment platform offering independent, bespoke and client-centric investment solutions for Canadian families, led by Michael G. Kaumeyer and Peter Mann.
Learn more2020Launch of Sagard NewGen, a European investment strategy that invests in lower-middle-market high-growth technology and healthcare industry leaders, led by Bérangère Barbe, Agnès Huyghues Despointes and Guillaume Lefebvre.
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2021Launch of Sagard Private Equity Canada, a private equity strategy that invests in the Canadian middle market, with a focus on business and financial services, as well as manufacturing, led by Marie-Claude Boisvert and Patrick Daignault.
Learn more2021Launch of Sagard Senior Lending, a direct lending strategy focused on middle-market companies in North America, led by Adam Vigna and Dev Gopalan.
Learn more2021Launch of Portage SPAC, a US$260M special-purpose acquisition company focused on fintech and financial services opportunities, led by Adam Felesky.
Learn more2021Acquisition of EverWest, Sagard’s full-service real estate investment platform operating in acquisitions, development, asset management and property management in the U.S., led by Rick Stone.
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2022
Portage expands beyond venture to late-stage fintech and financial services with the launch of Portage Capital Solutions, a strategy that delivers flexible equity capital solutions and resources to public and private later-stage businesses, led by Daniel Ballen and Devon Kirk.
Learn more2022Launch of Diagram Climate Tech, a strategy leveraging Diagram’s venture-building expertise and capabilities to advance the transition to a more sustainable future, led by Amélie Foz-Couture.
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Our values
The values we live by
Our leadership, partners and team share the same commitment to our culture anchored around core values.
Learn more¹Assets Under Management (“AUM”) as of September 30, 2022 is the sum of:
- net asset value of private equity, venture capital, private credit and healthcare funds, including uncalled capital commitments of those funds and unused leverage,
- gross asset value of the underlying real estate of EverWest funds and separate accounts,
- fair value of assets held in co-investment vehicles managed by Sagard and uncalled capital commitments of those co-investment vehicles,
- AUM of other managers controlled by Sagard,
- fair value of all other assets managed by Sagard that are not otherwise included in the clauses above.
Our definition of AUM is not based on any definition contained in our fund management agreements. Furthermore, our calculation may differ from the manner in which the SEC defines “Regulatory Assets Under Management” on Form ADV and from the AUM definition used by other asset managers.
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