Desautels Capital Management

Name

Desautels Capital Management

Legal name

Desautels Capital Management Inc.

Website

https://desautelscapital.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Investment Management

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (52394)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Institutional Consulting RIAs (OCIO/Endowments/Foundations/Pensions) (FSAAACAG)

Keywords

• Student investment management
• Equity fund management
• Fixed income investing
• Socially responsible investing
• Portfolio management services

Headquarters

HQ city

Montreal

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Management Fees - Fixed Income Fund: Fixed Income Fund charges a 0.5% annual management fee on approximately $1.5M in AUM. The fund has minimum investment of $50,000 with liquidity available every Friday on 30 days notice.
2. Student Investment Management: The firm operates as a student-run investment management firm at McGill University, generating educational value and real-world experience for students while managing institutional-quality investment portfolios.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Desautels Capital Management is a student-run registered investment management firm affiliated with McGill University that oversees approximately $12M in assets across five funds: Alpha-Squared Fund ($3.4M), SRI Fund ($5.4M), Fixed Income Fund ($1.6M), Global Equity Fund ($1.6M), and Van Berkom Small Cap ($1M). Undergraduate HIM students and graduate MMF students serve as analysts conducting bottom-up fundamental research and managing real-money portfolios across equities and fixed income. The firm accepts external investment in the Fixed Income Fund with a $50,000 minimum and a 0.5% annual management fee.

Product overview

Desautels Capital Management is a student-run investment management organization managing five investment funds totaling approximately $12M in assets under management. The Alpha-Squared Fund and SRI Fund are managed by MMF (Masters of Management in Finance) students, while the Global Equity Fund, Fixed Income Fund, and Van Berkom Small Cap are managed by HIM (Honours Investment Management) undergraduate students. The organization operates as an educational program at McGill University where students gain real-world investment management experience through hands-on portfolio management, sector research, and investment pitches.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Alpha-Squared Fund: An equity fund managed by MMF students, investing in high-quality North American equities using a combination of quantitative technical signals and bottom-up fundamental analysis.
• SRI Fund
• Fixed Income Fund
• Global Equity Fund
• Van Berkom Small Cap
• Honours Investment Management (HIM)
• Masters of Management in Finance (MMF)

Products and services

• Alpha-Squared Fund An equity fund with $3.4M in assets under management that invests mainly in high quality equities in North America using a combination of quantitative technical signals and bottom-up fundamental analysis, managed by McGill MMF graduate students.
• SRI Fund A Socially Responsible Investing fund with $5.4M in assets under management that focuses on investments meeting social, environmental or ethical criteria while avoiding investments that do not meet these standards, managed by McGill MMF graduate students.
• Fixed Income Fund A fund that invests mainly in high quality fixed income securities issued or guaranteed by North American or International corporations or governments, with $1.6M AUM, a $50,000 minimum investment, and 0.5% annual management fee. The fund is managed by McGill HIM undergraduate students with an investment objective of exceeding benchmark return by 25 basis points net of fees annually over a four-year rolling period.
• Global Equity Fund An equity fund with $1.6M in assets under management covering global markets with sector-specific research teams in Consumers, Energy, Financial Institutions, Healthcare, Industrials, Materials, and TMT, managed by McGill HIM undergraduate students performing bottom-up fundamental research.
• Van Berkom Small Cap A small-cap equity fund with $1M in assets under management focused on investing in smaller capitalization companies, managed by McGill HIM undergraduate students with an emphasis on fundamental research and analysis.

Quantifiable outcome

• National CFA Research Challenge 2026 Winner
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• McGill UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMcGill University is the parent institution of Desautels Capital Management. The firm is located at McGill's Bronfman Building and operates as a university-owned investment management firm. Students from the Desautels Faculty of Management's BCom (HIM program) and Masters of Management in Finance (MMF) programs serve as analysts.
• BLG (Borden Ladner Gervais LLP)supportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerBLG serves as the legal advisor for the Fixed Income Fund managed by Desautels Capital Management.
• CIBC MellonsupportingOthersCIBC Mellon serves as the custodian for the Fixed Income Fund's assets.
• Deloitte LLPsupportingOthersDeloitte LLP serves as the auditor for the Fixed Income Fund.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Wharton Investment Management Group (WIMG): Student-run, university-affiliated investment fund at the Wharton School (University of Pennsylvania). Directly comparable to DCM as a student-managed registered investment organization with a multi-fund structure, although substantially larger in AUM and headcount.
• MIT Sloan Investment Management Group: Graduate-student-run investment management organization at MIT Sloan, comparable to DCM's MMF program in its graduate-led, real-capital mandate and multi-fund structure.
• Berkeley Haas Investment Group: Student-led investment group at UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business that manages real capital with sector-specific coverage. Comparable to DCM's sector-vertical Global Equity Fund and competitive-recruitment process.
• Cornell University Investment Fund: Undergraduate-student-run fund at Cornell that manages a portion of the university's endowment in a registered capacity. Closely mirrors DCM's HIM-style undergraduate pipeline and registered-investment-firm model.

Emerging players

• Wealthsimple: Canadian digital wealth and investment management platform. Relevant as a comparison point for what a modern, scaled Canadian investment management operation looks like and as a possible employer/competitor for DCM alumni.
• Yale Investments Office: University endowment investment office widely recognized as a pioneer of the modern university-investment model. While much larger and more institutional, it is thematically comparable to DCM as a university-owned investment operation with a long horizon and a strong brand.

Broad incumbents

• Fidelity Canada: Large incumbent Canadian asset manager offering mutual funds, ETFs, and managed portfolios. Relevant as the broader Canadian asset management landscape DCM operates within and competes for talent and capital with.
• Connor, Clark & Lunn Financial Group: Large Canadian independent asset management firm with multiple mandates including fixed income and ESG. Comparable as a Canadian-based multi-fund investment manager and a likely destination employer for DCM graduates.

Others

• Van Berkom & Co. (Van Berkom Small Cap): Montreal-based small-cap specialist asset manager whose name is associated with one of DCM's sub-funds (Van Berkom Small Cap). Functions as a thematic partner/donor relationship rather than a direct competitor, and represents a relevant institutional asset manager that DCM alumni might join.

Regional players

• University of Toronto Investment Club: Canada's leading university investment club at the University of Toronto, directly comparable as a regional (Canadian) student-run investment organization in the same higher-education and student-talent market as DCM.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/HIM.DCM/?fref=ts
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/desautels-capital-management

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Desautels Capital Management