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Paul Desmarais

InvestorFounder

III, Co-Founder and Chairman at Diagram · Co-Founder at Portage Ventures · Co-Founder, Chairman and CEO at Sagard Private Equity Canada

Montreal, Quebec, Canada

FoundedDiagram

Find your path to Paul

1,421 people in our graph share verified history with Paul — schools, employers, funds. One of them is your warm intro.

Chris BischoffunlockedPaul: together at Goldman Sachs (2004–2009)
×8Paul: together at Goldman Sachs
Paul: together at INSEAD
×2Paul: together at Harvard University

About

Paul Desmarais serves as Chairman and CEO of Sagard, an alternative asset management firm with approximately $33 billion in assets under management. The firm invests across venture capital, private equity, private credit, and real estate, focusing on entrepreneurs in financial services, technology, business services, and healthcare sectors.

Invests in

Fintech

Co-Founder & Chairman at Diagram

Intro paths

→

In turn, Paul can intro founders to Diagram's investors below.

Diagram's investors · 4

DiagramMontrealFin CapitalSan Francisco · $250K – $15M checks · since 2025Garage CapitalWaterlooSagardMontreal

Experience

  1. SagardChairman and CEOcurrent2016 — present
  2. PortageCo-Founder and Executive Chairmancurrent2016 — presentToronto, Canada Area
  3. Diagram VenturesCo-Founder and Chairmancurrent2016 — presentMontreal, Quebec, Canada
  4. EmpowerBoard Membercurrent2023 — present
  5. WealthsimpleChairman Of The Boardcurrent2015 — presentToronto, Canada Area
  6. GrayhawkChairman of the Boardcurrent2020 — presentToronto, Calgary, and Montreal, Canada
  7. nestoBoard Membercurrent2020 — presentMontreal, Quebec, Canada
  8. DialogueChairman Of The Board2020 — 2023Montreal, Canada Area
  9. ImerysBoard Member2014 — 2022
  10. Personal CapitalBoard Member2016 — 2020
  11. Peak Achievement AthleticsChairman2017 — 2020Exeter, NH / Thousand Oaks, CA
  12. Great-West LifeBoard Member2014 — 2019
  13. IG Wealth ManagementBoard Member2014 — 2019
  14. Sagard CapitalChairman2014 — 2016Greenwich, Connecticut
  15. Great-West FinancialBoard Member2014 — 2016
  16. Putnam InvestmentsBoard Member2014 — 2016
  17. Great-West Lifeco IncAssistant Vice President - Risk Management2012 — 2014Toronto, Canada Area
  18. ImerysCorporate Strategy2012Paris Area, France
  19. ImerysProject Manager2010 — 2012
  20. Goldman SachsAssociate2007 — 2009
  21. Goldman SachsAnalyst2005 — 2007
  22. Goldman SachsAnalyst2004 — 2005

Skills & more

Business Strategy94Strategic Planning24

Languages English · French

From Paul's professional profile.

Investments

Board seats

EmpowerMidasNestoNovistoSagard WealthWealthsimple

Per the firm's website.

Colleagues at Diagram

Amélie Foz-Couture
General Partner at Diagram
Anna Chif
Co-Founder at Diagram
Arun Vora
Analyst, Venture Creation at Diagram
Bardia Monavari
Associate, Venture Creation at Diagram
Benjamin Couture
Associate, Venture Creation at Diagram
Benoit Lacroix
Co-Founder and CEO at Diagram
Brian Canty
Partner, Venture Creation at Diagram
Charles Assaf
Co-Founder and CEO at Diagram

Network1

George Rzepecki
Founder and CEO at The Raba Partnership

Investors connected to Paul in public investor directories — a warm-intro map.

Frequently asked questions

Who is Paul Desmarais?
Paul Desmarais serves as Chairman and CEO of Sagard, an alternative asset management firm with approximately $33 billion in assets under management. The firm invests across venture capital, private equity, private credit, and real estate, focusing on entrepreneurs in financial services, technology, business services, and healthcare sectors.
Where does Paul Desmarais work?
Paul Desmarais is Co-Founder & Chairman of Diagram and III, Co-Founder and Chairman at Diagram.
What does Paul Desmarais invest in?
Paul Desmarais invests in Fintech.
What companies did Paul Desmarais found?
Paul Desmarais founded Diagram.
What boards does Paul Desmarais sit on?
Paul Desmarais holds tracked board seats at Empower, Midas, Nesto, Novisto, Sagard Wealth, Wealthsimple.
Where did Paul Desmarais go to school?
Paul Desmarais studied at INSEAD (MBA, Business); Harvard University (BA, Economics).

Founder mafias

Same school

Shared employers