Website: equiton.com
Head office address (Canada): 1111 International Boulevard, Suite 500, Burlington, ON L7L 6W1
Year established: 2015
Ownership structure: private, Canadian owned and operated
Target market/client profile: individual investors, advisors, and institutional partners seeking private real estate investment solutions; minimum investment starts at $25,000
Number of professional staff: more than 250
Canadian office locations: Burlington (head office), Toronto
Equiton is a Canadian private equity real estate firm headquartered in Burlington. The company runs five investment funds that cover multifamily rentals, development projects, and private lending. Its AUM totalled $1.7 billion as of early 2026.
Equiton began in 2015 when real estate veteran Jason Roque and finance executive Helen Hurlbut launched the firm. The company started as a three-person operation with a plan to give more Canadians access to private real estate.
Its early model centred on one fund, which gave investors access to apartment buildings without direct ownership duties.
The company built its first platform around rental apartments, starting in the Greater Toronto Area before moving into other markets. That first vehicle, Equiton Residential Income Fund Trust, later became the Apartment Fund in its investor lineup.
The firm then added Equiton Living for in-house property management and Equiton Developments for new residential projects. Because it controlled both operations, it could pair acquisitions with property improvements and new development work.
The firm reached a major milestone in 2024 when it passed $1 billion in AUM. Equiton also grew its rental and development activity as housing demand stayed strong in several Canadian markets.
Around that time, it began putting more attention on institutional capital as part of its next growth phase. That shift also came with a research partnership with Concordia University’s John Molson School of Business.
The company marked its 10th anniversary in February 2025 with more than 15,000 investors and over 200 employees. It said it had grown from a single fund into a broader investment platform over that period.
Its property management arm, Equiton Living, also had a notable year for resident satisfaction. Since then, the firm has added the Monthly Income Fund and Residential Growth Fund I to expand its offering mix.
Equiton has also been featured in several of our Benefits and Pensions Monitor (BPM) awards programs in recent years:
Hot List 2025
Top Employers 2024
Elite WomenEquiton covers private real estate investing through its funds and in-house property work:
Each fund has its own return target and investment strategy, as laid out in its offering memorandum. The firm’s latest fund, the Residential Growth Fund I, launched in March 2026 with a focus on capital growth through rental apartments.
Jason Roque is Equiton’s CEO and founder, with over 25 years in real estate. Roque holds an economics degree from the University of Toronto. He leads Equiton’s senior management team, which includes:
Equiton’s governance is built around its individual funds rather than a single corporate board. Each of the firm’s four funds has three independent members who oversee strategy and policies on behalf of unit holders.
The 12 members across the four funds as of 2026 include David Hamilton, Bill Zigomanis, Roberto Geremia, Jonathan Pinto, and Sam Barbieri.
The fund-level boards review strategy, performance, and policies for their respective funds. Equiton Capital Inc. also publishes a relationship disclosure document to manage conflicts with related and connected issuers.
Equiton’s investor base covers individual Canadians, advisor-led channels, and institutional partners. The firm serves more than 17,000 investors who hold positions across its private real estate funds.
Individual investors can enter any Equiton fund with a minimum of $25,000. Advisors act as the firm’s main distribution channel for its offering memorandum products. It has also built an institutional business under head of institutional investments Aaron Pittman.
Plan sponsors can reach the firm’s institutional team through our BPM Alternatives Directory listing.
The firm’s portfolio covers 19 communities across Canada, all focused on multi-residential real estate. Early activity centred on the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area before branching into Western Canada, with Edmonton as a more recent addition.
Equiton focuses all its investment activity on the Canadian market. The firm targets regions with population growth and steady rental demand as part of its acquisition approach.
Equiton has earned recognition for its leadership, workplace, and growth. It is also active in industry groups focused on responsible investing and real estate sustainability.
Equiton is a signatory of the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) and a member of the Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB). Both memberships shape how the firm applies environmental and social standards across its portfolio.
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