Website: purposeinvest.com
Head office address (Canada): 130 Adelaide St. West, Suite 3100, P.O. Box 109, Toronto, ON M5H 3P5
Year established: 2012
Ownership structure: private subsidiary of Purpose Unlimited Inc.
Target market/client profile: Canadian retail investors, advisors, retirees, and institutional clients
Number of professional staff: more than 90 employees
Canadian office locations: Toronto
Purpose Investments (Purpose) is a Toronto-based asset manager and the investment division of Purpose Unlimited Inc. The firm builds managed and quantitative products across ETFs, mutual funds, cash, alternatives, private assets, and digital assets. As of May 2026, the company reports more than $31 billion in AUM.
The company was founded in December 2012 to bring rules-based investing and active management to Canadian retail investors. Founder and CEO Som Seif, a Canadian entrepreneur, previously built Claymore Investments before launching Purpose.
The firm’s first product, the Purpose Tactical Hedged Equity Fund, launched in September 2013 as an early alternative strategy for Canadian retail investors. That early focus on alternatives shaped Purpose’s direction in the years that followed.
Purpose Investments crossed $1 billion in AUM in 2015. It then acquired Redwood Asset Management in 2016 to add expertise in preferred shares and emerging markets.
Two events in 2017 expanded the firm’s backing and bench:
Portfolio manager Sandy Liang joined as part of the LOGiQ transaction.
By October 2018, the Purpose High Interest Savings ETF became the firm’s first product to reach $1 billion on its own. Total AUM crossed $10 billion in November 2020, setting up a notable 2021 for the company.
In February 2021, Purpose Investments launched the world’s first spot Bitcoin ETF, and German financial services group Allianz invested in the company that same month. The Longevity Pension Fund launched in July 2021 as a mutual fund designed to provide lifetime monthly income to Canadian retirees.
Purpose passed $20 billion in AUM by March 2024 as the platform expanded into yield shares and private assets.
In 2025, Fraser Stark, president of the firm’s longevity retirement platform, spoke to Benefits and Pensions Monitor (BPM) about employer-led retirement education. His remarks tied back to the Longevity Pension Fund, which the company had built around plan sponsor and retiree needs since 2021.
Months later, chief market strategist Craig Basinger added to Purpose Investments’ market commentary presence. He weighed in on how strong pension and corporate earnings had surprised most market watchers. Basinger pointed to the policy-driven equity correction earlier in 2025 and the resilience of pension funds and S&P 500 companies through the first two quarters.
The firm offers investment products across several asset classes for Canadian advisors, retail investors, and institutional clients:
The firm reaches plan sponsors and institutional clients through SMAs and model portfolios under its Portfolio Strategy platform.
Som Seif serves as founder and CEO of Purpose Investments, a role he has held since launching the firm in 2012. Before Purpose, he founded Claymore Investments and led it through its 2012 sale to BlackRock. He studied engineering at the University of Toronto and began his career in investment banking at RBC.
The leadership team supporting Seif at Purpose Investments includes:
The team oversees product development, regulatory compliance, and operations across the firm’s ETF, mutual fund, and private asset platforms. Purpose Investments operates as a subsidiary of Purpose Unlimited Inc., with strategic investors including OMERS and Allianz.
Purpose Investments distributes its funds through online brokerages, advisor platforms, and wealth firms across Canada from its Toronto head office.
Advisors use the firm’s model portfolios, separately managed accounts, and Partnership Program under the Portfolio Strategy platform to build client portfolios. Retail investors access the company’s ETFs and mutual funds directly through these same channels.
On the institutional and plan sponsor side, the firm has built visibility through Longevity by Purpose and its retirement income mandate. Fraser Stark has also shared the firm’s views on plan sponsor retirement design, which keeps Purpose Investments engaged with the benefits and pensions community in Canada.
Purpose Investments has earned recognition across performance, leadership, and product categories from several Canadian wealth and fund industry awards.
The company contributes to industry conversations through commentary in BPM and Canadian wealth media. Nicholas Mersch, a Purpose Investments portfolio manager covering technology, has shared his read on tech sector volatility and mega-cap performance through BPM. These voices give plan sponsors and advisors a regular read on how the firm sees markets and retirement income.
Purpose Investments' chief market strategist explains why strong earnings season is due to timing more than fundamentals and where the risks lie ahead for Q3 and Q4
Target benefit plans, phased retirement and income tools shift how members approach financial security
Employers can offer credibility and scale when providing retirement tools and advice, argues retirement experts
Headwinds run up against history in mixed outlook for the world's largest market
Nvidia shares tumbled after doubling profits, can the AI theme push on?
Signs of slowdowns appear to buoy odds of a Bank of Canada cut this week, spurring rotations away from mega-caps, but volatility is expected
A rate cut could ease funding costs for banks and mitigate rising interest payments on mortgages
Expert calls for deeper understanding of longevity risk in financial advising
Guidance from Ontario regulator highlights need for consumer clarity – and advisor education – around novel retirement solutions
Expert believes market is going through a 'great reset'
