Moez Kassam

Canadian alternative assets manager (born 1980)

Moez Kassam

Born|  (1980-08-27) August 27, 1980 (age 44)

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Alma mater| University of Western Ontario (B.A.), London Business School (MBA)
Occupation| Hedge fund manager

Moez Kassam (born August 27, 1980, in Toronto, Ontario) is a Canadian alternative asset manager. He is a founder and principal of Anson Funds, which manages a collection of long-short equity funds - most notably, Anson Investments Master Fund LP (AIMF). Anson Group was founded in 2007.[1] Kassam also received the 2018 Canada's 40 under 40 award.[2] He is on the Board of Directors for the Canadian Olympic Committee foundation.

## Early life and education

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Kassam was born in 1980 in Toronto, Canada to a Tanzanian-born father and Indian mother.[3] He started school at Bayview Glen School in 1994. His interest in financial markets began after his class placed in the top three schools in the TD Stock Portfolio Challenge (within Ontario).[4] He subsequently attended the University of Western Ontario, graduating in 2002 with a Bachelor of Arts.[5] In 2010, Kassam received an MBA in finance from the London Business School, a constituent college of the University of London.[5]

## Career

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In 2007, Kassam founded Anson Funds, an alternative asset management company that focuses on three core strategies: classic shorts, value longs and opportunistic investments.[3][1] Anson Group now operates several investment funds including Anson Investments Master Fund (AIMF). He is the primary Portfolio Manager of Anson Investments Management Fund (AIMF), the flagship fund out of a collection of funds managed by Anson Funds. Anson and Kassam has been featured in several publications, such as Barron’s, Bloomberg and Forbes for their distinctive investment strategy.[6][7] In 2021, Anson Funds posted returns of 45.5% on the back of the retail stock frenzy [8]

## Personal life

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Moez married Marissa Siegal in 2016,[9] and together they have four children.[10]

## Philanthropy

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In 2016, Kassam created the Moez and Marissa Kassam Equity Fund to support initiatives that level the playing field and improve health outcomes.

He sits on the board of the Young Presidents Organization (YPO), and Toronto Public Library Foundation.[11] In June 2020, Kassam joined the board of directors for the Canadian Olympic Committee foundation.[11][12] The Kassam Equity Fund donated $1 million to the Canadian Olympic Foundation to create “Great to Gold”, a data-driven fundraising initiative to support Canadian athletes at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. The initiative helped fund athletes that won gold in several sports and helped deliver 10 of Canada’s 27 medals.[13]

Kasam sits on the board of the Young Presidents Organization (YPO), and Toronto Public Library Foundation.[11]

In March 2021, Moez contributed $1M to Michael Garron Hospital in Toronto.[14][15] In May 2022, Moez and Marissa Kassam also donated to the Sinai Health Foundation to assist in medical research in neonatal care.[16] They contributed $300,000 to the APPLE Schools Health initiative, which supports healthy eating for children in disadvantaged communities.[17]

Kassam has donated to the University of Toronto,[18] which allowed him to invite Abdulaziz Sachedina to join Emmanuel College at the University of Toronto as a distinguished visiting professor of Islamic Studies.[19] In 2023, the Moez & Marissa Foundation supported the Toronto Foundation for Student Success with the launch of the “‘School Opportunity Fund”’ which provides financial support to schools that need assistance with obtaining resources for their students.[20]

In 2023 and 2024, Kassam was recognized by Toronto Life magazine as one of Toronto’s most influential people due to his philanthropic efforts.[21][22]

In November 2024, Moez & Marissa Kassam Equity Fund donated $5 million to Toronto Metropolitan University’s new medical school.[23]

In December 2024, Moez & Marissa Kassam Equity Fund donated $15M to Sick Kids Hospital to establish two pediatric research positions and further critical care.[10]

## References

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1. ^ a b "Anson Founded". Retrieved August 24, 2015.
2. ^ "Canada's Top 40 Under 40® 2018 Honourees Announced" (PDF).
3. ^ a b Shari, Michael. "Anson Investments: Bucking the Crowd".
4. ^ "Moez Kassam, BVG '99". Bayview Glen School. Archived from the original on August 27, 2016. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
5. ^ a b "Echelon Capital Corporation Announces Proposed Qualifying Transaction". Market Wired. Nasdaq. March 5, 2010. Archived from the original on August 18, 2017. Retrieved July 30, 2015.
6. ^ "The Hedge Fund Manager Who Broke Even When Most Other Funds Got Killed". www.valuewalk.com. February 7, 2022. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
7. ^ Miller, Ryan (April 14, 2022). "CEO Spotlight: Anson Funds' Moez Kassam – Hedge Fund Manager and Philanthropist". CEOWORLD magazine. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
8. ^ "Anson Funds surged in 2021 on meme-stock frenzy". Bloomberg. BNN Bloomberg. January 7, 2022. Retrieved June 8, 2022.
9. ^ "Real Weddings 2016: Inside a three-day, two-venue, multicultural nuptial extravaganza". Toronto Life. May 20, 2016. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
10. ^ a b "Investor Moez Kassam donates $15-million to SickKids, where his daughter received life-saving care". The Globe and Mail. December 2, 2024. Retrieved December 15, 2024.
11. ^ a b c "Moez Kassam". Ryerson University. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
12. ^ "Moez Kassam". Team Canada - Official Olympic Team Website. May 10, 2019. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
13. ^ "Olympians plucked from obscurity by corporate donors see greatness turned to gold". The Globe and Mail. August 16, 2024. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
14. ^ "From One Couple to an Entire Community". CNW Group. March 4, 2021. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
15. ^ Shackleton, Al (March 6, 2021). "Moez and Marissa Kassam make $1 million donation to Michael Garron Hospital". Beach Metro Community News. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
16. ^ "Supporting Diversity and Inclusion with Global Impact - Moez Kassam and Marissa Kassam". secure.supportsinai.ca. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
17. ^ "St. Michael's Foundation | Transforming lives, one apple at a time". St. Michael's Foundation. Retrieved November 10, 2024.
18. ^ "Boundless: The Campaign for the University of Toronto (Donor Listing)". University of Toronto. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
19. ^ "Scholar Abdulaziz Sachedina To Join Emmanuel College". MuslimObserver. May 20, 2010. Retrieved June 21, 2016.
20. ^ Anderson, Abel (February 16, 2023). "NetNewsLedger - Anson Funds' Moez Kassam Invests in the Promise of People". Retrieved August 4, 2023.
21. ^ "The Influentials 2023". Toronto Life. November 16, 2023.
22. ^ "The 50 Most Influential Torontonians of 2024". Toronto Life. November 13, 2024. Retrieved March 2, 2025.
23. ^ Hurley, Janet (November 26, 2024). "New TMU medical school's equity goals attract $5 million donation". Toronto Star. Retrieved December 15, 2024.

## External links

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* Official website
* Anson Group