Moez Kassam is an entrepreneur and hedge fund manager who co-founded Anson Funds in 2007. The company manages over $1.5 billion USD in assets and focuses on alternative asset management with three investment strategies: classic shorts, value longs, and opportunistic investments.
Kassam is the Chief Investment Officer and oversees the management of the company’s flagship fund, Anson Investments Master Fund.
Anson Funds has been recognized by major platforms like Bloomberg and Barron’s as one of the world’s top performers and was among the Top 10 Hedge Funds chosen by Barclay Managed Funds. Kassam is also a philanthropist and has received the 2018 Canada’s 40 Under 40 award. He serves on the board of directors for the Canadian Olympic Committee. He also sits on the advisory boards of several community organizations and is quite engraved in the wellbeing of broader society.
Moez and his wife Marissa also have established their own foundation, The Moez & Marissa Kassam Foundation, which aims to support vulnerable communities and has contributed to organizations like the Toronto Foundation for Student Success, Together We Stand and Women’s College Hospital.
We are thrilled to have you join us today. Let’s start off with a little introduction. Tell our readers a bit about yourself and your company.
MOEZ KASSAM: Anson Funds is a Canadian hedge fund which operates in Toronto, Ontario as well as Dallas, Texas. Established in Dallas in 2003, the firm expanded to Toronto in 2007. Our diverse portfolio includes a range of hedge funds, with total assets under management over $1.5 billion USD. Our commitment to exceptional performance has earned us recognition from leading industry publications, such as Barron’s, Bloomberg, and Thomson Reuters. Recently, we were honored as a top-performing hedge fund worldwide by BarclayHedge, based on a three-year annualized return.
In the past year, what is the greatest business achievement you’d like to celebrate with your team? Please share the details of that success.
MOEZ KASSAM: Well, for any hedge fund, the most important thing is to focus on maintaining a strong position while continuing to compound capital. Our flagship fund, the Anson Investments Master Fund, has grown to around $1 billion itself, and maintained a performance that brings value to our investors. This is something that we’re very proud of. That doesn’t happen by accident, and the team at Anson Funds worked hard to make this long-short equity hedge fund amongst the best in the country.
Business is all about overcoming obstacles and creating opportunities for growth. What do you see as THE real challenge right now?
MOEZ KASSAM: The current financial landscape is characterized by unprecedented dynamism, with the rise of retail investor participation. These structural changes are transforming the industry in significant ways. At Anson Funds, we recognize the importance of being agile and astute investors. We remain committed to building on our proven strategies, while also staying cognizant to major industry trends and developments. Staying informed is integral to our DNA, and it has never been more critical.
2020, 2021, 2022 threw a lot of curve balls into businesses on a global scale. Based on the experience gleaned in the past years, how can businesses thrive in 2023? What lessons have you learned, and what advice would you share?
MOEZ KASSAM: Speaking primarily about businesses in the financial sector, I can say that it’s crucial to build resilient portfolios that can withstand market volatility. At Anson Funds, we think that volatility will last for longer than many people expect. That means learning to swim in the rapids, rather than simply waiting for things to calm down. It’s about analyzing what is happening and reacting – it’s what we do, we stay humble to our position that we can’t predict the market but can definitely analyze what it’s showing us in real time.
