This interview feature of Reza Satchu is part of Exeleon Magazine’s annual issue – The 100 Most Dynamic Leaders. Check out the Full Listing of Exeleon’s 100 Most Dynamic Leaders of 2025.
The path to entrepreneurship often begins with resilience, adaptability, and a willingness to create opportunities where none seem to exist. These qualities not only shape strong business leaders but also define the way they guide others who hope to follow a similar path.
One person who embodies this approach is Reza Satchu, an entrepreneur, investor, and educator, whose journey has taken him from Kenya to Canada, and from building companies to mentoring the next generation of founders. As the Founding Partner of Alignvest Management Corporation and a lecturer at Harvard Business School, he continues to influence both markets and minds.
In this interview with Exeleon Magazine, Reza Satchu shares how his early experiences shaped his outlook, what he has learned from building multiple businesses, and why he believes commitment and resilience are the true hallmarks of entrepreneurial success.
You were born in Kenya and raised in Toronto after your family immigrated to Canada in the 1970s. How did those early experiences shape your outlook on opportunity and entrepreneurship?
When my family arrived in Toronto from Mombasa, Kenya, my parents took the approach of full immersion into Canadian culture. We wanted to make it here on our own terms and through our own will and determination. We built businesses as a family, starting with my dad working as a real estate salesman and me working as a paperboy, where I’d slip his business cards into the newspapers I delivered.
We moved often when new opportunities arose, and there were constant adjustments to new circumstances. There were struggles, and we overcame a lot of obstacles, but that gave me what I believe is a secret of founder success: resilience, or the benefit of obstacles not of my own choosing. We created opportunities with hustle and an entrepreneurial mindset. I know how fortunate we were to be one of the families selected to come to Canada from Kenya, and I’ve always wanted to express my gratitude to this country for giving our family so much.
Talk to us about Alignvest Management Corporation. What makes it a leading private investment firm in Canada and beyond?
We’re entrepreneurs helping entrepreneurs. We understand what makes a successful founder and a successful business. The founders of Alignvest Management Corporation have built seven businesses from the ground up that have sold for more than $7 billion in value. Our partner capital has grown from $30 million to over $200 million since we started, with net asset value per share growth exceeding 20% annually.
In December 2024, we sold Alignvest Student Housing REIT to Forum Real Estate Income and Impact Fund for $1.7 billion. We succeeded by executing the vision we have for all our efforts at Alignvest: creating industry-defining businesses that serve an undersupplied need and drive substantial long-term value for our stakeholders. We favor investment-friendly structures that tie to performance rather than typical private equity models, and this approach has allowed us to consistently build institutional-quality businesses over time.
You’ve co-founded and scaled several companies across different industries, from storage to financial services to student housing. What was one of the most pivotal lessons you learned from building and exiting multiple businesses?
One of the central tenets I live by is the relentless pursuit of opportunities without regard to resources currently controlled. It takes belief in yourself and your vision to be successful. The best ideas, whether it’s selling books online with Amazon or electric cars with Tesla, are simple. There’s nothing new to them — it’s the approach that’s new. The belief.
The lessons I’ve learned are about trusting my instincts and exploring all ideas. I tell founders that they need to suspend the disbelief that larger corporations with more resources must have already thought of their idea and pursued it fully. It’s amazing how many ideas that seem simple and obvious to you, as a founder, have not occurred to others. What’s obvious to you, with your unique lived experience, isn’t obvious to everyone else. So commit to it, knowing that you will bring something to the idea that no one else is capable of because they haven’t lived your life.
You teach “The Founder Mindset” at Harvard Business School. How do you define that mindset, and why is it critical for entrepreneurs today?
The Founder Mindset is about developing the skill of deploying sound judgment and making consequential decisions through continuous practice and accountability. Many founders hesitate to commit — they wait for more information or a more perfect market opportunity. My message to founders at Harvard Business School and at NEXT Canada is that the real magic comes when you commit fully to an idea.
You’ll never have perfect information. There’s never a perfect time to launch or pitch to your first investor. When investors see that you’re fully committed to a vision and that you hold strong convictions even in uncertain markets, that’s when you’ll find the partners you need. Judgment and decision-making are skills that require practice, just like music or sports. You have to create those opportunities for yourself, and when you fail, accept that failure as part of the process. Over time, you get better, and those experiences become the foundation of your success.
Looking ahead, what excites you most about the future of Alignvest and its portfolio companies?
The work of building businesses alongside committed, dedicated entrepreneurs and our team of insightful, experienced investment partners excites me tremendously. We’re constantly seeking out opportunities with sustainable competitive advantages, led by capable management teams with proven track records, resilience through economic cycles, and scalable business models that generate attractive returns on invested capital.
The Canadian market is constantly recalibrating in response to global realignments and economic shifts, and our team is among the best positioned in North America to identify and capitalize on opportunities that emerge in these conditions.
Lastly, what according to you makes one dynamic? How do you integrate the same thought into your leadership?
I believe that what makes someone dynamic is the willingness to create their own opportunities and to pursue them relentlessly, with full commitment and openness to innovation and collaboration. I’ve tried to follow that in my own life as a founder, and I’ve passed that lesson on as an investment partner and as a mentor through Harvard Business School and NEXT Canada.
As a leader, I stress that the real tragedy of a business opportunity isn’t failure — it’s never trying at all. You have to embrace the unknown and be prepared to learn from mistakes. The potential upside of creating something meaningful and long-lasting, something that builds a legacy and creates resources for real societal change, far outweighs any fear of failure.
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