Wealthsimple launched just over two years ago, and already the Canadian company is rolling out their robo-adviser services across the United States. That’s only part of the reason why CEO Michael Katchen just took top honors as Entrepreneur of the Year at the Techvibes 2016 Canadian Startup Awards.
As the Financial Post reports, Wealthsimple’s steady climb to 20,000 users in Canada and CA$750 million in assets is a result of aggressive but smart expansion, and an outlook that takes national regulations into account while pushing forward with an international vision.
“We want to build one of the largest and most innovative financial services companies globally,” says founder Katchen. “(Our recent U.S. launch) is very rare for a financial services company, especially a company at our stage.” 2016 also saw Wealthsimple introduce socially responsible investment portfolios and a new account minimum of $0, allowing investors of all levels to join.
“It’s exciting for me and for the whole team,” says Katchen of his Entrepreneur of the Year win. “It’s humbling to be in that category with some amazing people. Mike Serbinis (of League) is one of the Canadian entrepreneurs I most admire, so that was awesome.”
Katchen and the Wealthsimple team don’t aim to be industry disruptors: instead they want to be enablers working with financial services professionals to make investment wealth a real possibility for everyone.
“I feel very lucky,” says Katchen. “We feel energized and excited about where we’re going to go from here. We’re just getting started.”