Inside the conversation: Leadership lessons from CEO Adam Felesky

Adam Felesky meeting with MBA students Brandon Fausto and Justin Wong.

McMaster alumnus Adam Felesky (BEng ’99, BA ’99) is the co-founder and CEO of Portage, the leading global fintech private investment platform. He is also the founder and former CEO of Horizons Exchange Traded Funds. Felesky currently serves as a board director of Alpaca, Boosted.AI, Borrowell, Hellas Direct, KOHO, Socotra, Valstro, ZILO and Sagard Wealth.

In June 2026, Felesky received an honorary doctorate from McMaster University, recognizing his continued commitment to leading an innovative future for financial services and entrepreneurship. Felesky also holds a Bachelor of Engineering and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from McMaster.

MBA student Brandon Fausto, president of the MBA Finance Association and student coordinator for the Bloomberg Lab, spoke with Adam during his visit to McMaster University in June.

Here are some key takeaways from their conversation, including the value of connecting with alumni and lessons learned.

What was your biggest takeaway from meeting Adam?

There are two big takeaways for me.

I see how that confidence he has helped him succeed in his previous ventures. Thinking about the next big step has also been something that’s attributed to his success, and not being scared to seize opportunities as they come up. Obviously, if you do, you can reap significant benefits.

The other takeaway is more personally applicable to me. Because [Felesky] started Horizons ETFs, I thought it was super valuable to get some insight from him on the numbers of starting a company like that if I want to start my own one day. Although his personal insights on where the industry is going might steer me away from that. So maybe he saved me from financial ruin as well.

Why is it valuable to connect with alumni at this stage in your MBA?

He asked me a lot of questions about myself. I think it was honestly more about him learning about me than the other way around. But through his questioning and probing, I had to think about my own plan to get some feedback from a professional who is in that space. I found it valuable because his feedback was mostly positive. He said I’m doing a really great job with where I’m at right now. He also said I am putting in the work to get the most out of my degree.

That type of positive reinforcement helps me ensure that I am on the right path, and it builds my confidence, especially coming from someone who is as successful as Adam.

What is one lesson from Adam’s career journey that has resonated with you the most?

I think he and I see the world through a similar lens. Ironically, I am a consumer of many of his products. Understanding where he thinks things are going is very in line with where I am spending my money. The lesson there is that for me as a consumer, that’s great, but how do I change my perspective to “how can I be a provider?” Thinking about the things that I want to consume and turning that into a business can be the most easy, obvious, yet useful way to look at entrepreneurship going forward.