In this episode of The Distribution, Brandon Sedloff sits down with Katie Fasken, founder of August Advisors, to unpack the overlooked depth of Canadian institutional capital. Drawing on her experience building institutional relationships at Slate Asset Management and launching her own boutique placement firm, Katie explains why Canada is far more than just the “Maple Eight” pensions. She breaks down the size of the broader market, the nuances of fundraising across provinces, and what it really takes for global GPs to succeed with Canadian LPs. The conversation spans real estate, private equity, infrastructure, continuation vehicles, and the emerging private wealth channel, offering a tactical look at capital formation north of the border.
They discuss:
- Why Canada’s pension market is closer to 4 trillion in assets and where the opportunity lies beyond the Maple Eight
- What mid-sized Canadian pension funds look for in lower mid-market private equity and real estate managers
- Infrastructure’s rise in allocation and how LPs are redefining what qualifies as infrastructure
- Geographic shifts toward Europe and how Canadian investors are thinking about US exposure amid political uncertainty
- The growing role of continuation vehicles and liquidity solutions in private equity portfolios
- The realities of tapping the Canadian wealth channel and why platform access can take years
Links:
Katie on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-fasken-8b433a12/
August Advisors - https://www.augustadvisors.ca/
Brandon on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/bsedloff/
Juniper Square - https://www.junipersquare.com/
Topics:
(00:00:00) - Intro
(00:02:07) - Katie’s career and background
(00:07:26) - Launching August Advisors
(00:09:32) - Beyond the maple eight to 4T in pension assets
(00:12:38) - Why GPs miss Canada + what’s driving allocations
(00:18:56) - Real assets pulse
(00:21:55) - Private equity trends
(00:23:51) - Defining ‘infrastructure’ in 2026
(00:25:14) - US vs Europe allocations, politics, and fiduciary reality
(00:28:31) - Canada’s information gap
(00:29:30) - August’s playbook
(00:33:37) - Operating rhythm
(00:36:05) - The Canadian wealth channel
(00:41:35) - Portfolio rebalancing: real estate vs infrastructure vs lower mid-market PE
(00:43:36) - Final takeaways + how to reach August Advisors
