How to Make Your Capital Work Without Losing Sleep Over It
"I started IBKR Invest because nobody was paying attention to the companies that needed it most — the ones building something from nothing." — Marc-Antoine Delisle, FounderJust Ask Us a Question
Brokerage for startups and emerging companies. Montréal-born. Hustle-proven. Serving 120+ clients across Quebec since 2007.
How a Back Injury on a Fishing Boat Built a Better Brokerage
Marc-Antoine Delisle spent eight years on commercial fishing boats off the Gaspé coast before an L4-L5 disc herniation forced a career change. During recovery in a Rimouski apartment, he discovered an aptitude for finance — and an outsider's perspective that questioned every assumption the industry took for granted.
He noticed something broken: startups raising millions had nobody paying real attention to their capital. Banks treated them like rounding errors. Traditional brokers applied retirement-portfolio logic to companies burning $150K a month. Brilliant engineering teams were making million-dollar allocation decisions based on a weekend spreadsheet. Their brokers didn't even know their burn rate. It was absurd.
So in September 2007, from a rented desk in Old Montréal, he launched IBKR Invest. One thesis. One desk. Zero clients who'd heard of him. By the end of 2008 — the worst year to launch anything in finance — the firm had seven clients and $11 million placed. The financial crisis proved the thesis: the startups that survived were the ones with someone paying close attention to their treasury. Eighteen years later, we manage over $340 million for 120+ emerging companies across Quebec, and we've been proving the doubters wrong ever since.
Three Principles. Zero Exceptions.
"Attention Compounds."
Small oversights in treasury allocation become large problems when you're burning $200K a month. A missed GIC maturity, an overlooked passive income threshold, a cash position left idle for three months post-fundraise — these aren't minor details, they're material losses. We treat attentiveness as a discipline, not a courtesy. That's why we review every client portfolio monthly, not quarterly. See how this plays out in real client results.
"Know the Business Behind the Balance Sheet."
A startup sitting on $6 million post-raise has fundamentally different needs than a retiree with $6 million in savings. We learn your runway, your hiring plan, your product roadmap, and your fundraising timeline — before we recommend a single instrument. When Voxel Robotics accelerated their hiring plan by three months, our portfolio adapted within a single review cycle because we already knew the business. Explore how we build strategies around your stage.
"Earn the Next Quarter."
No long-term contracts. No lock-in fees. No early termination penalties. Every client relationship is re-earned on a rolling basis — you can leave anytime with written notice, and we'll facilitate an orderly transfer. Our average client stays 5.2 years and our retention rate is 98% (2021–2025). That's not inertia — that's proof. Read what our clients say about the experience.
How to Get Institutional-Grade Brokerage Without the Institutional Attitude
Startup Treasury Brokerage
Where should your Series A capital sit for the next 18 months? We map your cash needs against your burn rate and deployment schedule within the first week after close. Six months of operating expenses go into highly liquid instruments. The next 6–12 months go into short-duration fixed income timed to your drawdown. Zero forced liquidations since 2007.
See how it works →Corporate Investment Management
Retained earnings earning 1.3% in a savings account? At $3 million, that's roughly $100K per year left on the table compared to a properly structured corporate portfolio. We build tax-aware portfolios averaging 0.65% in total fees — versus the 1.5%–2.0% blended MERs we typically find in bank-managed corporate accounts.
See how it works →Liquidity Ladder Construction
Cash when you need it, returns when you don't. We stagger GICs, T-bills, and bonds with maturities timed to when you actually need the cash — like a conveyor belt. For seasonal businesses, our "breathing portfolio" approach captured $189K for one client over three cycles from capital that would have otherwise sat idle.
See how it works →CCPC Tax-Optimized Portfolios
That $50K passive income threshold can quietly destroy your tax advantage. Once a CCPC earns over $50,000 in passive investment income, the small business deduction shrinks by $5 for every $1 over the threshold. We design what happens — instrument selection, timing of realized gains, RDTOH management — so your portfolio grows without triggering tax traps.
See how it works →Pre-Fundraise Structuring
Clean books close rounds faster. We make your treasury audit-ready with clearly documented investment accounts, organized balance sheets, and treasury summaries that stand up to due diligence. One client's lead investor spent 20 minutes on treasury review instead of two weeks — saving an estimated $30K in legal fees.
See how it works →How Real Companies Used These Services
$18M → $410K in Income
Voxel Robotics closed a Series B and had $18 million sitting idle. We built a tiered liquidity structure — $4M liquid, $7M laddered to their burn, $3.5M in longer-duration instruments — and generated $410,000 in net investment income over 22 months. Zero forced liquidations, even when they accelerated hiring by three months.
$48,200 Instead of $55,000
Nordaq Composites was on track to blow past the $50K passive income threshold. Philippe Tran restructured mid-year — shifting positions and deferring gains — to land at $48,200. That single adjustment saved roughly $17,000 in tax, more than the annual brokerage fee.
Clean Books, $5.8M Closed
Luma Health Technologies earned a modest $6,800 in investment returns on $200K allocated. But the real value was structural: when they raised their Series A, the lead investor's counsel spent twenty minutes on treasury review instead of two weeks, saving an estimated $30K in legal fees. Closed $5.8 million in September 2023.
How to Get Direct Access Without the Layers
Four people manage $340M+ in assets. When you call, you reach the person who actually manages your money — not a receptionist, not an associate, not a call center. Here's the team:
Marc-Antoine Delisle
Founder & Managing Director
CFA Charterholder. Nine years at National Bank Financial before founding IBKR Invest in 2007. Still arrives before 6 a.m. Serves on the advisory board of Montréal NewTech.
Ask me about: Quebec microbrewery recommendations
Nadia Kourchid
Director, Client Strategy
CFA Charterholder, MBA Concordia. Joined in 2012 as the fourth employee. Onboards every new client personally and oversees portfolio construction for companies in their first three years. Rides centuries for fun.
Ask me about: Gran Fondo Mont-Tremblant
Philippe Tran
Senior Broker, Equities & Fixed Income
Licensed CIRO, BComm McGill. Handles execution for roughly 40 active client accounts. Left BMO Nesbitt Burns because he was frustrated with the assembly-line approach. Plays hockey Thursdays.
Ask me about: Verdun rec league standings
Camille Fournier
Operations Manager & Chief Compliance Officer
CCO designation (CIRO). Joined in 2014 and built the firm's compliance infrastructure from scratch. Maintains all CIRO and AMF reporting. Raises heritage-breed chickens in the Eastern Townships.
Ask me about: Eastern Townships weekend escapes
How to Stay Informed Without the Noise
We publish market commentary and research built specifically for startup CFOs and founders. Not generic bank reports. Not clickbait. Practical intelligence you can actually use to make better treasury decisions.
The $50,000 Line
How passive income inside your CCPC can quietly destroy your tax advantage. A detailed walkthrough with worked examples showing how $60,000 in passive income can result in a net tax increase that exceeds the investment gains.
Read on Markets & Insights →Post-Fundraise Playbook
Your Series A just closed. Here's what should happen in the first 30 days — from "money landed in the bank" to "money is structured and working." Covers immediate liquidity needs, grant vs. investor capital segregation, and instrument selection by time horizon.
Read on Markets & Insights →Strategy by Stage
Five portfolio approaches calibrated to where your company actually is — from pre-seed capital preservation through post-exit transition management. No cookie-cutter allocations.
Explore our Strategy Framework →How to Start a Conversation Without Any Commitment
No pitch deck required. No minimum asset size to have a conversation. Marc-Antoine or Nadia will spend 30 minutes understanding your situation and tell you honestly whether we can help. If we can't, we'll tell you who can. No awkward follow-up emails. No pressure. That's the whole process.
Browse With No StringsOr reach us directly:
(579) 695-9490 · contact@ibkrinvst.com
1035 Rue Hermine, Montréal, Quebec H2Z 1M9