Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion – Silver, 2025
Innovation – Bronze, 2025
Compensation – Bronze, 2024
Accolades
Founded CMI as a two-person, family-run mortgage brokerage
2005
From disruption to domination: CMI’s transformative rise
CMI Financial Group’s CEO, Bryan Jaskolka, lives by a succinct motto: “Perseverance fuels success.” Reflecting on his journey, he credits this mindset as the common thread that shaped his dreams, his career path, and, ultimately, his company and the way he leads it.
At 22 years old, Jaskolka was involved in a life-altering accident that forced him to drop out of university. The silver lining was that the unexpected setback also gave him the space to think differently. He embraced the chance “to question, experiment, and set the foundation for what would become CMI.”
One of Canada’s fastest-growing non-bank financial services companies, CMI began in 2005 as a two-person start-up with just $1,000 in seed capital. It’s a stalwart in the field now: a multifaceted, award-winning organization with over 120 employees and more than $1 billion in assets under management.
This growth is a testament to Jaskolka’s resilience and his firm belief that success is always possible − even in the face of seemingly impossible circumstances.
“My mindset is grounded in seeing obstacles as opportunities rather than boundaries, and failures as feedback − a tool to refine vision − rather than a finish line,” Jaskolka says. “If I had seen my injury as an ending rather than an opportunity, CMI would not exist today. It taught me that adversity can be a starting point, not a setback.”
“Evolution was necessary, but I didn’t simply pivot,” Jaskolka recalls. “I reimagined the entire business model.”
With technology and innovation at its core, CMI continued to expand. In 2015, it launched the first of what would become CMI MIC Funds, its flagship suite of mortgage investment corporations, and two additional funds quickly followed. These accessible, professionally managed mortgage investment solutions each align with a distinct risk/return profile. They offer attractive yields, reliable monthly income, and robust capital preservation − and provide advisors and clients with a strategic, diversified alternative to traditional fixed income.
Importantly, CMI lends from coast to coast, reaching urban, suburban, and select rural markets. This strategy is appealing given the regional concentration of many other MICs in the market. A greater geographic reach helps enhance returns, mitigate risk, and safeguard investor capital.
With its impressive AUM, consistent achievement of target yields, and dedicated wealth advisor services team, CMI has established itself as a leader in mortgage investments. Yet, its defining strength lies in offering advisors “a true partnership grounded in transparency, performance, and advisor-focused support,” Jaskolka says − and it’s just getting started. With US expansion underway and global opportunities on the horizon, Jaskolka’s updated vision is for CMI to become a worldwide leader.
“We invest heavily in making sure our technology doesn’t just keep pace with the market but anticipates where it’s going,” Jaskolka explains. “That mindset allows us to lead − not follow − the modernization of private lending in Canada.”
Innovation has always been at CMI’s core − not for its own sake, but as a solution to real-world inefficiencies.
Jaskolka first encountered these inefficiencies as a broker in the subprime space. His solution was revolutionary at the time: an online platform allowing borrowers to apply for mortgages from the comfort of their homes. That bold approach remains a CMI hallmark.
“It’s hardwired into everything we do, but innovation doesn’t happen in a vacuum,” Jaskolka says. “It requires the right culture − one that values curiosity, collaboration, and continuous improvement.”
CMI boasts a diverse team that thrives on idea-sharing and constructive feedback, and that empowers employees to speak up, identify pain points, and help shape the solutions. Employee insights drive many of the
enhancements to CMI’s platform, processes, and products, and this approach ensures that CMI continues to do things differently, never falling victim to the “but we’ve always done it this way” mentality.
“We’ve focused relentlessly on using technology to remove friction and improve experiences across the board, and ultimately we’ve reimagined how this market operates,” Jaskolka explains, adding that real-life, measurable impact is his definition of success.
Over and above his achievement in scraping CMI together through personal capital, calculated risk, and sheer determination, and beyond any award or milestone since, Jaskolka values the real-world impact of CMI. “If we’re making a real difference in people’s lives while building something sustainable and future-ready, then we’re succeeding,” he says.
Success also means growth, professionally and personally. It’s empowering people to do their best work by championing collaboration and purpose and measuring progress not just in numbers but in value delivered. As a self-taught entrepreneur who bootstrapped the growth of CMI, Jaskolka learned that resilience, resourcefulness, and grit matter more than credentials. That perspective continues to influence CMI’s trajectory and shape his leadership style − one that prizes bold thinking over convention.
Spotlight
With the industry at the time a technology laggard seemingly immune to the rapid digitization happening elsewhere, there was a clear opportunity to modernize the mortgage experience.
Jaskolka’s background in web and tech informed his initial vision for CMI as a predominantly online mortgage brokerage that could serve clients more efficiently, transparently, and sustainably. Launching an ambitious plan that involved digital tools such as online applications that were far from the norm at the time, he aimed at a gap: borrowers who were underserved or excluded by traditional lenders.
Then the 2008 financial crisis hit. Lenders pulled back from the subprime space, and the need for high-quality private mortgage solutions became undeniable. Circumstances once again called on Jaskolka to make a move, and he doubled down on his mission to modernize the mortgage space. CMI transformed from a brokerage to a lender with the creation of CMI Mortgage Investments − a fintech-driven lender powered by proprietary technology that delivers high-calibre private mortgage solutions, quickly and seamlessly, for investors, brokers, and borrowers alike.
CMI Financial Group (CMI) is a fully integrated alternative mortgage lending and investment company, offering end-to-end private mortgage services for mortgage brokers and investors through its four interrelated businesses: CMI Canadian Mortgages Inc., CMI Mortgage Investments, CMI MIC Funds, and CMI Mortgage Servicing. As an award-winning industry leader and one of Canada’s fastest-growing companies, CMI has funded more than $3 billion in mortgages and manages over $1 billion in assets. CMI helps investors achieve competitive fixed-income returns by offering high-quality, real estate-backed mortgage investment solutions tailored to their investment objectives and risk tolerance.
Company Profile
20
Years in the mortgage industry
(2020−2024)
Years on Report on Business ranking of Canada’s Top Growing Companies
$3B+
Lifetime mortgage fundings
50/50
Gender representation in leadership
$1B+
Assets under management
Bio
Spotlight
Milestones
Media
Accolades
Company Profile
Years in the industry
20+
Years at CMI
20, from its inception
Fast Fact
Grew CMI into one of Canada’s largest private mortgage lenders
Bryan Jaskolka
CEO at CMI Financial Group
Bryan Jaskolka turned personal adversity into a fintech triumph. With innovation at its core, CMI has transformed Canada’s mortgage landscape − redefining access, transparency, and opportunity in private lending
Read on
“My mindset is grounded in seeing obstacles as opportunities rather than boundaries, and failures as feedback − a tool to refine vision − rather than a finish line”
Bryan Jaskolka,
CMI
Share
Accolades
Milestones
2011
2012
2015
2016
2021
Curabitur feugiat eget leo id tempus. Maecenas commodo, nibh at ultricies pulvinar, ipsum erat porta metus, et tempus justo tellus euismod dolor.
2012
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2015
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2016
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2021
Fundserv is the indispensable connectivity hub for the Canadian investment industry. Headquartered in Toronto, we electronically connect Manufacturers, Distributors, and Intermediaries, enabling them to buy, sell, and transfer investment funds. With more than 100 employees, Fundserv serves hundreds of members—executing up to 63 million yearly network transactions—and provides online access to more than 70,000 investment fund products.
Established in 1993, Fundserv is a private corporation that is owned by the industry we serve. Our 10 shareholders are a cross-section of Manufacturers, Distributors, and Service Providers who represent our members.
We operate using a cost-recovery model, meaning any unused profit may be rebated back to our members. In addition to our network and applications, we lead and facilitate industry committees and working groups that promote automation initiatives and establish the industry’s electronic standards.
By ensuring every trade is processed timely, accurately, and securely, Fundserv has rightfully earned a reputation for service excellence—a hallmark of more than 25 years in the investment industry.
Company Profile
YEARS IN THE INDUSTRY
20+
Tenure at current position
2017 - Present
YEARS AT CMI
20, from its inception
Fast FacT
Grew CMI into one of Canada’s largest private mortgage lenders
Karen Adams
President and CEO at Fundserv
Before becoming CEO of Fundserv, Karen Adams held a variety of leadership roles around the world – and she learned that listening and understanding are key to both providing service and developing talent
Read on
Share
Share
Accolades
Milestones
2011
2012
2015
2016
2021
Curabitur feugiat eget leo id tempus. Maecenas commodo, nibh at ultricies pulvinar, ipsum erat porta metus, et tempus justo tellus euismod dolor.
2012
Curabitur feugiat eget leo id tempus. Maecenas commodo, nibh at ultricies pulvinar, ipsum erat porta metus, et tempus justo tellus euismod dolor.
2015
Curabitur feugiat eget leo id tempus. Maecenas commodo, nibh at ultricies pulvinar, ipsum erat porta metus, et tempus justo tellus euismod dolor.
2016
Fundserv is the indispensable connectivity hub for the Canadian investment industry. Headquartered in Toronto, we electronically connect Manufacturers, Distributors, and Intermediaries, enabling them to buy, sell, and transfer investment funds. With more than 100 employees, Fundserv serves hundreds of members—executing up to 63 million yearly network transactions—and provides online access to more than 70,000 investment fund products.
Established in 1993, Fundserv is a private corporation that is owned by the industry we serve. Our 10 shareholders are a cross-section of Manufacturers, Distributors, and Service Providers who represent our members.
We operate using a cost-recovery model, meaning any unused profit may be rebated back to our members. In addition to our network and applications, we lead and facilitate industry committees and working groups that promote automation initiatives and establish the industry’s electronic standards.
By ensuring every trade is processed timely, accurately, and securely, Fundserv has rightfully earned a reputation for service excellence—a hallmark of more than 25 years in the investment industry.
Company Profile
Years in the indusrty
20+
YEARS AT CMI
20, from its inception
Fast Fact
Grew CMI into one of Canada’s largest private mortgage lenders
Karen Adams
President and CEO at Fundserv
Career highlight
Before becoming CEO of Fundserv, Karen Adams held a variety of leadership roles around the world – and she learned that listening and understanding are key to both providing service and developing talent
Read on
IN Partnership with
In Partnership with
In Partnership with
2005
2011
2021
2023
2023
Founded CMI as a two-person, family-run mortgage brokerage
2005
Reinvented CMI as a lender, now known as CMI Mortgage Investments
2011
Named Entrepreneur of the Year at the Canadian SME National Business Awards [press release]
2021
Named a regional finalist for EY Entrepreneur of the Year [press release]
2023
Named to Wealth Professional’s Top 40 Under 40 Rising Stars list
2023
Milestones
Modernizing the mortgage experience − and then reimagining it
Bold thinking over convention
Published June 16, 2025
Find out more
Find out more
Find out more
“We’ve focused relentlessly on using technology to remove friction and improve experiences across the board, and ultimately we’ve reimagined how this market operates”
Bryan Jaskolka,
CMI
Sustainable Programs – Silver, 2024
Innovation – Bronze, 2024
Culture – Bronze, 2024
5
Ultimately, the arena in which CMI plays − and dominates − is no longer the home turf of a niche solution, but a mainstream financial alternative born of necessity and opportunity. With the convergence of borrower demand and investor appetite cementing private lending’s place as a vital, enduring pillar of Canada’s financial services marketplace, CMI is poised to play an increasingly strategic role in that ecosystem.
There’s work still to be done, and Jaskolka isn’t taking his foot off the gas when it comes to developing smarter, more streamlined processes and robust offerings. True to his nature, it’s full speed ahead.
“We’ll continue to expand access to flexible lending solutions while deepening our investment product shelf and advancing innovation across our platform,” Jaskolka sums up. “At CMI, we know the importance of continuously reinvesting in your business. When you find something that works, it’s vital to channel your success back into strengthening your operations.”
That’s not to say the journey will be without its roadblocks − in business, you hear “no” far more than “yes,” Jaskolka notes − but he has the utmost faith in the fundamental blueprint of his company and his own proven ability to overcome adversity.
“Setbacks are inevitable, but remember, every challenge holds an opportunity in disguise,” he says. “I’m living proof of that.”
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2021
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Copyright © 1996-2025 KM Business Information Canada Ltd.