Innovation Sprouts Culture & Community

Born and raised in Fort McMurray, Antoine Palmer traveled the globe as a Hindu monk for many years, finding meaning and purpose in his life. He practiced and served at temples in Vancouver, Seattle, France and Germany. Along his journey, he founded a small monastery in Vienna that accommodated 20 to 25 monks in training. He also embarked on several business ventures, including one of his early forays into real estate – converting a 200-year-old heritage building into modern condo suites.

When Antoine returned to Canada in 2007, he founded Konscious Corp., a consulting firm where he worked on restructuring large-scale real estate developments as well as affordable housing and renewable energy projects.

In 2010 and 2011, Antoine took a step back from real estate and stepped into consulting for social enterprise startups. He co-founded Sustainival, the world’s first green carnival, and Sustainitech, a technology commercialization company. Through his work in the social economic landscape, his philosophical questions around economic impact and sustainability grew. This inspired him to found Boring Investments (later rebranded as Sparrow Capital), where he purchased commercial properties as a hedge against high-risk ventures. Currently, Antoine is involved in building a new foundation for innovation in Western Canada. It weaves together cultural fabric with innovation eco-systems in mixed-use commercial and residential spaces.

On the latest episode of The Everyday Millionaire, Antoine discusses the influences in his life that caused him to contemplate bigger life questions at a young age, and his journey back to Canada during the economic shift in Alberta, which led him to focus on real estate. He also discusses how Sparrow Capital is navigating Edmonton’s challenging economic climate and how his education with REIN has shaped his real estate investment decisions.

Click here to listen to REIN CEO Patrick Francey’s full podcast interview with Antoine.