# Malik Yacoubi

> Malik Yacoubi is the Montreal-based co-founder and CEO of Nesto Group. A repeat technology entrepreneur and former Cossette chief digital officer, he co-founded nesto in 2018 with Karim Benabdallah, Damien Charbonneau and Chase Belair. He has led its expansion from digital mortgage brokerage into lending, servicing and institutional technology, including the 2024 acquisition of CMLS Group. In October 2026 he was named EY Entrepreneur Of The Year’s Eastern Overall Award winner.

- **Role:** Co-founder and CEO at Nesto Group
- **Organizations:** Nesto Group, nesto, Cossette, Mobilito, PaymentPin, Ecomsys, FounderFuel, Endeavor
- **Education:** Université Laval
- **Known for:** Built and exited technology businesses before co-founding nesto., Led Nesto through its June 2024 acquisition of CMLS Group., Selected as an Endeavor Entrepreneur in October 2024.

## Career timeline

- **University years** — Started entrepreneurial ventures with Karim Benabdallah while studying at Université Laval, including a portal and web hosting.
- **2004** — Launched mobile marketing company Mobilito with Benabdallah.
- **2010** — Mobilito was sold to Cossette; Yacoubi joined the agency.
- **2010-2018** — Worked at Cossette in mobile and digital leadership, ultimately as chief digital officer.
- **2018** — Co-founded nesto in May with Karim Benabdallah, Damien Charbonneau and Chase Belair.
- **2020** — Nesto decided to expand beyond brokerage and control more of the mortgage process.
- **2022** — Nesto developed its integrated platform; IG Wealth Management announced a Mortgage Cloud partnership in December.
- **2024** — Nesto acquired CMLS Group in June; Yacoubi, Benabdallah and Charbonneau joined Endeavor in October.
- **2026** — Nesto announced a C$302 million Series E at a C$1.47 billion valuation in June. Yacoubi won EY’s Eastern Overall entrepreneur award in October.

## Achievements

- Built and exited technology businesses before co-founding nesto.
- Led Nesto through its June 2024 acquisition of CMLS Group.
- Selected as an Endeavor Entrepreneur in October 2024.
- Named EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2026 Eastern Overall Award winner.

## Latest updates

- **2026-10** — EY announced Yacoubi as its 2026 Eastern Overall Award winner on October 14; the national award ceremony is scheduled for November 24 in Toronto.
- **2026-06** — Nesto announced C$302 million in Series E financing, combining primary and secondary capital, at a C$1.47 billion valuation.
- **2026-05** — Listed as the featured founder for a May 12 Table Ronde conversation at Ax.c in Montreal.

## Links

- Website: https://nestogroup.ca/team/malik-yacoubi/
- LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/malikyacoubi

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/malik-yacoubi
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-20