IE Staff Toronto-based CI Financial Corp. announced the launch of alternative investment manager Axia Real Assets LP on Tuesday. The new joint venture between CI and Axia’s four founding partners will focus on global real estate and infrastructure investments, according to a release. “CI believes that alternative mandates can play a vital role in helping investors meet their financial goals in an increasingly complex and challenging investment environment,” CI CEO Kurt MacAlpine said in a statement. Axia’s partners — Kelsey Boland, Darrell Shipp, Greg Stevenson and Joshua Varghese — have managed over $50 billion combined in investments in real assets on behalf of institutional and retail clients, the release said.