How Saye Sathiyakumar built businesses, created opportunity, and stayed connected to the community that shaped him.
Scarborough has produced its share of entrepreneurs, but every once in a while someone comes along whose story captures exactly what this community is about.
Scarborough entrepreneur Saye Sathiyakumar is one of those stories.
By his mid-twenties, Sathiyakumar had already built a record-breaking portfolio in the recruitment industry, generating millions of dollars in sales and establishing himself as one of the top performers in his field.
That momentum helped launch Power Staffing Solutions, a firm specializing in technology and healthcare recruitment that would later be ranked the #2 Fastest Growing Company in Canada by The Globe and Mail’s Report on Business list.
But Sathiyakumar’s story did not begin with business success.
His family arrived in Canada from Sri Lanka in 1995 and settled in the Tuxedo Court neighbourhood of Scarborough. Like many immigrant families, the early years required resilience as his parents worked to build stability for their children.
Even as a teenager, Sathiyakumar showed an early entrepreneurial instinct. At sixteen he and a friend started a small clothing brand printing motivational quotes on T-shirts and selling them around the community. It was a short-lived venture, but an early glimpse of the creativity and hustle that would shape his future.
While Sathiyakumar was in his third year of university studying graphic design, the family faced a turning point. His father lost his job, and Saye stepped away from school to help support the household.
Reflecting on those early years, Sathiyakumar says, “Every milestone in my life was built off hardship. And I will never forget them.”
At nineteen, Sathiyakumar entered the recruitment industry and quickly discovered something important. He was good at it. While others relied on scripts, he trusted instinct and creativity, turning cold calls into real conversations that began opening doors.
Working in the staffing and recruitment sector, he was exposed to experienced entrepreneurs and a fast-moving business culture. One of those leaders, Sam Ibrahim, recognized his potential early and encouraged his growth.
By 2018, at just 25 years old, Sathiyakumar had built a record-breaking portfolio nearing $10 million in sales. That same year he partnered with Ibrahim to launch Power Staffing Solutions, setting the stage for the next chapter of his entrepreneurial journey.
But entrepreneurship for Sathiyakumar has never been only about building companies. It has also been about recognizing problems and solving them.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, as families across Ontario faced growing challenges securing reliable in-home care for seniors, he identified an opportunity in Stay Home Forever Inc., a local homecare provider with a strong brand but untapped potential for scale. He acquired the company and led its transformation by expanding caregiver recruitment and building a leadership team to support long-term growth.
Stay Home Forever Inc. is now a government-accredited homecare company with over 250 caregivers supporting families across the province.
At the same time, Sathiyakumar has remained closely connected to the community where he grew up. In 2023 he joined forces with George Mihail and helped revive The Real McCoy Burgers & Pizza, a beloved local institution that had closed after redevelopment forced it from its original location.
Stories like this reflect something larger about Scarborough. At the Scarborough Business Association, we are working to build new pathways that connect young people to the kinds of opportunities that helped shape journeys like Sathiyakumar’s.
In Scarborough, the next generation of entrepreneurs is already growing up in the same neighbourhoods where stories like his begin.
This article is written by Ryan Somer, who is the President of The Scarborough Business Association. Learn more at thesba.ca
