Makara Innovation Fund today announced securing a strategic LP commitment from BADR Investments for the amount of $150 million
BADR Investments’ commitment was predicated on the Fund’s differentiated investment approach that focuses on partnering with innovative companies with globally competitive intellectual property, technologies and solutions to provide scale-up support into the growth markets of Asia
SINGAPORE, July 5, 2018 - Asia’s Largest Intellectual Property (IP)-Driven fund Makara Innovation Fund (“MIF” or the “Fund”) today announced securing a significant LP commitment from BADR Investments in the amount of $150 million. With a hard-cap of $700 million, Makara Innovation Fund has received strong interest from a global investor base that includes public and private investors from Asia as well as internationally.
MIF invests in late-stage start-ups and growth-stage companies having globally competitive IP, technologies and solutions as well as attractive pan-Asian growth potential. The Fund employs cross-border buy-and-build strategies to accelerate enterprise growth, concurrently leveraging Singapore as a strategic hub from where to execute IP management and commercialisation strategies in view of global scale-up.
Makara Capital, as fund manager to MIF, has formed a strategic partnership with IP ValueLab to conduct intangible asset due diligence on MIF’s investment decisions. IP ValueLab is a wholly owned subsidiary and the enterprise engagement arm of the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS), offering IP management consultancy services to businesses across a wide range of industries.
Mr. Shau En Tan, Executive Director of IP ValueLab, commented on the collaboration “IPVL congratulates our partner MIF in securing a commitment of $150 million from BADR Investments. This is a further endorsement of MIF’s approach of investing in highly innovation enterprises differentiated by the quality of their intangible assets. We are proud to be a strategic partner of MIF to help identify and assess such enterprises and to help them scale-up using Singapore as a preferred location for the commercialization of their IP and intangible assets”
Ali Ijaz Ahmad, Managing Director of Makara Capital, said, “We are delighted by and appreciative of the demand for MIF. Our group of seasoned industry specialists, global network of advisors and strategic stakeholders position us as a partner of choice to those companies seeking to scale and expand international reach across leading growth markets.”
He adds, “Securing commitment from BADR Investments serves as an endorsement of our differentiated investment approach, which prioritizes intellectual property as a strategic asset in the new wave of global enterprises of the future economy. After all, today’s innovative companies trade not in physical assets, but in services, ideas, technology and data. In appreciation of this shared insight, we look forward to working closely with BADR Investments to nurture the next generation of globally competitive companies.”
Dr. Amin Badr-El-Din, Founder & CEO of Badr Investments, explains, “We are excited to announce our partnership with Makara Innovation Fund. We are attracted to the Fund’s investment strategy that prioritizes intellectual property, as a key competitive asset and driver of value in businesses. Moreover, we find that the Fund’s focus on scaling-up late stage start-ups through a buy-and-build approach is instrumental in deepening enterprise value and accelerating such companies’ market footprint in Asia.”
“With an attractive investment pipeline, Makara Innovation Fund is advantageously positioned to tap on Singapore’s robust IP and innovation ecosystem to bolster the innovation prospects of high-tech companies. These complement BADR Investments’ core investment approach for investing in early stage transformative and exponential technologies”
Notably, the Fund’s announced investments to date include: MyRepublic, one of the fastest growing Telecommunication Technology (TelcoTech) players in the Asia-Pacific that stands at the vanguard of the sector’s digital transformation, and tryb Group, a fintech platform that is strategically poised to become the leading financial technology company in ASEAN by driving digitization and propelling financial inclusion for the region.
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About BADR Investments
BADR Investments is a diversified global investment firm with a portfolio that is spread across sectors and countries. The company acts as a catalyst for economic development in diverse countries and has allowed the creation of a portfolio of initiatives covering sectors along the entire spectrum of economic activities. In addition, it collectively aggregates and invests capital on behalf of the firm as well as strategic public and private partners. The firm is active in technology venture investing.
www.badrinvestments.com | +962 776 718 717 | Info@badrinvestments.com
About Makara Innovation Fund
Makara Innovation Fund invests in late-stage start-ups and growth stage companies that demonstrate proven and defensible intellectual property, compelling fundamentals and a strong Pan-Asian growth trajectory. Deploying an interregional investment approach that leverages Singapore as a strategic hub, the Fund partners with commercially viable businesses that are at an inflection point, where the combination of strategic capital, networks, and additional resources catalyzes enterprise value creation.
The Fund has established a strategic alliance with IPOS, one of the leading Singapore Government agencies focused on innovation, with the aim of furthering IP management, monetization and commercialization in qualifying portfolio companies. Through its wholly-owned subsidiary, IP ValueLab, IPOS will help innovative companies grow into global companies through strategic use and management of IP, as well as valuation and evaluation of intangible assets portfolio.
The Fund’s sector focus includes: urban solutions (logistics, security, waste management, etc.), advanced technologies (AI, big data, cybersecurity, nanotech, etc.), fintech, alternative energy, healthcare and bio-med.
www.makaracapital.com | +65 6220 1711 | info@makaracapital.com
About Makara Capital
Founded in Singapore in 2005, Makara Capital is a global financial services company that specializes in fund management, private equity as well as structuring and financing with a core focus on innovation, infrastructure and energy.
www.makaracapital.com | +65 6220 1711 | info@makaracapital.com
About IP ValueLab
IP ValueLab (IPVL) is the enterprise engagement arm of IPOS and helps businesses compete globally through solutions in innovation and IP management. It educates local companies and entrepreneurs on using IP to gain and sustain a competitive edge, develops industry best practices, and facilitates IP valuation and financing.
www.ipvaluelab.com.sg | +65 6339 8616 | enquiries@ipvaluelab.com.sg