It is the largest PE/VC player in China. It manages the biggest non-sponsored Asia fund. Since 2004, it has invested huge sums in Indian firms. And now, with its ability to spot new opportunities, it hopes to become the Numero Uno PE player in India, says ASIF AHMED
In March, 2006, Ravi Adusumalli, General Partner
and India head of SB Asia Infrastructure Fund, better known as SAIF Partners, flew from the US to ink a deal with a media company to invest in a new line of business related to electronic media. In a chat then, Adusumalli, who debuted at 77 in the Forbes’ “The Midas List, 2008,” told us that he believes in a strong ‘local’ team that is fiscally responsible. That was an eye opener as most global Private Equity (PE) and Venture Capital (VC) players used to fly down from their home country, sign an agreement, and return back. So, talking about an India-dedicated team was certainly a rare occurrence.
In fact, SAIF goes a step further: it is one of the few PE/VCs that have separate teams dedicated to the firms that it has invested in. What this means is that investor SAIF Partners has an in-house office inside the investee firm’s headquarters. And this unique strategy works well with the investees. “It’s good to have people, who are more intelligent, around us,” says Vijay Shekhar Sharma, the MD of One 97, which is one of SAIF’s portfolio companies, where the investor’s office is located.
But this is just the beginning of this story. And in the arena of PE/VC segment, it is probably one of the most successful business scripts. When it started in 2001-02 as a Joint Venture between Japan’s Softbank Corporation and America’s Cisco Corporation, the world’s largest router company, the fund’s mandate was to invest and drive technology firms in the Asia-Pacific region. In the beginning, most of SAIF’s investments were in China and South Korea.
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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008
In March, 2006, Ravi Adusumalli, General Partner
and India head of SB Asia Infrastructure Fund, better known as SAIF Partners, flew from the US to ink a deal with a media company to invest in a new line of business related to electronic media. In a chat then, Adusumalli, who debuted at 77 in the Forbes’ “The Midas List, 2008,” told us that he believes in a strong ‘local’ team that is fiscally responsible. That was an eye opener as most global Private Equity (PE) and Venture Capital (VC) players used to fly down from their home country, sign an agreement, and return back. So, talking about an India-dedicated team was certainly a rare occurrence.In fact, SAIF goes a step further: it is one of the few PE/VCs that have separate teams dedicated to the firms that it has invested in. What this means is that investor SAIF Partners has an in-house office inside the investee firm’s headquarters. And this unique strategy works well with the investees. “It’s good to have people, who are more intelligent, around us,” says Vijay Shekhar Sharma, the MD of One 97, which is one of SAIF’s portfolio companies, where the investor’s office is located.
But this is just the beginning of this story. And in the arena of PE/VC segment, it is probably one of the most successful business scripts. When it started in 2001-02 as a Joint Venture between Japan’s Softbank Corporation and America’s Cisco Corporation, the world’s largest router company, the fund’s mandate was to invest and drive technology firms in the Asia-Pacific region. In the beginning, most of SAIF’s investments were in China and South Korea.
For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article
Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008
