Malaysian investment firm Kenanga Investors Bhd announced Thursday the launch of the Kenanga Sustainability Series: Frontier Fund, to invest in technology-driven firms.
The fund aims to invest primarily in equity securities of global cutting-edge, innovative companies with long-term sustainable growth potential, are on the cusps of initial public offerings, and have or will develop products and services that are linked to technologically-driven innovations, said Kenanga Investors in a statement.
The fund also aims to further bridge the gap between retail investors and global tech companies of the future.
Kenanga Investors foresees significant investment possibilities in these growth or late-stage ventures, where their underlying themes are unified in focusing on the Next Generation, or forward-looking innovations currently shaping the industries of the future, such as the space economy, the metaverse, healthcare, fintech, and cybersecurity.
The fund will allow investors to capture the sustainable value generation of these companies, which were previously exclusively available to institutional investors.
Kenanga Investors Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer Ismitz Matthew De Alwis said the firm intends to reshape the existing private equity space in Malaysia by focusing on addressing the lack of available gateways for investors to access investment opportunities in prominent, hard-to-reach early start-ups.
“Since 2016, emerging digital companies have won over the ‘old economy’ by being among the top five most valuable corporations. Given the constant development of new technologies, it is unsurprising that new technology companies are sprouting. We began this process of bridging the gap between prominent players of the new ‘Big Tech’ and our investors back in 2019,
“The resulting outcome has been fulfilling for our investors in many ways; from portfolio diversification to the exploration of a new investment universe beyond the traditional investing realm, and so, demand for similar offerings has risen. We are glad to introduce the Fund to the market where investors who were not able to participate previously will have an opportunity to do so this time”, he said.
The fund’s focus on frontier technological breakthroughs also signifies Kenanga Investors’ journey to a sustainable investing roadmap.
“Frontier tech represents a multitude of opportunities in boosting the development curve of the future, from utilization of technologies to reduce carbon emissions, new medical discoveries to propel patient empowerment to the democratization of financial services, the advent of frontier tech will allow for greater societal benefits and driving sustainable returns,” said De Alwis.
The fund feeds into the Ericsenz Frontier Fund and is suitable for sophisticated investors who have medium to long-term investment horizons. The initial offer period is from October 27 through December 3, 2021. It is available in both MYR and USD classes so investors can choose to invest in their preferred currency.
The Target Fund Manager, Ericsenz Capital Pte. Ltd, is a venture capital and private equity firm licensed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore with a collective experience of close to 100 years dealing with high growth middle-market companies primarily within the technology, healthcare, consumer, and energy sector. Ericsenz is known for its strong network of professionals and associates providing valuable insights into global tech brands.