IP Office of Singapore, Makara Capital launch $717m Innovation Fund

Business Innovation.

By Shiwen Yap

April 26, 2017

The Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) and Singapore-based private equity (PE) firm Makara Capital have jointly established the Makara Innovation Fund (MIF) with a corpus of S$1 billion ($717.5 million).

The mandate of the fund is to boost innovation and intellectual property (IP) in the city-state.

The fund is intended to aid innovators and enterprises in translating their concepts into tangible assets. 

Makara Capital was founded in 2005 as a joint venture (JV) with Credit Suisse AG but through a move by its founding partners, emerged as an independent entity in 2008.

The Makara Innovation Fund (MIF) will target high-growth enterprises which possess strong IP and proven business models globally which leverage Singapore as a strategic hub for expanding to global markets.

“The Makara Innovation Fund seeks to partner with innovative enterprises, providing capital and market access in order to enable them to compete at a global level,” said Makara Capital CEO Ali Ijaz Ahmad.

With a growing recognition of the role of IP in being a key competitive asset for businesses, according to its website, the fund will invest in “small-to-mid cap companies that demonstrate proven and defensible intellectual property, compelling fundamentals and a strong Pan-Asian growth trajectory.”

It will focus on sectors linked to urban solutions, advanced technologies, fintech, consumer, alternative energy and healthcare. It will target companies with strong managerial talent and will look at an investment size of S$30 to S$150 million per portfolio company with attractive exit potential.

The new fund is part of an initiative under the updated IP Hub Master Plan to support the Committee on the Future Economy’s Report, which identified IP as a key driver of economic growth.

Other initiatives include a memorandum of understanding with the Singapore Business Federation (SBF) to help enterprises innovate and scale up by providing SBF members with IPOS’ suite of services such as training and executive education, as well as reaching out to more than 150 local innovative enterprises over the next three years to provide them with access to local and international IP advisory and management tools.

Also Read: 

Singapore: SPH acquires Orange Valley Healthcare from KV Asia Capital in $117m deal

Singapore’s GIC acquires Sydney student housing blocks in $302m deal

Singapore: Ratan Tata-backed SeedPlus debut fund oversubscribed at $17.9m

Singapore: CoAssets HK acquisition; DeClout opens incubator

Singapore telco M1 approaches China Mobile, PE firms for stake sale

Singapore Reporter/s

In Singapore, we are looking to double our reporting team by this year-end to comprehensively cover the fast-moving world of funded startups and VC, PE & M&A deals. We want reporters who can tell our readers what is really happening in these sectors and why it matters to markets, companies and consumers. The ability to write precisely and urgently is crucial for these roles. Ideal candidates must have to ability to work in a collaborative, dynamic, and fast-changing environment. We want our new hires to be digitally savvy and ready to experiment with new forms of storytelling. Most importantly, we are looking for hard-hitting reporters who work well in a team. Collaboration and collegiality are a must.

Following vacancies can be applied for (only in Singapore).

Following vacancies can be applied for (only in Singapore).   

  • A reporter to track companies/startups that have raised private capital, and have the potential to become unicorns. SEA currently has over 40 companies with a valuation of over $100 million and under $1 billion.
  • A reporter who can get behind the scenes and reveal how funding rounds are put together, or why they’ve failed to materialise. She/he in this role will largely focus on long-format stories. 
  • A journalist to track special situations funds, distressed debt and private credit (from the PE angle) across Asia.
APPLY NOW

Singapore Reporter/s

In Singapore, we are looking to double our reporting team by this year-end to comprehensively cover the fast-moving world of funded startups and VC, PE & M&A deals. We want reporters who can tell our readers what is really happening in these sectors and why it matters to markets, companies and consumers. The ability to write precisely and urgently is crucial for these roles. Ideal candidates must have to ability to work in a collaborative, dynamic, and fast-changing environment. We want our new hires to be digitally savvy and ready to experiment with new forms of storytelling. Most importantly, we are looking for hard-hitting reporters who work well in a team. Collaboration and collegiality are a must.

Following vacancies can be applied for (only in Singapore).

Following vacancies can be applied for (only in Singapore).   

  • A reporter to track companies/startups that have raised private capital, and have the potential to become unicorns. SEA currently has over 40 companies with a valuation of over $100 million and under $1 billion.
  • A reporter who can get behind the scenes and reveal how funding rounds are put together, or why they’ve failed to materialise. She/he in this role will largely focus on long-format stories. 
  • A journalist to track special situations funds, distressed debt and private credit (from the PE angle) across Asia.
APPLY NOW