European buyout firm Keensight Capital has opened an office in Singapore—its first in Asia and fourth globally—in a move aimed at expanding its global footprint and helping portfolio companies capture growth opportunities in the Asia Pacific region.
Singapore’s status as a financial centre and innovation hub for tech and healthcare, as well as its talent pool, will help Keensight-backed firms capture opportunities in the region, the company said in a statement on Wednesday.
The office expansion will also bring the firm closer to local stakeholders, including entrepreneurs, industry experts, investors, sovereign wealth funds, and family offices, the statement added.
“With our new office, we are well-positioned to leverage the vast opportunities in the Asia-Pacific region and deliver exceptional results for our investors and portfolio companies,” said Jean-Michel Beghin, Managing Partner, Keensight Capital.
The Singapore office will be led by professionals who will focus on market analysis, go-to-market strategies, optimising supply chain procurement, facilitating mergers and acquisitions, and pursuing other strategic initiatives.
Keensight’s new outpost will also collaborate with its operating partners in the region who have assisted in the expansion of its portfolio companies in APAC.
Keensight, which has offices in Paris and London, established an office in Boston in June 2023. It mostly invests in tech- and healthcare-focused companies in Europe. Its investees include online payment provider Buckaroo; RAM Infotechnology, a leading cloud service provider dedicated to the healthcare sector; and biometric-based systems developer Vision-box.
The firm, which has 5.2 billion euros in assets under management, also raised 2.8 billion euros for its sixth fund Keensight VI in September last year.
Keensight has over 25 years of experience in technology and healthcare, according to its website. The firm targets profitable companies with high growth potential and revenues in the range of 10 million euros to 400 million euros. It has delivered a 39% internal rate of return from a total of 49 exited investments, its website says.
Keensight joins several global investors that have set up offices in Singapore lately.
In January, US investment group StepStone opened an office in Singapore, the firm’s 27th global location and sixth in the Asia Pacific region after Perth, Sydney, Seoul, Tokyo, and Beijing.
In October 2023, London-headquartered global private markets investor Pantheon launched an office in the city-state. Its other Asian outposts include Hong Kong, Seoul, and Tokyo.