Skip to content

How We Invest

Our own capital, our own clock.

We have no fund life, no outside limited partners and no pre-agreed exits. That freedom shapes everything about how we choose, structure and support the businesses we hold.

Principles

Five ideas we return to

These are not slogans. They are the questions every investment committee paper must answer.

  1. 01

    We build on what we know

    Every holding sits close to something we have operated ourselves. We would rather understand one corridor deeply than many superficially.

  2. 02

    Patience is a strategy

    Our capital is our own. Without a fund clock, we can hold great businesses for decades and let compounding do the work.

  3. 03

    Operators first

    We back people who run businesses, and we stay close enough to help without getting in their way.

  4. 04

    Reputation is the asset

    In education and media, trust is the product. We will walk away from returns that put it at risk.

  5. 05

    Two countries, one table

    Our presence in Kathmandu and Seoul lets portfolio companies sign, hire and solve problems in both markets.

Partnership Models

Three ways we come in

The structure follows the business, not the other way round.

Model A

Founding & Incubation

We conceive and build the business ourselves, then recruit leadership to run it. SewaSoft began this way.

Model B

Majority Partnership

We acquire a controlling stake in an established business and work with existing management to professionalise and grow it.

Model C

Strategic Minority

We take a meaningful minority position with board representation where our network and experience add clear value.

Criteria

What we look for, and what we decline

We seek

  • A founder or management team with integrity we can verify
  • A real customer problem, already being solved for paying customers
  • Relevance to education, technology, media or our emerging sectors
  • Room to benefit from our Nepal–Korea network
  • Willingness to build governance, accounts and compliance properly

We decline

  • Businesses that depend on regulatory grey areas
  • Short holding periods or pre-agreed exits
  • Speculative real estate and commodity trading
  • Ventures whose model relies on misleading customers

Process

From introduction to stewardship

Most decisions are made within ten weeks of a first meeting. Founders always know where they stand.

  1. 01

    Week 1

    Introduction

    A first conversation with the founders, usually in person in Kathmandu or Seoul. We listen more than we present.

  2. 02

    Weeks 2–4

    Understanding

    We visit operations, meet customers and review the numbers together. We share our honest view early, including when the answer is no.

  3. 03

    Weeks 4–8

    Diligence

    Legal, financial and compliance review with independent advisers. We focus on the few questions that genuinely matter.

  4. 04

    Weeks 8–10

    Partnership

    Terms are agreed in plain language. Board composition, reporting and decision rights are set out before money moves.

  5. 05

    Years 1–5

    Building

    We work alongside management on hiring, systems, Korea market access and capital planning, and we show up when it is difficult.

  6. 06

    Indefinite

    Stewardship

    We intend to hold. Where a partial sale serves the company, we plan it with founders years in advance.

Questions

Frequently asked

Ask us directly

Our operating presence is in Kathmandu and Seoul, so almost all of our holdings have a connection to one or both. We will consider businesses elsewhere if that connection is strong.