Swiss firm partners with Shankar Narayanan for private investment platform

Sanaka Capital Partners Limited, a private equity firm, founded by Shankar Narayanan, formerly Co-Head of Carlyle Asia Growth Partners (CAGP) and Head – India (CAGP), and Woodman Asset Management AG, a Switzerland-based investment group, have partnered for an Asia- and India-linked private investment platform. Woodman has made a $100 million commitment to Sanaka Capital and also taken a minority interest in the general partner (the PE firm).

With subsidiaries in the UK and Denmark, Woodman provides a range of family office, wealth and asset management services and is entrusted with $5billion of capital.

Sanaka Capital will focus on identifying, building, operating and managing portfolios of companies across industry sectors through both control and minority investments. Narayanan, the founder, brings 25 years of private equity experience.

Previously, Narayanan had provided governance and strategy guidance through leadership positions and active board memberships. He also delivered successful exits through sales to strategic, public markets and peers sales. Sanaka Capital Partners will make use of this expertise and experience to focus on alternate investments, including in India and those with India linkages.

“Association with an institutional group like Woodman with its various international relationships complement Sanaka Capital Partners and my strengths to build an alternate investment platform that should provide best in class risk return parameters to various limited partner (LP) investors of Sanaka Capital,” said Shankar Narayanan, founder and CEO at Sanaka Capital.

“We are delighted to be partnering with Shankar Narayanan, which will give us a footprint to an exciting Asian market,” Daniel Aaxman, Chief Executive Officer and founder of Woodman, said. “This will also benefit our existing and future clients, who will have access to a first class private equity team with an unrivalled track record,” he added.