BackCapria Ventures announces first close of $100 million fund at $40 million
Capria Ventures, which has earmarked 33-40% of the fund for Asian markets, is looking to raise its next close of the fund by the middle of next year
Premium
Investment firm Capria Ventures Llc Wednesday said it has raised $40 million to achieve the first close of its $100 million fund.
Vulcan Capital, the investment arm of late Microsoft founder Paul Allen, has committed $20 million to the total fund, Capria co-founder and managing partner Will Poole said over the telephone.
Omidyar Network, Ford Foundation and Resonance Impact Fund have also come on board as new limited partners (LPs) at Capria.
Seattle-based Capria Ventures, which invests in venture capital, private equity, and other debt and equity funds backing early-growth businesses through its network fund, has earmarked 33-40% of the total $100 million for Asian markets.
Founded in 2015, Capria Ventures operates as a global impact investment firm.
It manages venture capital funds and provides seed and early stage capital to start-up fund managers, investing in healthcare, education, financial technology, mobile and consumer, retail and e-commerce, and agriculture sectors.
Capria has more than 16 fund managers across the globe.
The company is partnering with and investing in fund managers in Asia. It aims to expand its network to an additional three to five managers from South and South-East Asia including Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore and India in 2019.
Founded by David Richards, Will Poole and Jack Knellinger, Capria works closely with its fund partners to build and execute strategies for investments.
“As a fund of funds, we will invest between $1-4 million in fund managers," said Poole. “Also, the one thing that is common between all our fund managers is mass consumer opportunities and much more than only looking at B2B."
The firm has also hired a regional director to lead outreach to new partners and to support the regional effort for South and South East Asia.
In addition, Capria will make a cumulative commitment of $90 million in fund managers across Africa, Latin America and Asia by 2020.
Capria, backed by Bill Gates Investments and former Infosys CFO Mohandas Pai, currently has $269 million in assets under management (AUM). It plans to grow its AUM to $750 million by 2020.
Institutional funds including International Finance Corp. (IFC) of the World Bank Group, UKAis and Pfizer were also limited partners to Capria’s pilot fund until last year.
Capria is looking to raise its next close of the $100 million network fund by the middle of next year, said Poole.
Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed – it's all here, just a click away! Login Now!
