Malaysia’s first search fund Nusatu Capital targets SME acquisition

[SINGAPORE] Backed by local and international investors – and helmed by a seasoned corporate strategist – Nusatu Capital is billing itself as Malaysia’s first search fund, and is now a year into its mission to acquire and run a small and medium-sized enterprise (SME).

“I haven’t come across anyone in Malaysia who has done this, so I took the opportunity to be a pioneer,” Kuala Lumpur-based founder Nazrul Johari told The Business Times in a virtual interview.

A search fund is an investment vehicle that raises capital from investors to find, acquire and run an SME. It is often taught in Master of Business Administration (MBA) programmes as a form of entrepreneurship through acquisition – buying a business rather than starting one.