Novo Tellus Capital Partners

Novo Tellus Capital Partners

Novo Tellus Capital Partners was founded in 2007 by Loke Wai San, a former senior executive at Dell and venture partner at Walden International. The firm is headquartered in Singapore and targets control-oriented investments in technology-enabled industrial and business services companies across Southeast Asia and India. Koh Boon Hwee, a prominent Singaporean businessman and former chairman of SingTel and DBS Bank, serves as chairman. The firm pursues a thematic strategy centered on industrial technology, enterprise software, digital infrastructure, and supply chain modernization. It typically acquires majority stakes in mid-market companies with revenues of $20–200 million, seeking to professionalize operations and accelerate growth. Portfolio companies include semiconductor equipment maker ASM Technology Singapore, which Novo Tellus took private in 2016, and logistics software provider Yojee. The firm also partners with family-owned businesses to help them scale. Novo Tellus employs a lean team of investment professionals with deep operational expertise. In 2021, the firm closed Novo Tellus PE Fund II at $275 million, exceeding its $200 million target (per the firm, 2021). It also manages dedicated co-investment vehicles alongside its primary funds. The firm does not disclose total AUM, but public filings and press reports suggest total commitments under management exceed $500 million. A structural differentiator is Novo Tellus's focus on the nexus of technology and traditional industry in Southeast Asia—a region often undercovered by global private equity. Rather than relying on financial engineering, the firm emphasizes operational transformation, often installing new management and digital systems in portfolio companies. Its chairman Koh Boon Hwee brings deep corporate governance experience from his roles at SingTel and DBS, adding a layer of strategic oversight.