Smart Global

Smart Global

Smart Global was established in 1980 by Ajay Shah and Lata Krishnan, two operators who built a global investment platform from Singapore decades before the city-state emerged as a magnet for family capital. Shah's operating background includes co-founding SMART Global Holdings and serving as a Managing Partner at Silver Lake Sumeru, while Krishnan, a Senior Fellow of the American Leadership Forum, brings deep cross-border experience. The firm has operated for over four decades without public fundraises, maintaining a low-profile investment approach characteristic of patient, permanent capital vehicles. The firm allocates across mobility, finance, healthcare, entertainment, and technology, with a geographic footprint that extends from the US and China into the ASEAN region, India, the Middle East, the UK, and Africa. The Krishnan-Shah Foundation and board-level involvement with the American India Foundation reflect a structured philanthropic layer that formalizes the dual mandate of capital preservation and social impact. In September 2023, the firm made no public structural announcements, reflecting its long-standing pattern of operating below the press radar. Smart Global's architecture is notable for fusing an Asian-headquartered generalist mandate with deep Silicon Valley operating roots — Shah's tenure at Silver Lake Sumeru and Sumeru Equity Partners created a bridge between Singapore-based permanent capital and US technology buyout expertise. This dual-hemisphere structure allows the firm to source deals across mature and emerging markets without being tied to a single fund cycle or external LP pressure.