# Smart Global

Smart Global is an Asset Manager based in Singapore, Singapore.

## Overview

- **Organization type:** Asset Manager
- **Headquarters:** Singapore, Singapore
- **Region:** Asia
- **Address:** Singapore, Singapore
- **Founded:** 1980
- **Assets under management:** Undisclosed
- **Website:** smartgroup.com
- **LinkedIn:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/smart-global
- **Wikidata:** Q104480278

## Regulatory record

- **Reports private funds:** No

## About

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.

## Sectors

- Mobility & Transportation
- FinTech
- Healthcare Services
- Media & Entertainment
- Enterprise Software

## People

- Ajay Shah — Founder
- Lata Krishnan — Founder

## Questions

### How is Smart Global related to Silver Lake and Sumeru Equity Partners?

Ajay Shah was a Managing Partner at Silver Lake Sumeru, the mid-market technology buyout arm of Silver Lake Partners. He continues to serve as a Senior Operating Partner at Sumeru Equity Partners, the independent firm that emerged from Silver Lake Sumeru. Smart Global is a separate entity, but the relationship creates a co-investment and deal-sourcing channel between Shah's Singapore platform and US technology private equity.

### Which geographies does Smart Global target?

Smart Global operates across the United States, China, the ASEAN region, India, the Middle East, the United Kingdom, and Africa. This eight-region footprint makes it one of the more geographically diversified Asian-headquartered investment firms, with capacity to deploy in both developed and emerging markets.

## Related profiles

- [Skyline Investment](https://altss.com/profile/skyline-investment)
- [Smart Money Ventures](https://altss.com/profile/smart-money-ventures)

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Last updated: 2026-08-11T02:43:31.692Z

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