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SO Capital
Capital is an investment firm focused on private equity within the hospitality, IT, and tourism sectors. It offers investments in hotel guest rooms and airline...
SO Capital
Capital is an investment firm focused on private equity within the hospitality, IT, and tourism sectors. It offers investments in hotel guest rooms and airline operations through its open funds, The 1K Fund and The Wings Fund. The company is based in Auckland, New Zealand.
General information
Firm type
Private Equity
Year founded
—
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
Oceania
Country
New Zealand
City
Wellington
Corporate office
Level 1, 250 Wakefield Street, Wellington, 6011, New Zealand
Additional offices
Auckland, New Zealand · Napier, New Zealand
Principals
Shah Aslam
CEO
Gregor Schmalz
Chairman
Jodi Thomas
Executive Director, Strategy
Laurence Kubiak
Executive Director, Stakeholder Management
Colin Keel
Executive Director, Finance and Strategy
Anindya Sen
Executive Director, Money
Queenie Lai
Portfolio Manager
Jonathan Haggart
Data Analysis
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at SO Capital?
CEO Shah Aslam leads the management team and oversees deployment, supported by Portfolio Manager Queenie Lai and Data Analysis lead Jonathan Haggart. The governance team — five executive directors including former Goldman Sachs quant Anindya Sen and ex-Qantas/American Airlines executive Colin Keel — provides structural oversight and deal review.
Does SO Capital operate as a traditional fund manager or a holding company?
SO Capital functions as an operating-company-driven private-equity group. It embeds senior leaders inside portfolio entities — CEO Shah Aslam is actively involved in Air Napier, while SO Health operates Medicross — and retains governance directors with deep sector-specific C-suite backgrounds rather than delegating oversight to external boards.
What investment stages does SO Capital target?
The firm's declared strategy spans buyout, growth, and early-stage start-up investments. The balance tilts toward majority or control positions in operating businesses — such as the Medicross acquisition and the Ocean Flyer seaglider financing — indicating a preference for asset-heavy, infrastructure-adjacent deals alongside early-stage aviation technology.
How is SO Capital related to Air Napier?
SO Capital owns and operates Air Napier through CEO Shah Aslam's direct management role. The firm's website positions the airline as a platform for disrupting New Zealand's aviation sector, and the recent $145 million seaglider financing through Ocean Flyer and MONTE suggests the firm is building a broader regional aviation portfolio.
Does SO Capital maintain any regulated fund structures?
Publicly available information does not confirm any regulated fund vehicles. The firm's operating model — direct acquisition of Medicross, direct financing of seaglider assets, and embedded C-suite operators — functions more like proprietary capital deployment through an investment office, though the ultimate source of the capital it deploys is not disclosed.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
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