Private Equity

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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 logo

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

AviationHealthcare ServicesMobility & Transportation

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.

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