Kuala Lumpur-based buyout-focused fund-of-funds Gaia Investment Partners, which has invested in about 25 global general partners (GPs), is evaluating its portfolio resiliency in the aftermath of the US tariff turmoil.
Gaia’s investee funds might only be exposed to some secondary impacts from the tariffs, its CEO and co-founder, Serena Tan, told DealStreetAsia in an interview.
Gaia Investment Partners primarily invests in US buyout funds, while Asia accounts for 15-25% of its portfolio. The firm is also active in co-investments and has some exposure to secondary funds.
Founded in 2021 as the private market funds investment arm of the Hong Leong Group’s family office, it was spun off as an independent alternative manager in 2024.
The firm expects a final close of its maiden private equity fund-of-funds in June 2025, which could bring the total fund to more than $700 million, she said. The fund has committed 80% of the capital raised so far. Its team is made up of former executives of Khazanah, Employees Provident Fund, and private equity firms in the region.
Gaia Investment Partners CEO and Co-founder Serena Tan will be speaking at the upcoming Asia PE-VC Summit 2025 in Singapore on Sept 10-11. Register now to attend her session.
In a wide-ranging interview with DealStreetAsia, she discussed the impact of trade tariffs compared to previous challenging cycles for the industry, the approach to secondaries, and LP-GP dynamics. Edited excerpts:-
