Karim Awad

SME Investor at Matsu Partners

Speaker

Karim started Matsu Partners in mid-2024 to acquire an SME in SE Asia as part of a wider industry roll-up strategy. Matsu is guided by a suite of proprietary AI tools, including a platform that can map and rank the growth prospects of privately-owned companies, at scale. This seeks to find an SME that capitalises on thematic tailwinds, concerning either off-shoring, demographic change, or the provision of "hidden-services" without which others cannot operate / scale.

Karim has approximately two decades of financial services experience, having worked in deal advisory and principal investment roles including for KPMG, Citi, and Barclays Capital. Between 2019-2023, Karim led the data science practice at Baring Private Equity Asia (now EQT Private Capital Asia), supporting the application of machine-learning and technology improvements across its asset portfolio. He is a trained data scientist, and holds degrees from the University of Cambridge, Imperial College London, and Insead.