Karim Awad

Managing Director at Matsu Partners

Speaker

Southeast Asian SMEs operate at roughly half the productivity of large-cap firms, and as little as a quarter in the region's developing economies. Karim founded Matsu Partners in 2024 on the premise that this gap is where returns in the low-mid market are made. Matsu invests in established, data-rich SMEs across Southeast Asia, predominantly in Healthcare, Education, and Business Services, and works to raise their productivity.

It does so by raising their digital maturity, applying proprietary AI tools across customer analytics, marketing, financial controls, and HR, whilst working directly alongside management to drive wider improvements in performance, governance, and ESG. The firm focuses on companies positioned to benefit from off-shoring, demographic change, and demand for essential, less-visible services that form the backbone of an industry.

Karim spent two decades in financial services before founding the firm. From 2019 to 2023 he led data-science value creation across the APAC portfolio at EQT Asia (formerly Baring Private Equity Asia), following M&A, principal investment, and financial due diligence roles at Citi, Barclays Capital, and KPMG. He holds degrees from the University of Cambridge, Imperial College London, and INSEAD.