Key Takeaways
- • Maslin Capital, a Bangladesh-based alternative investment fund manager, signed a strategic partnership agreement with California-based venture capital firm DEFTA Partners on March 2, 2017, to jointly finance IT and healthcare-related startups.
- • DEFTA Partners will provide capital-raising assistance from local and global sources, technical investment support in equity positions within non-listed companies, and operational guidance to early-stage portfolio companies.
- • DEFTA Partners brings two decades of international venture capital experience, having invested in more than 100 companies across the US, UK, Bangladesh, and Japan since the 1980s, with offices in San Francisco, Tokyo, and Hong Kong.
- • The partnership addresses Bangladesh's nascent alternative investment market, which had recently been brought under regulatory oversight by the Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission, positioning Maslin Capital to leverage alternative investment tools for private sector development.
- • DEFTA Partners' existing Bangladesh presence includes a joint venture with BRAC (the world's largest NGO) operating bracNet, an internet service provider, demonstrating established market infrastructure and relationships.
Summary
Maslin Capital, a local alternative investment fund manager based in Bangladesh, has formalized a strategic partnership with DEFTA Partners, a California-based venture capital firm, to jointly finance early-stage companies in the information technology and healthcare sectors. The agreement was signed on March 2, 2017, at a ceremony in Dhaka, with Wali-ul-Maroof Matin, co-founder and managing director of Maslin Capital, and George Hara, group chairman and CEO of DEFTA Partners, executing the deal.
Under the partnership framework, DEFTA Partners will serve multiple functions for Maslin Capital's fund-raising initiative. The US-based firm will assist in mobilizing capital from both domestic and international sources, provide hands-on technical expertise in evaluating and structuring equity investments in unlisted companies, and offer strategic guidance to help portfolio companies scale and achieve operational success. This collaboration is designed to bridge the gap between Bangladesh's emerging alternative investment sector and global venture capital best practices.
The timing of this partnership reflects significant regulatory developments in Bangladesh. Maslin Capital emphasized that the agreement directly supports the recently established regulatory framework for alternative investments introduced by the Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission. According to Matin, the partnership enables both firms to contribute meaningfully to private sector development—a critical growth engine for the country—by deploying alternative investment vehicles that were previously unavailable or unregulated in the market.
DEFTA Partners brings substantial international credentials to the arrangement. The firm has maintained an active investment portfolio spanning multiple continents since the 1980s, with confirmed investments exceeding 100 companies across the United States, United Kingdom, Bangladesh, and Japan. The firm operates regional offices in San Francisco, Tokyo, and Hong Kong, positioning it to facilitate cross-border deal flow and provide portfolio companies with global operational expertise. Notably, DEFTA Partners already maintains a material presence in Bangladesh through a joint venture with BRAC, the world's largest NGO, operating bracNet, a telecommunications and internet service provider.
George Hara highlighted Bangladesh's appeal to DEFTA's investment thesis, characterizing the country as "one of the most potential investment destinations" for the firm. The partnership represents a natural extension of DEFTA's existing regional footprint and reinforces Maslin Capital's positioning as an emerging institutional-grade alternative asset manager in a market where such capabilities remain nascent.
Under the partnership framework, DEFTA Partners will serve multiple functions for Maslin Capital's fund-raising initiative. The US-based firm will assist in mobilizing capital from both domestic and international sources, provide hands-on technical expertise in evaluating and structuring equity investments in unlisted companies, and offer strategic guidance to help portfolio companies scale and achieve operational success. This collaboration is designed to bridge the gap between Bangladesh's emerging alternative investment sector and global venture capital best practices.
The timing of this partnership reflects significant regulatory developments in Bangladesh. Maslin Capital emphasized that the agreement directly supports the recently established regulatory framework for alternative investments introduced by the Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission. According to Matin, the partnership enables both firms to contribute meaningfully to private sector development—a critical growth engine for the country—by deploying alternative investment vehicles that were previously unavailable or unregulated in the market.
DEFTA Partners brings substantial international credentials to the arrangement. The firm has maintained an active investment portfolio spanning multiple continents since the 1980s, with confirmed investments exceeding 100 companies across the United States, United Kingdom, Bangladesh, and Japan. The firm operates regional offices in San Francisco, Tokyo, and Hong Kong, positioning it to facilitate cross-border deal flow and provide portfolio companies with global operational expertise. Notably, DEFTA Partners already maintains a material presence in Bangladesh through a joint venture with BRAC, the world's largest NGO, operating bracNet, a telecommunications and internet service provider.
George Hara highlighted Bangladesh's appeal to DEFTA's investment thesis, characterizing the country as "one of the most potential investment destinations" for the firm. The partnership represents a natural extension of DEFTA's existing regional footprint and reinforces Maslin Capital's positioning as an emerging institutional-grade alternative asset manager in a market where such capabilities remain nascent.
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