NextBold Capital was co-founded by Sjoerd Zwinkels, former investment director at Mekong Capital, alongside Quadrant-backed Fitness & Lifestyle Group former executives Pedro Baliza and Jonas Wilbert, who bring extensive operational and investment experience. The firm aims to provide not just capital but hands-on operational expertise to help businesses in these markets scale sustainably.

NextBold Capital's strategy encompasses targeting SMEs in key urban centres across Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos – markets experiencing rapid growth due to a rising middle class, strong entrepreneurial cultures, and increased foreign investment. The firm focuses on sectors like education, healthcare, consumer goods, and services, where they see opportunities for governance transformation and value creation.

"These markets are still underserved by global investors, particularly in the SME space. We see enormous potential for value creation by bringing in the right mix of capital and operational support," said Zwinkels.

NextBold Capital's inaugural $100 million fund, designed to fuel growth for SMEs across Southeast Asia, has seen its fundraising efforts ramp up sice the middle of this year. Its unique positioning has granted the firm a flurry of interest from investors, and now an early recognition in the form of a shortlisting as a "must-watch" Emerging Private Equity Manager for APAC at SuperReturn Asia 2024, one of the world's leading private equity and venture capital conferences.

With several family offices already committed, the fund has started mapping the market in a number of sectors, including education and healthcare, with pre-funding deals already in motion.

"We're incredibly excited about the deals we've already lined up. Our early investments are targeting companies with strong business fundamentals in fast-growing markets, where we see clear potential for sector dominance with the right operational support," said Baliza. "We're seeing great momentum from family offices and other co-investors, and are ready to capitalise on the immense growth opportunities ahead."