Winter Capital Partners Obtains Regulatory In-Principle Approval to Operate in the UAE

Investment

Winter Capital, a growth equity investment firm headquartered in the UAE, has been actively growing since the mid-2010s. The current focus of the company is dynamic support of South and Southeast Asian (SEA) start-ups. Winter Capital has been notable in India for supporting startups like G.O.A.T Brand Labs in e-commerce, and Pristyn Care in healthcare. Previously, CollegeDekho, an Indian Ed-Fin-Tech startup delivering student accommodation and coaching for higher education, closed $35 million in its Series B investment round led by Winter Capital. Now, the growth equity fund is seeking to expand even further in India and penetrate the UAE and global markets.

The Financial Services Regulatory Authority (the FSRA) has awarded Winter Capital Partners Investment Funds an In-Principle Approval for a Financial Services Permission (FSP), allowing it to conduct regulated activities in the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) (1).

ADGM is an International Financial Center (IFC) situated in the capital of the United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi. As a broad-based financial center, it acts as a vital strategic link between the developing nations of the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia, and the rest of the globe. It makes it possible for registered financial and non-financial organizations, businesses, and entities to function, innovate, and thrive within a global regulatory system based on common law.

ADGM's In-Principle Approval will enable Winter Capital to manage a collective investment fund, provide investment or credit advice and broker investment deals. This accomplishment lays the path for the company to strategically broaden its client base, enabling it to raise money and provide investment guidance in the area. Winter Capital is now looking to join the MENA investing community and investigate new prospects using the knowledge it has amassed from years of spotting and supporting rapidly expanding companies around the world.

In light of the strategic expansion, Winter Capital stresses that its commitment to the support of South and South East Asian companies will remain a very high priority. Most recently, Uolo, an Indian edtech platform that collaborates with private K-12 schools to provide online learning programs to middle- and low-income families, has raised $22.5 million with Winter Capital's backing (2). Winter Capital has lately also contributed to the Singapore-based Osome, a payroll, bookkeeping, and tax reporting assistance platform, with the latter raising $25 million (3).

About Winter Capital

Winter Capital is a global growth equity investment firm founded in 2015 by Goldman Sachs EM senior alumni. With US$1.4 billion under management across three funds, Winter Capital focuses on growth equity investments in consumer industries going through technology-enabled change. The funds invest globally in fast-growing tech companies in four select verticals: financial, healthcare, education, and consumer services.