Singapore's Lighthouse Canton may have entered India only in 2020 but it is zeroing in on the latecomer's advantage—a steady vantage point. Can the global investment firm make its bets count?
A lighthouse primarily serves two purposes. First, the powerful flashing light mounted on the top of the soaring tower is used to guide ships. The intent is to help them navigate. Second, the blazing light warns captains of an impending danger. Shilpi Chowdhary points out an obvious third aspect which only a latecomer can spot. “It’s a good vantage point,” says the group chief executive officer and co-founder of Lighthouse Canton. When the Singapore-headquartered global investment firm opened its India account in 2020, it definitely didn’t have a first-mover advantage. “There is enough room for multiple players,” he says, dismissing any notion about carrying the baggage of being late. “We know what we have,” he underlines confidently.
What Lighthouse Canton does have is an edge that not many in the investing world possess. The firm offers wealth and asset management services, and doubles up as a venture equity and debt fund. “We want to capture the whole lifecycle of a startup,” says Chowdhary, who has had stints as managing director of Credit Suisse Private Bank and Citibank in India. “That’s the big opportunity we are chasing,” he says, explaining the dynamics of the fund which...
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