• Openspace Ventures: Sustainable Venture Capital

    The case describes a successful Singapore-based venture capital (VC) firm, Openspace Ventures, and its decision to incorporate elements of sustainable investing throughout its business. Similar to many early-stage investors, Openspace's early returns were driven by portfolio companies with a combination of large addressable markets, dedicated entrepreneurs, and a strong product offering aligned with the opportunity. Issues of sustainability or environmental, social, and (corporate) governance (ESG) were not initially part of their process, but after their initial success the founders are interested in "doing well by doing good"-and believe that it will not require sacrificing returns. This case illustrates how traditional early-stage investors such as Openspace can evaluate the trade-offs associated with adding a sustainability component to their investment process. In this brief case we introduce the protagonists, Shane Chesson, his co-founder Hian Goh, and the proposal they deliver to a room full of investors: to integrate sustainable investing principles throughout their successful, traditional VC business. Class discussion should lead to a decision on whether Openspace should proceed with Openhand, and if so, how to successfully manage the implementation.
    詳細資料
  • Merlion Investments: Investing in Collectible Assets

    The case describes a fictitious family office (FO), Merlion Investments, and the efforts of a junior family member, Leong Yew Kong, to convince his uncle and his grandfather to make an allocation to collectible assets. Similar to many family offices, Merlion Investments pursues a relatively conservative investment strategy; only 20% of its assets are allocated to riskier opportunities designed to grow the family's wealth. Yew Kong, who has worked diligently under his uncle's guidance for years, wants more responsibility. After doing his own research, Yew Kong believes he has identified an opportunity to carve out his own niche in the portfolio by investing in collectibles. The case is constructed to illustrate the real-world challenge of investing in non-traditional assets, in this instance, collectibles. Background information on five different collectible assets is provided in the case that students can use to discuss a) whether his uncle, Tan Chee Keong, and Merlion Investments should agree to Yew Kong's suggestion, b) which collectibles to invest in and through what vehicle, c) how much capital to allocate, and d) what kind of skills or expertise the team would need to successfully manage these investments.
    詳細資料
  • Asia Alpha Management (A): Tackling a Volatile Market

    The case is set in April 2018 when, after a 5-year streak of investing success and resultant strong asset inflows, the performance Asia Alpha Management Pvt. Ltd. (AAM), a fictitious hedge fund, begins to lag from the beginning of the year. AAM's co-Founder and Chief Investment Officer, Royston Lim, is struggling to decide what to do with three large positions in his portfolio that are underperforming. Each of these positions is constructed to illustrate the real-world impact of behavioural bias on investment management. Case (A) provides background information on the firm and detailed information on the three positions. After a class discussion on Case (A) to decide what Lim should do, Case (B) describes what actually happened. The concept of behavioural bias is introduced through the subsequent discussion of why Lim made the decisions he made.
    詳細資料
  • Asia Alpha Management (B): Tackling a Volatile Market

    The case is set in April 2018 when, after a 5-year streak of investing success and resultant strong asset inflows, the performance Asia Alpha Management Pvt. Ltd. (AAM), a fictitious hedge fund, begins to lag from the beginning of the year. AAM's co-Founder and Chief Investment Officer, Royston Lim, is struggling to decide what to do with three large positions in his portfolio that are underperforming. Each of these positions is constructed to illustrate the real-world impact of behavioural bias on investment management. Case (A) provides background information on the firm and detailed information on the three positions. After a class discussion on Case (A) to decide what Lim should do, Case (B) describes what actually happened. The concept of behavioural bias is introduced through the subsequent discussion of why Lim made the decisions he made.
    詳細資料