Panta Capital announces the launch of its Private Equity Co-Investment Service and its seed investment of ≅Euro 500,000 in fertiliser startup Rembuyung. Headquartered in Jakarta, with Euro 23.3 million AUM, the firm will focus on raising private equity investment from Europe to co-invest in high growth companies and projects in Indonesia, combining in-country knowledge with Germanic rigour and investment procedures, while giving practical support to promote growth in investee enterprises. Panta will act as lead investor, providing investment research, due diligence and advisory services to its private equity co-investor clients.

Panta Capital’s founder and CEO is German-educated entrepreneur Daniel Tjoa, who started investing while studying in Bavaria. Panta’s board of shareholders comprises a number of veteran European and Indonesian investors, including Jürgen Geisler, Heinrich Wallner, Stefan Schleicher, Klaus Rühl and George Harrianto, who bring contacts and experience across a number of investment sectors. Investment sectors include healthcare, manufacturing, packaging, IT, property, waste management and renewable energy.

Indonesia is the largest economy in SE Asia and the 16th largest in the world, combining low business costs with an increasingly English and tech-literate workforce, which has led European businesses to base outsourced services there. Indonesia has a huge consumer market with the world’s fourth largest population at over 300 million and a growing middle class; the World Bank estimates that over the past 15 years, the middle class has grown from 7 percent to 20 percent of the population, numbering 52 million Indonesians.

Historically, the Indonesian business and investment landscape has been characterised by poor management and administration. Panta’s Jakarta-based team will provide consultancy and advisory services to complement its investment practice and help ensure businesses succeed to maximise the investment. Panta’s consultancy services will include finance, administration and operational support.

Panta Capital has made a seed investment of ≅Euro 500,000 in Rembuyung to develop their enzyme fertiliser products. Rembuyung was founded by Prof. Dr. Setiono Hadi, PhD, a well-known figure in Indonesian agricultural innovation. An expert in enzyme study, Prof Hadi has worked as a consultant to Charoen Pokphand Indonesia and to the Government of Indonesia. Agriculture is the largest industry in Indonesia and the growing population means a consistent high demand for food, yet Indonesia is still a net importer of rice and other foods. Rembuyung aims to more than double per-hectare production of agricultural land in Indonesia through the application of its developmental enzyme technology.

Panta Capital Founder and CEO Daniel Tjoa commented: “Panta’s private equity services will forge closer links between the European investment community and the Indonesian market. This seed investment in Rembuyung is an example of the sort of high-growth opportunity we are targeting and we will be announcing more investments soon.”