Safar Partners

Safar Partners is a technology venture fund that describes itself as combining venture investing with a private equity outlook. Its strategy is to back commercial technology start-ups that originate at three universities: MIT, Harvard and the University of Rochester.

What Safar Partners offers

• Early-stage investment: the fund is often among the first outside backers of its portfolio companies.
• Cleantech and advanced materials: one of three stated investment areas.
• AI, IT and robotics: a second investment area.
• Life sciences: the third investment area.
• Board and network access: a board of academics and experts from the three universities supports technology transfer and scaling.

Who it works with

Start-ups founded on university research, with interest in themes such as climate change, sustainable energy, clean water, food management and healthcare.

Key facts

• Founded: 2018
• Portfolio: More than 75 companies
• Return targets: A return multiple above four times invested capital and a net IRR above twenty per cent
• Responsible investing: Signatory to the UN-backed Principles for Responsible Investment and publishes a sustainability report