Abakkus Emerging Opportunities Fund 1 2 | AIF Fund

Abakkus Asset Manager LLP

Abakkus Asset Manager LLP is an alpha-focused asset manager based in India. Mr. Sunil Singhania founded it in 2018 and called it after the simplest ancient computing device, the abacus. The goal and aim of Abakkus is to become one of India’s most reputable and successful asset managers. This ideology has shaped the Abakkus portfolio’s beliefs: Keep things as straightforward as possible. Be a firm believer in the basics. Focus on the fundamentals and numbers.

Abakkus Emerging Opportunities Fund – 1 is benchmark agnostic diversified portfolio comprising of 30-40 companies with bias towards mid and small cap. The fund has 15:15:15 discipline to invest in companies that qualify in at least 2 criteria out of 3. The portfolio follows fundamental based ideas picked via a bottom-up approach. Typically, we pursue 2nd or 3rd player within the sector but at significant discount to the leader. From risk management perspective, we restrict single stock exposure of less than 10 percent, and not more than 30 percent sector exposure at the time of investment. Thus, the portfolio endeavors to generate alpha and wealth creation by buying with typically 3-5 years holding period and adhering to our “MEETS” Framework.

Benchmark: BSE 500
Inception Date: June 6, 2019

Investment Philosophy

Abakkus Asset Manager Private Limited follows six core principles that shape its investment decisions and long-term strategy.

Alpha Generators
The firm seeks to generate alpha over market benchmarks by investing in growth-oriented businesses where profitability is expected to outpace the broader market. It focuses on fundamentally underpriced companies with reasonable growth visibility, particularly mid-cap businesses with scalable models and strong expansion potential.

Fundamentals Driven
A bottom-up research approach anchors the investment process, with sharp attention to balance sheet strength and earnings quality. The philosophy emphasizes that financial numbers carry more weight than narratives, and sustainable returns are ultimately driven by consistent earnings growth.

Comfortable Being Contrarian
The investment team is willing to be early or differentiated in its positions, avoiding momentum-driven strategies. It evaluates opportunities across sectors, market capitalizations, and business cycles without being restricted by consensus thinking.

Agile and Flexible
Every investment opportunity is assessed on its individual merit. The firm is not confined to a predefined theme or style, allowing adaptability as market conditions evolve.

Patience in Capital Allocation
The approach reflects a buy-and-hold mindset, investing in stocks as ownership in businesses rather than short-term trades. The team thinks like long-term partners in the companies they back.

Disciplined Risk-Reward Framework
Expected returns must justify the risks undertaken. Significant emphasis is placed on valuation—understanding what is already priced in and ensuring the value derived outweighs the uncertainty assumed.

5D Investing Process

A structured and disciplined framework guides the investment journey, ensuring consistency, depth, and informed decision-making at every stage.

01 Discover
The process begins with a broad investment universe of nearly 6,000 companies, from which approximately 1,500 are identified as investable. Initial screening draws on annual reports, analyst coverage, in-house screeners, team expertise, ecosystem insights, and continuous news flow tracking to generate credible leads.

02 Delve
From this refined pool, deeper analysis is conducted on around 350 companies using the proprietary MEETS framework. This evaluates management quality, earnings trajectory, event triggers, timing factors, and structural strengths, enabling sharper filtration of opportunities.

03 Develop
Comprehensive macro and micro analysis is then undertaken on over 100 companies. This includes management interactions, competitive positioning assessment, identification of potential triggers, peer comparison, and detailed financial modelling with sensitivity analysis to test assumptions.

04 Detail
Investment ideas are narrowed down to roughly 75 stocks. Portfolio construction emphasizes liquidity considerations, sector exposure balance, portfolio beta alignment, and robust risk management practices. Every decision is guided by a disciplined risk-reward framework, ensuring expected returns justify the risks undertaken.

05 Deliver
The final portfolio typically comprises around 30 carefully selected stocks. Active portfolio management follows, including continuous monitoring of news flow, periodic reviews, and adherence to a defined sell discipline. Decisions are driven by changes in price, fundamentals, or data points, maintaining agility while preserving long-term conviction.

At its core, the 5D process integrates structured research, valuation discipline, and dynamic risk oversight to translate insights into sustainable investment outcomes.

Why Abakkus?

Experience
The firm is backed by a well-qualified and dedicated team of professionals with decades of combined market experience, bringing depth, perspective, and institutional knowledge to the investment process.

Performance
It has established a strong performance track record spanning over two decades in public equity investing, demonstrating resilience and capability across varying market cycles.

Commitment
Operating with a start-up mindset, the organization maintains a high degree of commitment, urgency, and passion toward delivering measurable investment outcomes.

Positioning
The investment approach focuses on alpha generation beyond widely tracked large-cap names, driven by non-consensus, in-house research and differentiated insights.

Opportunistic Approach
The firm retains flexibility to invest in emerging sectors and evolving themes, particularly those aligned with India’s entrepreneur-led growth economy.

Consistency
The investment team has delivered consistent results across market environments, supported by a proven and disciplined performance record.

Fund Manager

Sunil Singhania

Sunil Singhania founded Abakkus Asset Manager LLP, an investment management company, in 2018 after 24 years of work experience. He is a chartered accountant who then became a chartered financial analyst from CFA Institute.

Mr. Singhania was a member of the 15-member international committee that rewrote the Code of Ethics handbook of the CFA Institute. For eight years (2005-13), he headed the Indian Association of Investment Professionals. The CFA Institute also enlisted him as a board member, and he later became the chair of the investment committee.

The renowned CFA worked at Reliance Capital for 15 years, where he initially headed the equity investments with a focus on Indian companies. He then went on to become Global Head- Equity at Reliance Capital. During Mr. Singhania’s leadership, 100% growth occurred in a reliance growth fund in 22 years.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the core investment strategy of the Abakkus Emerging Opportunities Fund – 1? +

The fund employs a benchmark-agnostic, diversified approach focusing on 30-40 companies with a structural bias toward mid and small-cap stocks. It utilizes a bottom-up research methodology to identify fundamentally underpriced businesses, typically targeting the second or third largest players in a sector that trade at a significant discount to the market leader.

What specific risk management constraints does the fund follow during portfolio construction? +

To ensure disciplined risk oversight, the fund restricts single stock exposure to less than 10 percent of the total portfolio. Additionally, it mandates that sector exposure cannot exceed 30 percent at the time of investment, maintaining a balanced distribution across different industries.

How does the 5D Investing Process filter the initial universe of stocks? +

The proprietary 5D framework begins by narrowing a broad universe of 6,000 companies down to 1,500 investable leads. This list is further refined through the "MEETS" framework and intensive financial modeling—evaluating management, earnings, and triggers—until a high-conviction final portfolio of approximately 30 stocks is delivered.

What are the primary investment philosophy pillars held by Abakkus Asset Manager? +

The firm operates on six core principles: generating alpha through growth-oriented businesses, maintaining a fundamentals-driven approach, embracing contrarian views to avoid momentum traps, remaining agile across market themes, practicing patience with a 3-5 year buy-and-hold mindset, and adhering to a strict risk-reward valuation framework.

What are the key fund details regarding its inception and benchmark? +

The Abakkus Emerging Opportunities Fund – 1 was launched on June 6, 2019. It measures its performance against the BSE 500 benchmark, seeking to deliver consistent alpha and long-term wealth creation for its investors within India's entrepreneur-led growth economy.

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