Edelweiss Special Situation
Our view on the fund, the AMC, the strategy, the performance & the investment team.
IME's Review of Edelweiss Special Situation
| Fund Rating | Strategy Rating | Performance Rating |
|---|---|---|
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View on the Fund
Edelweiss Special Situation is attractive from a high-yield fund perspective. It specifically targets special situation higher-yield debt deals (where higher yields & also an equity component can often be negotiated, helping compensate for the risk being taken), and leverages the strong alternatives pedigree of Edelweiss AMC and its established presence in stressed asset investing. The fund aims to generate ~23-25% gross IRR by investing in special situations. The strategy offers the potential for high returns but also reflects the elevated risk profile inherent in special situation and turnaround deals. As such, it is best suited for investors with a higher risk appetite seeking uncorrelated, opportunistic exposure within their alternatives portfolio.
Strategy
Stressed Credit + Turnaround Opportunities
Fund's Strategy View
AIF is focused on stressed credit and turnaround opportunities across three differentiated buckets. - Special Situation Overflow: Large-ticket co-investment deals that exceed the capacity of EAAA’s earlier special situations fund. - Special Situations in Real Estate: High-yield real estate opportunities, including inventory funding, completion financing for stalled projects, debt buyouts, and growth capital for developers. - Corporate Turnarounds: Targets mid-sized companies (₹250–1,000 Cr turnover) with sub-₹100 Cr deals. Offers financing for OTS with lenders, IBC acquisitions, working capital, and selective secondary equity investments. Investments are focussed on assets that generate regular cash flows. All 3 strategies aim for a combination of both yields (debt) and capital appreciation (equity). Investments have a tenor of 1-4yrs along with collateral to ensure capital protection. While the deck does not include the number of deals they will be dealing with but the deal pipeline and expected target deals in corporate put the minimum deals at 10.
Fund Performance
Most high-yield debt funds are close-ended. Funds that are open for subscription are new funds without a past performance track record - investors need to be careful about considering performance of previous fund series to new funds (since the underlying investment environment may have changed considerably).
Trailing Performance
| 1yr | 3yr | 5yr | Since Inception | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edelweiss Special Situation |
Performance as of: 31-Jan-26 | Inception Date: 01-May-25 | Performance are post-fees, pre-taxes. Global funds denominated in USD or fund currency.
Investment team
Subahoo Chordia | 4-star rated FM
Head - Real Estate Strategies | 25 yrs Experience | 19 yrs at current firm
Past Experience: Axis Bank, IDBI Bank
Subahoo Chordia spearheads the Edelweiss Infra Fund Business, bringing with him nearly two decades of extensive experience in the infrastructure sector. His expertise spans private fund management, asset management, corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, capital markets, and advisory services. Notably, he initiated the Infrastructure practice at Edelweiss in 2007. Before joining Edelweiss, Subahoo held key positions at Axis Bank and IDBI Bank, where he excelled in project finance, portfolio management, and investment banking.
Ashish Agarwal | 3-star rated FM
Managing Partner | 25 yrs Experience | 4 yrs at current firm
Past Experience: Senior Investment Director (Navis Capital Partners)
Ashish Agrawal joined Edelweiss as a Managing Partner and Head - Private Equity for their AIF team since Nov 21. He has more than 25 years of experience and prior to edelweiss, He worked for 14 years in Navis Capital Partner, with his last position being the Senior Investment Director. His investing experience spans private equity and public equity funds; mid-market transactions in India, Europe, the US, and South East Asia and across sectors.
IME's Review of Edelweiss AIF
| AMC Rating | Pedigree Rating | Team Rating | Philosophy Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
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View on AMC
Edelweiss AIF has created a clear niche for itself, in two core segments - Pre-IPO and High Yield Funds. Their Pre-IPO funds have been amongst the largest & best-performers in their category. The High Yield Funds benefit from Edelweiss's group's strong core competency as a niche lender in the high-yield segment. For some of these specific fund categories, Edelweiss AIF is a strong AMC to consider investing in.
AMC's Pedigree
Edelweiss Securities is part of the Edelweiss wealth management company. The strategic partner, Pacific Alliance Group (PAG), holds a ~65% stake in the entity bringing in best global practices, and leveraging their expertise, especially in private equity. Both home-grown Edelweiss and PAG, bring significant expertise to the table along with access to deals, promoters, and financial institutions making it a formidable and strong investment firm. This is further strengthened by their team and unique proposition for investors.
AMC Team
In it's niche strategies, Edelweiss has developed a strong investment team with the required credentials in the high-yield & Pre-IPO spaces. The firm (ESL) has a strong team in place with the fund advisory committee comprising senior management who are highly qualified, with a collective experience of more than 90 years in the financial services, asset and wealth management space.
Investment Philosophy
The investment philosophy is driven by the respective core niches - Pre-IPO & High-Yield. Within both of these niches, the investment philosophies being followed are relatively strong, to help identify suitable investments without an inordinate level of risk. The firm follows a disciplined investment approach across deal origination, evaluation, due diligence and investment decision-making and engages with third-party professionals for financial and tax diligence, legal diligence, and relevant channel checks on a need basis. They have also recently introduced long-short strategies to their product basket (we will wait for this strategy to mature to evaluate the value of its strategy).
AMC Background
Edelweiss Securities Ltd (ESL) is part of Edelweiss Wealth Management, a subsidiary of Edelweiss Financial Services Ltd. Edelweiss Wealth is among India’s leading wealth managers with over $20bn+ AUA. The platform is further strengthened by Pacific Alliance Group (PAG), the world’s largest Asia-focused private investment firm with over $38bn in AUM, as a strategic partner.
The combination of Edelweiss’ deep on-ground India expertise and PAG’s global investment best practices—particularly in private equity—creates a differentiated and scalable investment platform with strong access to promoters, deals, and capital markets.
Highly Respected Wealth Manager with Strong Private Equity Capabilities
Edelweiss is one of the few large Indian wealth managers without a bank parent,
which lends clarity and independence to its investment positioning. PAG adds
significant value through global private equity expertise, institutional processes,
and disciplined capital allocation frameworks, making the combined platform
particularly well-suited for pre-IPO and crossover strategies.
Investment Philosophy
Edelweiss Crossover Strategy
The Edelweiss Crossover strategy focuses on capturing high-quality IPO opportunities by investing at the pre-IPO and late-stage private equity phase, where valuation inefficiencies and liquidity discounts can offer superior risk-adjusted returns.
Strategy Orientation
- Investment Focus: Participation in IPO-bound companies with strong structural growth characteristics.
- Pre-IPO & Late-Stage PE Bias: Targets a relatively less crowded segment, benefiting from liquidity discounts and improved downside protection versus public markets.
- Thematic Bias: Exposure to India’s underpenetrated consumption and technology themes with visible growth runways over 5+ years—consumer, consumer tech, financial services, and niche technology leaders.
- Leadership Bias: Preference for market leaders with growth rates structurally higher than industry averages.
- Fundamental Bias: Focus on profitable growth, low leverage, proven unit economics, and capital-efficient business models.
Edelweiss Edge
- Private Equity Expertise: Strong capabilities across deal sourcing, evaluation, diligence, and negotiations.
- IPO Readiness Assessment: Deep understanding of public market expectations and listing preparedness.
- Custom Fund Structures: Fund mandates and structures tailored specifically for pre-IPO and late-stage private investments.
Unique Proposition for Sophisticated Investors
Edelweiss’ crossover strategy offers a differentiated alternative to traditional listed equity and private equity allocations. By combining disciplined private market investing with public market expertise, the strategy provides diversification across structures and return drivers, while maintaining a strong focus on governance, fundamentals, and downside protection.
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