Timah Partners, a company based in Singapore, has raised $50 million in Series A funding. The company buys and runs small and medium-sized B2B businesses (ones that sell to other businesses) across Southeast Asia—especially those that offer essential, repeat services. It also trains future business leaders through its CEO-in-Training program.
In a statement last Thursday, the company said a unique group of investors supported the $50 million funding round. These include well-known founders of successful holding companies like Mitch Rales (Danaher), Nick Howley (TransDigm), and Alex Behring (3G Capital). It also included experts in the holding company model like Will Thorndike, Kent Weaver (Compounding Labs), Rick Buhrman, and Paul Buser (Sator Grove), as well as experienced investors from top firms such as Insight Partners, Norwest, TCV, and Tiger Global.
Timah also has a board and group of advisors made up of senior leaders from top organizations like DBS Bank, Grab, Quantedge, Union Energy, the Singapore Land Authority, JTC Corporation, the Singapore Government, and the National University of Singapore.
In Singapore, small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) employ over 70% of the workforce. However, the number of people aged 65 and older is expected to double in the next 20 years, and many SME owners don’t have a clear plan for who will take over when they retire.
As a result, many good businesses risk shutting down—not because they aren’t successful, but because there’s no one ready to lead them into the future.
Timah is different from private equity or search funds because it doesn’t buy companies just to sell them later. Instead, it uses long-term capital to provide a stable, values-driven home for retiring business owners and the companies they’ve built.
Timah focuses on strong, reliable B2B businesses that earn between $2 million and $10 million a year (before costs like interest, taxes, and depreciation). It offers business owners a full buyout and takes care of running the company for the long term.
Timah’s goal is to protect and continue the founder’s legacy—not change everything.
“We’re not buying to flip. We acquire businesses to operate and grow them over decades, with no pressure to sell,
“Our investors built some of the best holding companies in the world, and we’re applying those lessons here in Southeast Asia,” said Dennis Chua, Founder and Chief Executive Officer.
At the core of Timah’s approach is its CEO-in-Training (CIT) program. This program gives rising business leaders a clear, hands-on path to quickly grow into top executive roles (like CEO) within the companies Timah owns.
Inspired by similar programs at Alpine Investors and Shore Capital, Timah’s CIT program helps train future entrepreneurs who want to run real companies, make a lasting impact, and build ownership in a system built to support their success.
“Singapore’s SME succession problem isn’t just about ownership—it’s about leadership,
“We’re building a talent pipeline of operators who are excited about ownership and want to roll up their sleeves to run great real businesses,” said Chua.
Chua, a Singaporean, grew up around small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs). After spending 15 years in the U.S., he returned home to start Timah Partners.
Throughout his career, he worked with top investors and business leaders at firms like Goldman Sachs, 3G Capital, Tiger Management, and D.E. Shaw. He also helped build an investment firm focused on smaller businesses from the ground up.
Chua studied at Harvard Business School and Cornell University, and he is also a former student of Raffles Institution.
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