Widely read:
WhiteOak Capital Mutual Fund - the latest entrant in the Indian mutual fund arena - has rolled out the WhiteOak Capital Mid Cap Fund with an aim to invest in well-managed and scalable businesses at attractive valuations, and eschew macro and sector bets.
The new fund offer (NFO) opened for subscription on August 16, 2022, and will close on August 30, 2022.
Ramesh Mantri will helm the equity component of the fund, Piyush Baranwal will oversee its debt feature, while the overseas investments will be managed by Trupti Agrawal.
Mid-cap funds have been in vogue. They have outperformed their large-cap counterpart by a wide margin in the last 12 months - delivering an average return of 9.62 per cent as compared to the large-cap funds' 7.87 per cent.
However, a 12-month track record is not the right indicator for the mid-cap segment, given their predilection for blowing hot and cold over shorter periods of time. This segment typically comes alive over long term. Their 10-year record is a testament: mid-cap funds delivered an average return of 18.63 per cent as against the large-cap funds' 13.58 per cent.
Given their long-term track record, mid-cap funds have made rapid strides in the investing world. It is now the third-largest equity category, with assets of Rs 1.68 lakh crore.
About the strategy
Coming back to WhiteOak Capital Mid Cap Fund, it will invest 65 per cent in mid-cap stocks and the remaining in large caps (to manage liquidity) and small caps (to explore compelling opportunities).
The fund will be benchmarked against S&P BSE Midcap 150 TRI.
WhiteOak Capital Mutual Fund will consciously seek to maintain a balanced portfolio, reflecting their team's stock selection capabilities instead of relying on non-stock-specific factors such as market timing, sector, and currency, among others.
The fund house is betting on its well-resourced and experienced research team to identify opportunities within the mid-cap segment. They will also run the rule over companies that will benefit from operating a more organised, compliant and transparent business.
About the fund manager
Ramesh Mantri is the CIO at the fund house and has over 19 years of experience in investing and cross-sector financial analysis. Previously, he founded Ashoka Capital Advisers that advised a fund and family offices on equity investments in South Asia. He has also been a part of a two-man team at a US-based hedge fund, Alden Global Capital, for seven years. He is a CFA charter holder, a CA and an MBA from FMS, Delhi.
Piyush Baranwal brings with him approximately 13 years of experience in fixed income fund management. Prior to joining WhiteOak Capital Asset Managment Limited, he was heading the fixed income division at BOI AXA Investment Managers. Earlier, he was a portfolio manager at Morgan Stanley Investment Management.
Piyush completed his B.E. in electronics & communication from MIT, Manipal and post-graduate diploma in business management (finance) from SP Jain Institute of Management and Research, Mumbai. He also has done a US-based CFA Institute's certification course.
Trupti Agrawal brings nearly 10 years of experience and looks after the overseas investment function at WhiteOak. She has previously worked with Ernst & Young for nearly seven years as an executive in the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) team and as an assistant manager in the field to perform statutory and tax audits of several large- and mid-sized companies. She has also worked as a senior manager to evaluate credit risk of infra loan proposals and perform credit ratings. She is a qualified Chartered Accountant from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India. She completed her Bachelor of Commerce from Osmania University.
About the fund house
WhiteOak Capital Mutual Fund is part of WhiteOak Capital group. It manages Rs 42,500 crore of assets under its advisory, with international assets comprising 72 per cent of it.
WhiteOak Capital group was founded by Prashant Khemka, formerly CIO of Goldman Sachs Asset Management's India Equity and Global Emerging Markets Equity businesses. WhiteOak's performance-first investment culture is founded upon the following four pillars: stock selection-based philosophy, high-calibre research team, disciplined analytical process and balanced portfolio construction framework.
Besides segregated managed accounts for leading global institutions, WhiteOak offers investment services through a wide array of fund vehicles domiciled in India, Ireland, Mauritius, and the UK to individual and institutional investors globally. WhiteOak has investment research teams based in India and Singapore, and additional sales and distribution offices in Switzerland and the UK.
Disclaimer: This content is for information only and should not be considered investment advice or a recommendation.
For grievances: [email protected]
Ask Value Research 
New episodes every Friday 
New Process Alert 
Seems like you've uploaded a wrong QR code. Please upload the QR code downloaded from MF Central platform.
