Michael Schmidt is a private equity investment professional with over 20 years of experience and a strong passion for Southeast Asia. He has held a number of senior leadership roles, including Managing Director at Alchemist Capital Partners and Samena Capital, where he focused on growth equity investments across Southeast Asia. His private equity career began at EQT Partners, working on buyout transactions. Prior to that, he worked as an investment banker at Credit Suisse, advising private equity firms on mergers and acquisitions (M&A), capital markets, and leveraged finance.
With deep expertise in sourcing, executing, and managing private equity investments, Michael has worked closely with entrepreneurs for many years as a board director and portfolio manager. He has led companies through business planning, strategy development, fundraising, and M&A initiatives, driving a wide range of value-creation efforts. He has also built specialized investment organizations and led high-performing teams.
At Mekong Capital, Michael serves as Head of Transactions, where he leads the execution of new investments and ensures successful exits—one of the firm’s core objectives. In addition, he currently leads a comprehensive investment research initiative that systematically analyzes decades of accumulated investment experience and models to further optimize the firm’s investment processes. Michael also acts as transaction lead for several portfolio companies, leveraging his extensive expertise in post-investment value creation. Overall, he plays a critical role across the full investment lifecycle at Mekong Capital, supporting the firm’s vision through exit management, post-investment advisory, and continuous improvement of its investment processes.
Michael’s appreciation for Vietnam’s unique culture, dynamic economy, and the genuine fulfillment that comes from partnering with Vietnamese entrepreneurs has been a key driver of his current career path. Prior to joining Mekong Capital, he was based in Singapore and Hong Kong, coordinating and executing cross-border investments throughout Southeast Asia while developing a deep affinity for Vietnam. Joining Mekong Capital has allowed him to bring together his two passions: becoming an integral part of Vietnam’s business community while continuing his professional journey in private equity investment management.