MAK Capital
MAK Capital is a privately held, New York-based activist investment fund founded in 2001 that pursues fundamental, opportunistic investments in undervalued public and private companies, currently focused on life-sciences names including Trailhead Biosystems, Evotec SE, and ClearPoint Neuro.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2001
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What MAK Capital does
MAK Capital is a privately held, New York-based activist investment fund operating as MAK Capital One LLC. Founded in 2001 and staffed by an 11–50-person team led by CEO Michael Kaufman and Managing Director Craig Nemiroff, the firm pursues a fundamental, opportunistic investment strategy targeting companies it views as undervalued or operationally inefficient. Its published differentiation rests on shareholder activism — engaging portfolio companies to drive strategic changes, board appointments, cost optimization, and value-unlocking transactions such as spin-offs and listings.
The firm's current disclosed activity is concentrated in life sciences. It led a $40 million Series B financing for Trailhead Biosystems, an Ohio-based Cleveland Clinic spinout that uses robotic platforms to manufacture human iPSC-derived cells for pharmaceutical testing. It simultaneously holds a 7% stake in German biotech Evotec SE and has entered a cooperation agreement with the company that includes nominating Wolfgang Hofmann to the supervisory board, demanding accelerated cost reductions following an ~85% five-year share-price decline, and pressing for the US listing of Evotec's Seattle subsidiary Just Biologics at an implied valuation exceeding €1 billion. It also discloses a 6.3% passive stake in US neurosurgery device company ClearPoint Neuro via an SEC Schedule 13G/A filing.
As a private fund vehicle, MAK Capital does not sell products to end customers; interests in the underlying fund are offered only to qualified investors under Section 4(2) of the Securities Act and Rule 506 of Regulation D (and equivalent non-US exemptions under Regulation S), with no public AUM, fee schedule, or revenue disclosure in the source material. The firm's economics therefore derive from conventional management- and performance-based fees on committed LP capital, with the underlying revenue mechanics opaque from available data.
MAK Capital firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- MAK Capital
- Legal name
- MAK Capital One LLC
- Website
- https://makcapitalfund.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2001
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- MAK Capital is a privately held, New York-based activist investment fund founded in 2001 that pursues fundamental, opportunistic investments in undervalued public and private companies, currently focused on life-sciences names including Trailhead Biosystems, Evotec SE, and ClearPoint Neuro.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
MAK Capital industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Activist Investment Management
- NAICS
- Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (52394), Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Other Financial Investment Activities (5239)
- SIC
- Investment Advice (6282), Security Brokers, Dealers & Flotation Companies (6211)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Alternative Investments for Private Wealth (Hedge Funds, PE/VC Access, Private Credit) (FSAAABAI)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Equity Capital Advisory (Private Equity Placements, Growth Capital) (BPAHAOAE), Capital Raising Advisory (Equity & Equity-Linked) (FSAEAGAC)
Keywords
Where MAK Capital is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
MAK Capital business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
MAK Capital product offering
Product offeringCore offering
MAK Capital operates as an activist investment fund that acquires significant equity stakes in publicly traded companies, primarily in the biotechnology sector, and engages in shareholder activism to drive value creation. The fund pursues operational restructuring, board appointments, cost-cutting initiatives, and strategic transactions such as spin-offs and subsidiary listings, with interests offered to qualified investors under private placement exemptions.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- MAK Capital Activist Investment Fund Privately offered activist equity investment fund that acquires significant stakes in underperforming public companies and pursues shareholder activism, operational restructuring, board changes, and strategic transactions to generate returns for qualified investors.
Companies that use MAK Capital
Customer profileIdeal customer profiles1 record
MAK Capital technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
MAK Capital partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators4 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
MAK Capital competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Elliott Investment Management: Largest and most established activist hedge fund globally, taking concentrated public-company positions and pushing for operational and governance changes - directly comparable activist playbook to MAK Capital but at significantly greater scale.
- Icahn Enterprises: Iconic activist investor taking controlling or influential positions and publicly agitating for change - a longer-tenured, more confrontational version of MAK Capital's activist model.
- Pershing Square Capital Management: Concentrated, high-conviction activist fund led by Bill Ackman - operates with similar targeted activist campaigns but at a much larger AUM scale than MAK Capital.
Direct peers
- Starboard Value: Activist fund focused on small-to-mid cap US public companies, advocating for board change, cost cuts, and strategic reviews - operates with a similar targeted, high-conviction activist approach to MAK Capital.
- ValueAct Capital: Activist fund that takes meaningful minority stakes and works constructively with management on strategy - directly comparable activist philosophy to MAK Capital, often engaging on board appointments and capital allocation.
- Trian Fund Management: Activist fund focused on constructive engagement with portfolio companies on operational improvement and capital allocation - directly comparable mid-sized activist strategy to MAK Capital.
- Jana Partners: Activist fund focused on event-driven situations and constructive engagement with portfolio companies - similar profile to MAK Capital in size and approach, with comparable shareholder activism playbook.
- Engine Capital: Smaller, focused activist fund taking stakes in undervalued small/mid-cap companies and pushing for strategic change - directly comparable in size and activism approach to MAK Capital.
- H Partners Management: Activist fund focused on consumer and tech sectors, taking meaningful stakes and engaging with management - similar mid-sized activist profile to MAK Capital.
- Legion Partners Asset Management: Smaller activist fund focused on small/mid-cap companies, often collaborating with other activists - similar size and approach to MAK Capital's activism model.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
MAK Capital financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
MAK Capital leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
MAK Capital funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
MAK Capital M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments6 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about MAK Capital
What does MAK Capital do?
MAK Capital operates as an activist investment fund that acquires significant equity stakes in publicly traded companies, primarily in the biotechnology sector, and engages in shareholder activism to drive value creation. The fund pursues operational restructuring, board appointments, cost-cutting initiatives, and strategic transactions such as spin-offs and subsidiary listings, with interests offered to qualified investors under private placement exemptions.
Is MAK Capital a public or private company?
MAK Capital is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was MAK Capital founded?
MAK Capital was founded in 2001. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is MAK Capital based?
MAK Capital is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
Who are MAK Capital's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Elliott Investment Management, Icahn Enterprises and Pershing Square Capital Management. Direct peers are Starboard Value, ValueAct Capital, Trian Fund Management, Jana Partners, Engine Capital, H Partners Management and Legion Partners Asset Management.
Does MAK Capital have an API?
No public API is recorded for MAK Capital.
What industry is MAK Capital in?
MAK Capital's product category is Activist Investment Management. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAAABAI, Alternative Investments for Private Wealth (Hedge Funds, PE/VC Access, Private Credit), with a secondary code of BPAHAOAE, Equity Capital Advisory (Private Equity Placements, Growth Capital). Its NAICS code is 52394 and its SIC code is 6282.