US PE firm Recognize, armed with $1.7 billion fund, scouts for niche IT service companies in India
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Private equity firm Recognize, which closed its second fund at $1.7 billion in June 2025, is scouting for bets in India that are niche-specific service providers for large-scale enterprises in the US, according to a top executive.“We're not only looking for these niche companies and seeking to scale them,” said Muthu Kumaran, partner and head of India operations at Recognize. “These companies can have a seat at the table with Fortune 500 companies because in cases, they have specialized offerings that are deeper than what traditional IT services providers would do.”The New York-based firm was founded by former Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp chief executive officer Francisco D'Souza alongside David Wesserman and Charles Philips.
D'Souza was instrumental through his tenure from January 2007 to December 2019 in taking the Nasdaq-listed services company from $1.4 billion in revenue to over $16 billion, making him among the most successful CEOs in the IT services space.Recognize is currently investing out of its second fund. As part of Recognize II, the firm has invested in four platform services companies: SDG Corporation, a cybersecurity services firm; Sprout, a digital infrastructure company; TRANZACT, an insurance company; and HealthEdge, a software-as-a-service platform for healthcare companies.The PE firm invests $50 million to $500 million and prefers to acquire majority stakes in its portfolio companies.
It positions itself as an investor-operator – it doesn’t just provide capital, it is actively engaged in running its assets as well.This is part of a larger investment strategy, where artificial intelligence is taking centre stage. The PE firm's interest in niche companies comes
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