Manpreet Singh
About Manpreet Singh
Manpreet Singh, age 42, is a Class III independent director of Investcorp AI Acquisition Corp (IVCA) serving since 2022. He is the founder and Chief Investment Officer of Singh Capital Partners (SCP), a multifamily office investing across venture capital, private equity, and real estate; he holds an MBA from Wharton (Entrepreneurship, Finance, Real Estate), a B.S. in Finance from the University of Maryland, and is a CFA charterholder. The Board has designated him the Audit Committee chair and determined he qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert.”
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Singh Capital Partners (SCP) | Founder & Chief Investment Officer | Not disclosed | Over 50 private investments across North America, Europe, Asia (e.g., Alibaba, Uber, Spotify, SoFi, SpaceX), indicating broad capital allocation and governance exposure |
| TalkLocal | Co‑Founder & President | Not disclosed | Built a venture-backed local services marketplace operating in 49 states; placed over 2 million calls to contractors |
| Profit Investment Management (PIM) | Longest‑tenured employee; investor/research/trading/ops | Not disclosed | Managed over $1B invested across global technology companies; contributed to AUM growth from $20mm to $2bn |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acquco | Board member | Not disclosed | Private company role (public listing not indicated) |
| US Inspect | Board member | Not disclosed | Private company role (public listing not indicated) |
| Snowball Industries | Board member | Not disclosed | Private company role (public listing not indicated) |
| Embrace Software | Board member | Not disclosed | Private company role (public listing not indicated) |
| Shukr Investments | Board member | Not disclosed | Investment firm board role |
| TalkLocal | Board member | Not disclosed | Continuation of co‑founder relationship |
| Suburban Hospital Foundation | Board member | Not disclosed | Non‑profit role |
| Dingman Center (Smith School of Business) | Board member | Not disclosed | Academic/entrepreneurship center role |
Board Governance
- Independence: The Board has determined Singh is independent under Nasdaq and SEC rules; IVCA’s Board has four independent directors (Bahl, Singh, Vanvari, Asokan) .
- Committee assignments: Audit Committee (chair), Compensation Committee (member), Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee (member) .
- Audit Committee report signatory and financial expert: Singh is designated an “audit committee financial expert” and signed the Audit Committee report alongside other members .
- Director class and tenure: Class III director since 2022; also serves with Class II directors listed in the proxy .
- Attendance: The proxy does not disclose director attendance rates for Board/committee meetings (no attendance table provided) .
Fixed Compensation
| Component | Amount | Period/Context |
|---|---|---|
| Annual director retainer (cash) | $0 (pre‑business combination) | Prior to IVCA’s initial business combination |
| Committee membership fees | $0 (pre‑business combination) | Prior to IVCA’s initial business combination |
| Committee chair fees | $0 (pre‑business combination) | Prior to IVCA’s initial business combination |
| Meeting fees | $0 (pre‑business combination) | Prior to IVCA’s initial business combination |
IVCA states no cash compensation is paid to officers or directors prior to completion of the initial business combination; post‑combination compensation may be determined by the combined company and disclosed at that time .
Performance Compensation
- No director equity grants (RSUs/PSUs/options), performance metrics, or vesting schedules are disclosed for non‑employee directors prior to the business combination; the proxy indicates any future director compensation will be determined post‑combination and disclosed in transaction materials .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
- Public company directorships: None disclosed; Singh’s listed boards appear private/non‑profit/academic, limiting public company interlocks .
- Shared directorships with IVCA counterparties/customers/suppliers: Not disclosed in the proxy .
Expertise & Qualifications
- Financial expertise: Audit Committee chair; “audit committee financial expert” designation by the Board .
- Investment/technology exposure: Extensive VC/PE investments in technology and growth companies (Alibaba, Uber, Spotify, SpaceX, SoFi), and prior oversight of >$1B technology portfolio at PIM .
- Education & credentials: MBA (Wharton), B.S. Finance (University of Maryland), CFA charterholder .
Equity Ownership
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Shares beneficially owned by Singh | Not disclosed individually in the beneficial ownership tables; directors/officers not itemized for share counts in proxy tables provided |
| Founder shares alignment | Sponsor holds 6,468,750 founder shares; founders/insiders’ founder shares are at risk (worthless upon liquidation), creating strong incentives to complete or extend the SPAC timeline |
| Hedging/pledging | IVCA’s insider trading policy prohibits hedging transactions and short sales by directors and certain employees; pledging is not specifically discussed |
| Ownership guidelines | Not disclosed |
Governance Assessment
- Strengths:
- Independence and multi‑committee service, including Audit chair and Compensation/Nominating membership, strengthen oversight and governance processes .
- Board‑recognized financial expertise (audit financial expert) and deep investing background improve financial reporting oversight and deal evaluation .
- Risks / RED FLAGS:
- SPAC alignment risk: Founder shares and private placement warrants become worthless upon liquidation; insiders (including independent directors associated with founder shares) thus have strong incentives to approve extensions or deals, which can misalign with public float interests if deal quality is marginal .
- Market/listing risk: Nasdaq’s 36‑month SPAC completion rule heightens delisting risk, potentially pressuring governance decisions around timeline rather than transaction quality .
- Vote influence dynamics: Sponsor, directors, officers may purchase public shares/warrants outside the redemption process to facilitate approvals; while regulated, this can raise perception issues around vote integrity and investor confidence .
- Disclosure gaps: No director‑specific attendance data and no individual beneficial ownership counts disclosed for Singh reduce transparency for investors assessing engagement and alignment .
Overall implication: Singh’s independence, audit leadership, and financial expertise support board effectiveness; however, typical SPAC incentives (founder shares at risk, extension pressures) and listing timeline risks warrant heightened investor scrutiny of transaction quality and governance safeguards around redemptions and vote processes.