Venture capital is a form of financing provided by venture capital firms to early- or late-stage companies, depending on the firm’s specialization; there are also some firms who are stage-agnostic. Venture capital firms invest in these companies in exchange for equity. Venture capital proves to be high-risked, as they invest in emerging products or technologies with massive potential to scale but aren’t profitable yet with two thirds chance of failure. At the same time, VC can also be high-rewarded, depending on how successful their portfolio startups will be.
Southeast Asia has been seen as a good tech industry market for the past 10 years, where many emerging startups offer innovative tech-abled products. Even Indonesia, with only 13% internet coverage in 2009, has now grown to be potentially a good market to invest in, having produced 4 unicorn startups (Traveloka, OVO, Bukalapak, and Tokopedia) and one decacorn company (Gojek). It leads to many venture capital firms having started their journey in Southeast Asia. Here are eight most active venture capital firms in Southeast Asia according to Vantage Capital Partners data.
Read also: The Differences Between Unicorn, Decacorn, and Hectocorn
1. Alpha JWC Ventures
Alpha JWC Ventures, venture capital company in Indonesia
Alpha JWC Ventures is a Southeast Asia venture capital firm with an Indonesia+ angle and a focused value-add approach. Alpha JWC Ventures was founded in 2015 by Founding Partners Jefrey Joe, Chandra Tjan, and Will Ongkowijaya as Indonesia’s first independent and institutional early-stage venture capital Indonesia. Since then, Alpha JWC Ventures has made several notable investments, such as Ajaib, Carro, Finaccel, Kopi Kenangan, Lemonilo, and Gudangada.
Read also: The Unicorn Breeder: Alpha JWC Ventures is Setting A Benchmark in The VC Scene
2. 500 Durian
500 Durian venture
500 Durian is a part of 500 Startups focusing on Southeast Asia region. They have more than 150 portfolio companies by the start of 2020. Founded by Dave McClure and Christine Tsai, this venture capital company has made notable investments in the past years, including but not limited to Grab, Canva, Bukalapak, Udemy, and Credit Karma. Beyond providing seed capital, 500 Startups also has Seed Accelerator Programs, emphasizing in digital marketing, customer acquisition, lean startup practices, and fundraising for pre-Seed startups.
3. SGInnovate
SGInnovate – VC in Southeast Asia
SGInnovate is a venture catalyst, focusing on Deep Tech companies to tackle challenging global problems. Founded in 2016 by Steve Leonard, SGInnovate now has more than 80 portfolio companies. They work with entrepreneurial scientists to help build and scale deep tech products out of science research.
Read also: Leading Coffee Shops in Indonesia
4. Sequoia Capital
Sequoia
Sequoia Capital is among the top venture capital firms in the world, investing in startups at the growth stage and above. In 2018, they launched Surge for early-stage startups based on–or building for–India and Southeast Asia. Data from Vantage Capital Partners shows that Sequoia Capital has funded 11 SEA startups in 2019, making it the 4th most active VC in Southeast Asia.
5. Insignia Ventures Partners
Insignia Ventures Partner
Insignia Ventures Partner is an early stage technology venture capital firm focusing on startups across Southeast Asia. Insignia Ventures Partner was founded in 2017 by Yinglan Tan, former venture partner in Sequoia Capital. They now have several notable portfolio companies, including Shipper, Janio, and Logivan.
Read also: Alpha JWC Ventures Closes Second Fund Oversubscribed at USD123 Million
6. Wavemaker Partners
Wavemaker Partners
Wavemaker Partners is an early-stage venture capital company, headquartered in Los Angeles and Singapore. They were founded in 2003 and have invested in over 200 portfolio companies. Wavemaker Partners focuses on enterprise and deep technology companies in Southeast Asia. They have invested in more than 80 companies in the region, including Moka, Glints, KrAsia, and Zilingo.
7. Global Founders Capital
Global Founders Capital
Global Founders Capital a global oriented and stage agnostic venture capital company. They back companies across all stages and throughout the lifecycle. Founded in 2013 by Oliver Samwer and have invested in 403 companies (source: www.crunchbase.com) with 35 exits. Among their many portfolio companies are Trivago, Lazada, Traveloka, Facebook, Canva, and Linkedin.
Read also: 5 Outstanding Female Investors and Entrepreneurs from Indonesia
8. Golden Gate Ventures
Golden Gate Ventures
Golden Gate Ventures is a Southeast Asia focused venture capital firm, established in 2011. They have invested in over 45 companies across more than 7 countries in Asia, focusing on internet & mobile startups across many sectors, including e-commerce, payments, marketplaces, mobile applications, and SaaS platforms.
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