Singapore is home to the second largest number of tech unicorns in South-east Asia and is top of the leaderboard in funding. Its primary sectors include: consumer products, logistics, SaaS products and e-commerce. To uncover what challenges and opportunities exist for startups (both local and foreign) looking to raise funds in Singapore, Marissa Trew (PIB Scale Liaison) interviews Rafael Aldon, director of VenturesOne Asia, and Kuo-Yi Lim, co-founder and managing director, Monk’s Hill Ventures. In this interview, Rafael and Kuo-Yi share what deal-making dynamics and business practices look like in Asia versus those in Europe. They also offer a snapshot of what the current investor appetite is in the region following the Covid-19 pandemic, which emerging sectors have caught their attention, and what factors would convince them to invest in a startup at this point in time.
About VenturesOne
VenturesOne is a Dutch venture capital firm that has since expanded to Singapore. VenturesOne invests in early-growth stage tech startups, building profitable and sustainable businesses in Europe and SE Asia. Companies within its portfolio include: Geospatial Insight, TendoPay, Wakuli, and Skelex.
About Monk’s Hill Ventures
Monk’s Hill Ventures is a Singapore-based venture capital firm focused on early-stage technology companies (primarily Series A), in South-east Asia. The firm is backed by institutional investors and family offices worldwide. Companies within its portfolio include: Ninja Van, GoQuo, Kkday, and Bot MD.