Germany’s vision hub GHARAGE has announced the launch of GHARAGE APAC in Singapore to back travel and retail start-ups in Asia.

With the new Singapore based office, GHARAGE will expand its investing capabilities to Asia, looking to back Pre-seed to Series A startups in the region, GHARAGE said in a statement.

GHARAGE, backed by leading global travel retailer and wholesaler Gebr. Heinemann, builds and invests in start-ups within travel and retail with the mission to turn travel time into valuable time for the global travelers.

GHARAGE currently has a portfolio of diverse ventures, including an on-demand airport delivery platform, a web3 community for whisky collectibles and a new luxury retail experience for airports.

“We have witnessed founders in Asia build some of the fastest growing and innovative companies in the travel and retail ecosystem,

“Our launch seeks to unlock opportunities for founders to tap into the travel and retail ecosystem that Gebr. Heinemann has built globally, and to bring Asia’s innovations to global travelers,” said Lennard Niemann, Managing Director of GHARAGE.

With its launch, GHARAGE appointed its first investment professional in Singapore, Darren Soh, as Head of GHARAGE APAC starting in February 2023.

“We’re here to back founders who are looking to build the future of travel and retail,

“We believe that this is the time for Asia – companies are emerging not only as local or regional players, but global powerhouses in their respective fields. We seek to help fuel the APAC region in the retail and travel ecosystem and to deliver external innovation to Gebr. Heinemann,” said Soh.

GHARAGE is headquartered in Hamburg, Germany working in the fields of foresight and intelligence, venture building and venture investing.

GHARAGE is the dedicated vision hub of Gebr. Heinemann, which is one of the leading retailers and distributors in the international travel market.

The group operates more than 500 duty-free and travel retail shops, brand boutiques and concept stores at international airports, border crossings and cruise ships, including APAC presence in airports such as Sydney and Kuala Lumpur.

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