VentureGrid, a curated mentorship-as-a-service marketplace connecting founders and entrepreneurs with experienced operators, investors, and advisors, has officially launched across Southeast Asia.

Powered by A2D Ventures and developed out of the Venture Spark accelerator, VentureGrid is now fully live and open to founders and mentors globally following a successful beta phase, VentureGrid said in a statement on Wednesday.

It is noted that despite the rapid growth of Southeast Asia’s startup ecosystem, access to experienced, context-aware mentorship remains uneven.

Much of the advice founders receive still depends on who they already know, which city they’re based in, or which events they can attend — often limiting them to local networks, local market experience, and one-off conversations that rarely compound. VentureGrid was built to change that.

By connecting founders in Southeast Asia with operators, investors, and advisors across the region and globally, VentureGrid enables access to experience that goes beyond local ecosystems — from US and European go-to-market expertise to cross-border fundraising, legal, and scaling insights — exactly when founders need to make critical decisions.

At launch, the platform features 150+ vetted mentors globally, spanning operators, angel investors, venture capitalists, and functional experts from leading organizations, including Unilever, Coca-Cola, Bloomberg, Shopee, McKinsey, BCG, Baker McKenzie, Leo Burnett, Hungry Hub, GoWabi, and more.

The mentor network includes startup advisors, lawyers, growth leaders, fintech operators, and investors affiliated with global ecosystems such as Seedstars and high-growth fintech companies like Aspire.

According to the statement, Southeast Asia has no shortage of founders — but access to experienced, verified, context-aware mentorship has historically been uneven, informal, and difficult to sustain.

While advice is often shared at events or over coffee, it rarely compounds into repeatable guidance that founders can rely on when decisions actually matter. VentureGrid was built to solve that.

“Founders don’t fail because of a lack of ambition or talent — they fail because critical decisions are made without enough context,

“VentureGrid turns mentorship into infrastructure. It’s how founders get unstuck faster, and how operators share hard-earned experience without relying on warm intros or long-term advisory commitments,” said Ankit Upadhyay, Founder & General Partner at A2D Ventures.

VentureGrid enables founders to discover mentors across fundraising, go-to-market (GTM), hiring, artificial intelligence (AI), software as a service (SaaS), fintech, legal, and more; book focused 1-on-1 sessions instantly — pay-per-session, no equity, no retainers; get tactical, stage-specific guidance tailored to their actual decision points; mentors on the platform range from startup operators and exited founders to angel investors, venture capitals (VCs), legal advisors, industry veterans and functional leaders with hands-on experience scaling companies across Southeast Asia and global markets.

Unlike traditional mentorship programs or directories, the platform is built around how founders actually seek help — fast, specific, and contextual — not generic advice or long-term commitments.

VentureGrid also serves experienced professionals looking to give back, stay close to the startup ecosystem, or extend their impact through mentorship.

Mentors can set their own session rates and availability; share expertise without equity swaps or advisory contracts; engage in high-quality, prepared conversations with founders who value their time.

“Mentorship today shouldn’t depend on chance meetings or private local networks,

“VentureGrid creates a structured way for mentors to contribute globally, meaningfully — and sustainably — while founders get access to the people they actually need,” said Upadhyay.

The platform handles scheduling, payments, and session flow, allowing mentors to focus on what matters: helping founders make better decisions.

Originally created as an internal tool for startups in the Venture Spark accelerator, VentureGrid quickly evolved into a standalone platform after demand extended well beyond the program.

Backed by A2D Ventures’ ecosystem of 1,500+ investors and operators and its growing portfolio across Southeast Asia, the platform reflects years of on-the-ground experience
supporting founders in Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Philippines and beyond.

As trends like fractional leadership, on-demand expertise, and mentorship-as-a-service reshape how companies grow, VentureGrid positions itself as the default place founders go when they need clarity — not just connections.

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