As we usher into the new year, we sought insights from prominent figures across the Southeast Asian tech landscape. These leaders reflected on their triumphs in 2025, sharing valuable perspectives on their achievements and the challenges they overcame.

They also unveiled their ambitious aspirations, meticulously outlined their strategic plans for 2026, and offered insightful predictions on the trajectory of the tech industry in the new year.

We talked to Victor Chua, Founding and Managing Partner at Vynn Capital, to learn more about the VC firm’s achievements in 2025 and its plans and aspirations for 2026. He also shared his views on the outlook of tech ecosystem in Malaysia and Southeast Asia for 2026.

Vynn Capital is a Southeast Asia-focused venture capital firm investing in early stage tech startups.

As an industry focused investor, Vynn Capital practices an ecosystem investing approach, where investments are done with consideration of synergy and value creation across portfolio companies. The firm is currently focusing on supply chain and mobility industries, as well as sectors that are ancillaries to them.

How was Vynn Capital’s 2025?

2025 was a year of disciplined execution for Vynn Capital. We stayed focused on backing founders solving real problems in mobility, supply chains and industrial technology, even as the broader market remained selective. Rather than chasing momentum, we leaned into fundamentals. Strong teams, clear unit economics, and pathways to regional scale. It was also a year where our ecosystem partnerships deepened, particularly with corporates and institutional partners who share a long-term view of Southeast Asia’s growth. A large part of our work was behind the scene – working with portfolio companies to get to where they want to be and where they should be.

What are your expectations/aspirations for 2026?

2026 is about building on that foundation with intention. Our aspiration is to help our portfolio companies transition from early validation to scalable, defensible businesses across the region. We also hope to see more of our startups confidently expand beyond home markets, not just to grow revenue, but to become category leaders in Southeast Asia. For Vynn, success in 2026 means being a thoughtful, hands-on partner through that next phase of growth. As a specialist, we believe 2026 will be a year of capitalising the knowledge capital and network that we have invested into our portfolio companies.

What are Vynn Capital’s plans in 2026? What is the focus in the new year?

Our focus in 2026 remains consistent: mobility, supply chains, and enabling technologies that sit at the intersection of hardware and software. We will continue to deploy capital selectively, while spending more time supporting portfolio companies on governance, regional expansion, and strategic partnerships. We also see increasing opportunities to work closely with large corporates and government-linked initiatives to help bridge startups into real industry demand. Malaysia as a market has become more exciting than ever and we are seeing more opportunities for our companies to grow beyond Southeast Asia.

How is the outlook for 2026 for the tech ecosystem in Malaysia and Southeast Asia?

The outlook for 2026 is cautiously optimistic. While capital will remain disciplined, this is a healthy reset for the ecosystem. Southeast Asia, and Malaysia in particular, is well-positioned with strong talent, improving policy support, and a growing pool of founders with second- or third-time experience. We expect fewer hype cycles, but more durable companies being built. That, in our view, is where the real long-term value will come from.

East Ventures stays “cautiously optimistic” on Southeast Asia tech ecosystem in 2026