Choco Up, a Singapore-based financing platform for small and medium-sized enterprises in Asia, has appointed John Lim as senior advisor.

In a statement on Wednesday, Choco Up said Lim will advise the leadership team on fundraising, strategic partnerships, and regional expansion. He will help the company deepen relationships with venture capital firms, family offices, financial institutions, and other strategic partners.

Choco Up said the appointment comes as it enters a new phase of growth. The company is expanding its financing platform across Asia and building stronger ties with institutional investors, strategic partners, and the wider business community. It said that alongside financing, it aims to connect SMEs with capital, networks, and expertise to help them scale.

Lim co-founded ARA Asset Management in 2002 and served as its group CEO for 18 years, growing it into one of the leading real assets managers in Asia-Pacific. ESR Group acquired ARA in 2022 in a $5.2 billion transaction. Lim now chairs JL Family Office, which the company says has invested more than $1 billion across private equity, venture capital, real estate, and financial markets. He is also chairman of the Asia Pacific Real Assets Association.

Lim said access to capital is only one part of building a successful business. The right relationships, trusted advice, and long-term thinking often make the biggest difference. He said businesses increasingly need partners who can connect them to opportunities, expertise and networks.

Percy Hung, founder and CEO of Choco Up, said Lim’s decades of building businesses and earning the trust of institutional investors are rare experience for the company at this stage. He said Choco Up is establishing new strategic partnerships to strengthen its ecosystem, and that the company needs trusted relationships and leaders who have scaled businesses before.

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