Venture Capital

Singapore-listed financial firm Yangzijiang Financial Holding Ltd, has partnered with Temasek-backed investment firm Heliconia Capital Management Pte. Ltd. (Heliconia), to launch S$150 million ($109 million) fund to invest in promising small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Singapore and other Southeast Asian countries.

Wavemaker Partners, a Singapore-based venture capital firm, has on Wednesday welcomed Andy Hwang as its new General Partner, as the firm celebrates 10 years of investing in the region. Hwang is transitioning into venture capital after angel investing and coaching startup founders full-time for the past year.

East Ventures, a sector-agnostic venture capital firm in Indonesia, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Indonesia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN) Net Zero Hub and World Resources Institute (WRI) Indonesia for the strategic partnership and collaboration in advancing commitment towards net zero targets.

Emerging markets venture capital firm Quona Capital announced Wednesday the final close of its Fund III at $332 million, significantly exceeding its $250 million target. This is the third fund from Quona Capital since its inception, bringing the firm’s aggregate committed capital to over $745 million.

Indonesia-based, early-stage venture capital firm AC Ventures (ACV) announced Wednesday the launch of its education platform for tech entrepreneurs in emerging markets called ACV Academy. The free-to-access, ongoing, training sequence is designed to take the early-stage tech ecosystem in Southeast Asia to a new level of know-how.

Australian venture capital firm Blackbird said Wednesday it has raised Australia’s largest venture capital fund at just over AUD$1 billion ($640 million) in committed capital. The fund, consisting of a AUD$284 million ($180.77 million) core fund, AUD$668 million ($425.2 million) follow-on fund and NZ$75 million ($43.76 million) dedicated New Zealand fund.

Essentially, ESG is being called on to encourage organizations, especially businesses, to strongly consider factors beyond just their bottom line – particularly environmental impact, employee culture, and the ethics of how the company is being run. 

Wavemaker Impact, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, GenZero, and Singapore’s Temasek intend to set up a first-of-its-kind agri-tech startup that brings together climate-tech, agri-food, and venture-building capabilities to accelerate rice decarbonisation in Southeast Asia and the rest of Asia.

ScaleUp Accelerator Sdn Bhd (ScaleUp Malaysia) and Proficeo Consultants Sdn Bhd (Profiiceo) have joined forces to launch 100 Soonicorns, a programme designed to groom the next Unicorns of Malaysia.

Singapore and France-based venture capital fund Shift4Good, announced Tuesday the first closing of over €100 million ($98 million) Shift4Good Fund 1 to invest in sustainable mobility start-ups.