Venture Capital

Global venture capital firm 500 Global announced Wednesday the promotion of Mei Chel Tan to Global Managing Partner.

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

Taiwan-based venture capital firm AppWorks has announced the final close of its fourth flagship venture capital fund, AppWorks Fund IV, at $165 million, bringing its total funds raised to $386 million.

More corporate professionals are becoming startup Founders, Angel Central, the angel investor club in ASEAN, said in a survey on Wednesday.

Cradle Fund Sdn Bhd (Cradle), Malaysia’s focal point agency for startup ecosystem under the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI), has formalized a strategic collaboration with United Kingdom-based strategy consulting firm, wippd ltd, under the Cradle Innovation Advisory (CIA) initiative.

Singapore-based investment firm Granite Asia has completed the first close of its Pan-Asia private credit strategy, Libra Hybrid, securing over $350 million.

The Radical Fund, Southeast Asia’s climate-focused venture capital firm, has announced the launch of The Studio, UTOPIA’s artificial intelligence (AI)-native venture builder supporting high-potential founders and technical experts across the Global South.

Sunway Innovation Labs (Sunway iLabs), the innovation lab and corporate venture capital (CVC) arm of Sunway Group, and the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) Kuala Lumpur, have concluded the J-StarX Malaysia Deep Tech Program (MYTech) 2025 to accelerate four Japanese startups’ expansion into Malaysia and the ASEAN region.

Gobi Partners, one of Asia’s most active venture capital firms, has entered Japan through JR East’s TAKANAWA GATEWAY Link Scholars’ Hub (LiSH) as a Global Network Partner, marking a decisive step in connecting Japan’s innovation frontier with Southeast Asia’s growth markets.

Japan-based NTT DOCOMO Ventures, Inc. and NTT Finance Corporation will jointly establish a new investment vehicle in Singapore, Synexia Ventures Pte. Ltd., aimed at strengthening collaboration with promising startups in Southeast Asia.