10 VCs and Angel Investors driving Asia's Startup Boom

 

Asian economy has flourished in the history due to its cultural capital and homegrown businesses. The present economy of the continent is also witnessing the same boom, thanks to the Asian venture capital investors and Asian angel investors, who has been investing in the Indian economy supporting many founders startups dream.

According to Tracxn, Asia has over 909,258 startups by the year 2025. Among these 112K companies are collectively funded by the funds raised by venture capitals and angel investors with USD2.44T, leading for the entrepreneurial boom in the continent.

Many sectors like technology, health, finance and automobiles are majorly being funded by the VCs and Angel investors. these money leaders do not simply finance innovation: they lead dialogue, shape policy, and create market momentum. This article will be highlighting top VCs in Asia for startups and leading angel investors in Asia-

The 10 VCs and Angel Investors supporting the Boom in Asian Startups

Neil Shen - HongShan Capital 

Neil Shen, co-founder of HongShan (previously known as Sequoia China), is one of the leading VCs in Asia to support startups. Neil Shen has supported huge portfolio of early-stage investments in Alibaba, ByteDance, and iQIYI.

He is an active participant in startup forums and widely featured in business media with the reputation of building lasting companies being a summation of the role that leading angel investors in Asia contribute to industry standards.

Jeffrey Paine- Golden Gate Ventures

Jeffrey Paine is Co-founder and Managing Partner of one of the most recognizable early-stage funds in all of Southeast Asia- Golden Gate Ventures. Paine is a recognized ecosystem builder based in Singapore he noticed the lack of support given to the startups, and took it on himself create an ecosystem where funding for new opportunities are given. His two-fold impact in the venture capital and the entrepreneur training highlights his position as one of the best venture capital companies in Asia.

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Asha Jadeja Motwani- Motwani Jadeja foundation

Silicon Valley angel investor and philanthropist Asha Jadeja Motwani has made high-profile early-stage investment in a variety of companies, through her foundation, the Motwani Jadeja Foundation.

Asha is an expert in backing disruptive change-makers and accelerators such as the RajeevCircle Fellowship, she embodies the spirit of angel investor networks that have fuelled the healthtech and wider startup boom in Asia.

Anna Fang- ZhenFund

Anna Fang is co-founder of ZhenFund, which is one of the most prolific angel investment firms in China. She has been featured in the highest VC magazines, having helped startup more than 30 unicorns.

She earned herself the title of the curator of the world best startup portfolio at the seed stage for funding and supporting the growth of companies VIPKid and Horizon Robotics. Her vision and activity in the media is what makes her a symbol of the top angel investors in Asia.

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Anurag Srivastava- Jungle Ventures 

Anurag Srivastava is the co-founder of Jungle Ventures in Singapore, which manages a portfolio of close to USD 12.5 billion.  His company has backed startups, such as Livspace and Kredivo and continues to serve as a prominent voice on investor forums in Southeast Asia.

His support to these companies has motivated the entrepreneual growth.

Kickstart Ventures- Minette Navarrete 

Minette Navarrete is the managing director of Kickstart Ventures with its headquarters in the Philippines. She has supported many startups dedicated for digital access, automatiuon and smart-living technologies with an active fund of USD 180 million.

 A shrewd predictor, she forecasts that the digital economy of Southeast Asia will increase by USD 194 billion to USD 330 billion in the years 2022 and 2025 respectively. Under kickstart Ventures Navarrette has supported new age technologies and innovations, embodying the spirit of new Asian start-up investors, particularly in under-represented markets.

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Satish Dharmaraj- Redpoint Ventures 

Satish Dharmaraj, a general partner at Redpoint Ventures and the founder of Zimbra, has earned much respect in the media and made the Forbes Midas List of 2024 at the number 5 position.

His knowledge and vision has redefined the Asian startup market landscape. Satish’s early-stage investment habits have revolutionized the investment habits in the startup circle, by promoting transparency. This has made him a hero among the Asia startup VCs, which build legacy firms.

BANSEA- Angel Network from southeast Asia

The oldest among the angel networks in the region is the Business Angel Network of Southeast Asia (BANSEA) that was established in 2001.

Its mentoring and education life span makes it a pioneer in start-up investing and partnership models. BANSEA has assisted many healthtech startups in Asia to succeed for years due to its establishment of angel investor networks.

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NEXEA Angels  from Malaysia

NEXEA Angels is a small and technical accelerator and VC network based in Malaysia and has provided prominent funding to the businesses. Its dedication to early-stage founders-particularly in healthtech-along with its increasingly active online presence, makes it a force in the form of creating the startup ecosystems of Southeast Asia on the ground.

Gobi Partners

Gobi Partners is a Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong based company that has a portfolio worth about USD 1.6 billion. It focuses on fintech, consumer tech and e-commerce throughout Southeast Asia and Greater China, the company is a home to new founders who look to scale across borders. Its strong portfolio is a testimony to its position as one of the best venture capital firms in Asia.

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These ten names are intermingling the story of startup in Asia, whether it is a late-stage giant such as Neil Shen, or a niche network such as BANSEA. They are not only financiers but ecosystem-builders, knowledge-sharers, growth grafts, which sow the seeds of the next generation of Asian innovation. As a founder, politician or investor, their visions provide an insight into the direction Asia as a technological and entrepreneurial wave is moving.