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Tatler Asia
04-07-2025
- Business
- Tatler Asia
Behind the Gen.T list: meet the industry veterans selecting Asia's Leaders of Tomorrow
Entertainment Homme TsaiChairman, Taiwan Creative Content Agency Taiwan Fashion & Beauty Rajo LaurelFashion designer, Rajo Laurel Philippines Finance & Venture Capital Vishal Harnal Global managing partner, 500 Global Singapore Antonny Liem Founding partner, GDP Venture Indonesia Prantik Mazumdar President, TiE Singapore Singapore Krating Poonpol Group chairman, Kasikorn Business-Technology Group Thailand Chibo Tang Managing partner, Gobi Partners Hong Kong Franco Varona Co-founder and managing partner, Foxmont Capital Partners Philippines Datuk Muhamad Umar Swift CEO, Bursa Malaysia Malaysia Read more: Meet 6 of Asia's most influential wealth builders who are shaping the future of finance Photo 1 of 3 Datuk Muhamad Umar Swift has been the CEO of Malaysia's stock exchange since 2019, playing a catalytic role in the economy's transition to green Photo 2 of 3 Naina Subberwal Batra is the CEO of AVPN, a social investor network that aims to increase the flow and effectiveness of financial, human and intellectual capital from around the world into the social sector in Asia (Photo: AVPN) Photo 3 of 3 Aukrit Unahalekhaka co-founded Ricult, a Thailand-based startup that uses machine learning and satellite imagery to help lift farmers out of poverty (Photo: Ricult) Healthcare & Sciences Dean HoDirector, The Institute for Digital Medicine, National University of Singapore Singapore Dato' Dr Adeeba Kamarulzaman CEO, Monash University Malaysia and pro-vice-chancellor and president (Malaysia), Monash University Australia Malaysia Poramaporn Prasarttong-Osoth Authorized director, chairperson of executive committee and president, BDMS Thailand Read more: Longevity for the masses? Meet the founders of the new clinic in Singapore making it their mission Media & Marketing Sunshine Farzhan Founder, Ignite Advisory Hong Kong Elvira Jakub CEO, Dentsu Indonesia Indonesia Ranjana Singh Chairperson, Indonesia and Vietnam, WPP Indonesia Photo 1 of 3 The founder of Echostore and a champion of the global Slow Food Movement, Chit Juan advocates for agriculture biodiversity and self-reliance in food production in the Philippines Photo 2 of 3 Nice Cheng is a partner at AppWorks, where he focuses on investing in growth-stage startups and seasoned founders (Photo: AppWorks) Photo 3 of 3 Fashion designer Rajo Laurel started his own label in 2000 and has won awards for fashion design and entrepreneurship both locally and internationally (Photo: Rajo Laurel) Philanthropy & Charity Renitasari AdrianProgramme director, Bakti Budaya Djarum Foundation Indonesia Public Service & Law Nurul Izzah AnwarDeputy president, Parti Keadilan Rakyat Malaysia Social Entrepreneurship Natalie Chan Managing director, PIE Strategy Hong Kong Ann Dumaliang Co-founder and managing trustee, Masungi Georeserve Foundation Philippines Read more: Ann and Billie Dumaliang bravely stand for conservation at the Masungi Georeserve Triawan Munaf Former head, Indonesian Creative Economy Agency Indonesia Francis Ngai Founder and CEO, Social Ventures Hong Kong Hong Kong Alfie Othman CEO, Raise Singapore Naina Subberwal Batra CEO, AVPN Singapore Aukrit Unahalekhaka Co-founder, Ricult Thailand DK WuCEO, Taiwan Impact Investment Association Taiwan Photo 1 of 4 Nurul Izzah Anwar is the deputy president of Malaysia's ruling party, Parti Keadilan Rakyat, and the daughter of the country's prime minister Anwar Ibrahim (Photo: Kim Mun/Hopscotch Photography) Photo 2 of 4 Dr Santitarn Sathirathai is an economist, policy maker and author based in Thailand, who is the only Asian who has won the Consensus Economics Outstanding Global Economic Forecast award for three consecutive years Photo 3 of 4 Cherrie Atilano founded Agrea Philippines, where she is working to address food insecurity and promote self-sufficiency through sustainable farming (Photo: Cherrie Atilano) Photo 4 of 4 Tootsy Angara is the cluster head of sales at ABS-CBN, one of the Philippines' top media networks Sustainability Esther AnChief sustainability officer, City Developments Limited Singapore Cherrie AtilanoFounder and CEO, Agrea Philippines Chit JuanFounder, Echostore Philippines Read more: These farmers grow your food, but can't afford to eat—this social enterprise is changing that Dr Santitarn SathirathaiEconomist, policy maker and author Thailand Katy Yung CEO, Sustainable Finance Initiative Hong Kong Technology Amarit Charoenphan Apac partner and vice-president of growth, Southeast Asia president, New Zealand Thai Chamber of Commerce and managing partner, Aim Ventures Thailand Derek ChimHead of Incubation and Acceleration Programmes, Hong Kong Science & Technology Parks Corporation Hong Kong Nice Cheng Partner, AppWorks Taiwan Erika Fille Legara Managing director and chief AI and data officer, Center for AI Research Philippines Alice So Head of Entrepreneurship, Cyberport Hong Kong Wellness Catherine Feliciano-ChonManaging partner of strategic development, Asia Pacific, Finn Partners Hong Kong The Tatler Gen.T Leaders of Tomorrow 2025 will be unveiled on July 4 at 10am GMT+8. While you wait, discover last year's honourees. Credits This article was created with the assistance of AI tools
Business Times
24-06-2025
- Business
- Business Times
Malaysia's Khazanah picks Singapore, Taiwan VC firms to help fire up next wave of startups
[KUALA LUMPUR] Malaysia's sovereign wealth fund Khazanah Nasional has selected Singapore-based Granite Asia and Taiwan's AppWorks as the first of five venture capital (VC) firms under two strategic programmes to transform Malaysia into a regional venture capital hub. The announcement, made on Tuesday (Jun 24) by Khazanah and its wholly owned subsidiary Jelawang Capital, marks the first rollout of its Emerging Fund Managers' Programme (EMP) and the Regional Fund Managers' Initiative (RMI), which were launched last October. The five selected fund managers under EMP and RMI are expected to deploy over RM200 million (S$60.5 million), a significant portion of which will be channelled into Malaysia-Nexus companies, supporting around 50 early-stage firms, said Khazanah managing director Amirul Feisal Wan Zahir. 'Our hope is that these five managers will nurture the next wave of Malaysian startups, and that over time, these startups and those who fund them will become mentors, backers and anchors for the next generation,' he said at a media briefing in Kuala Lumpur. He added that the initiatives are part of Khazanah's broader goal to act as both 'catalyst and connector' through its Dana Impak impact-investment platform and Jelawang Capital. Khazanah, Malaysia's sovereign wealth fund, managed US$36 billion in assets as at the end of 2024. Last October, it launched Jelawang Capital, a national fund-of-funds, designed to accelerate the growth of Malaysia's venture-capital sector through investments and partnerships with fund managers. A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU Friday, 8.30 am Asean Business Business insights centering on South-east Asia's fast-growing economies. Sign Up Sign Up Granite Asia and AppWorks As RMI partners, Granite Asia and AppWorks will seek to draw foreign fund managers to Malaysia's startups, with the aim of building regional and global entities. It is hoped that this will encourage global companies to re-domicile in Malaysia, create jobs and attract top talents to its ecosystem. Granite Asia, formerly known as GGV Capital Asia, is a leading multi-stage investor focused on transformative opportunities across Asia; it has a track record of building over 115 unicorns and was behind 61 initial public offerings globally. The firm will back transformative startups in Malaysia through its early-stage fund, focusing on sectors such as consumer tech, enterprise software, healthcare and advanced manufacturing. In partnership with Khazanah and Jelawang Capital, Granite Asia will also offer local entrepreneurs access to its founder network and strategic programmes to help Malaysian startups to scale beyond the local market into the region and globally. AppWorks, a Taiwan-based early-stage VC, stands out for combining equity-free accelerator programmes with founder-centric capital deployment. It plans to roll out Malaysia-focused Web 2.0 and Web 3.0 startup cohorts, backed by local experts and its regional founder network. AppWorks' investment mandate includes artificial intelligence, blockchain and digital-economy startups across South-east Asia, with a track record of top-quartile returns. Local VC firms take centre stage Out of the first five VC firms, three Malaysian firms – Vynn Capital, Kairous Capital and First Move – were selected under the EMP. EMP is structured to support Malaysian fund managers in raising their first, second, or third fund with the goal of creating regionally competitive VC fund managers by strengthening fund governance, building track records and crowding-in capital. Kuala Lumpur-based Vynn Capital focuses on mobility and supply-chain startups from seed to Series A funding exercises across South-east Asia. Kairous Capital, which specialises in cross-border expansion, homes in on Malaysian tech startups looking to penetrate high-growth markets in Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia. The firm also channels know-how from China to Malaysian ventures. First Move, is a founder-led firm backing pre-seed startups, often acting as the first institutional investor. It focuses on co-building startups with experienced operators and second-time founders. Building a regional VC powerhouse Malaysia's Second Finance Minister Amir Hamzah Azizan, who also attended Tuesday's event to launch EMP and RMI, said one of the most important lessons from global innovation hubs is that thriving ecosystems do not come about by chance; they are intentionally cultivated. 'In Malaysia, we are laying the foundations for such an ecosystem, driven not just by capital, but by conviction. 'And we are beginning to see results. This month, Kuala Lumpur entered the Top 20 Emerging Startup Ecosystems globally – a first for Malaysia, and a testament to the power of coordinated ambition.' Jelawang Capital chairman Hisham Hamdan expects that, with the collaboration of this group of high-calibre fund managers, the country will be able to attract more capital, talent, expertise and capabilities into Malaysia's ecosystem. The EMP and RMI initiatives form a key pillar of the Malaysian Venture Capital Roadmap 2024-2030, which aims to make the country a preferred regional hub by the end of the decade. The programmes also support the Malaysian government's goal of unlocking RM1 billion in investments to fund high-growth entrepreneurs and attract institutional capital to early-stage companies.
Business Times
24-06-2025
- Business
- Business Times
Malaysia's Khazanah picks Singapore, Taiwan VCs to help fire up next wave of startups
[KUALA LUMPUR] Malaysia's sovereign wealth fund Khazanah Nasional has selected Singapore-based Granite Asia and Taiwan's AppWorks as the first of five venture capital (VC) firms under two strategic programmes to transform Malaysia into a regional venture capital hub. The announcement, made on Tuesday (Jun 24) by Khazanah and its wholly owned subsidiary Jelawang Capital, marks the first rollout of its Emerging Fund Managers' Programme (EMP) and the Regional Fund Managers' Initiative (RMI), which were launched last October. The five selected fund managers under EMP and RMI are expected to deploy over RM200 million (S$60.5 million), a significant portion of which will be channelled into Malaysia-Nexus companies, supporting around 50 early-stage firms, said Khazanah managing director Amirul Feisal Wan Zahir. 'Our hope is that these five managers will nurture the next wave of Malaysian startups, and that over time, these startups and those who fund them will become mentors, backers and anchors for the next generation,' he said at a media briefing in Kuala Lumpur. He added that the initiatives are part of Khazanah's broader goal to act as both 'catalyst and connector' through its Dana Impak impact-investment platform and Jelawang Capital. Khazanah, Malaysia's sovereign wealth fund, managed US$36 billion in assets as at the end of 2024. Last October, it launched Jelawang Capital, a national fund-of-funds, designed to accelerate the growth of Malaysia's venture-capital sector through investments and partnerships with fund managers. A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU Friday, 8.30 am Asean Business Business insights centering on South-east Asia's fast-growing economies. Sign Up Sign Up Granite Asia and AppWorks As RMI partners, Granite Asia and AppWorks will seek to draw foreign fund managers to Malaysia's startups, with the aim of building regional and global entities. It is hoped that this will encourage global companies to re-domicile in Malaysia, create jobs and attract top talents to its ecosystem. Granite Asia, formerly known as GGV Capital Asia, is a leading multi-stage investor focused on transformative opportunities across Asia; it has a track record of building over 115 unicorns and was behind 61 initial public offerings globally. The firm will back transformative startups in Malaysia through its early-stage fund, focusing on sectors such as consumer tech, enterprise software, healthcare and advanced manufacturing. In partnership with Khazanah and Jelawang Capital, Granite Asia will also offer local entrepreneurs access to its founder network and strategic programmes to help Malaysian startups to scale beyond the local market into the region and globally. AppWorks, a Taiwan-based early-stage VC, stands out for combining equity-free accelerator programmes with founder-centric capital deployment. It plans to roll out Malaysia-focused Web 2.0 and Web 3.0 startup cohorts, backed by local experts and its regional founder network. AppWorks' investment mandate includes artificial intelligence, blockchain and digital-economy startups across South-east Asia, with a track record of top-quartile returns. Local VCs take centre stage Out of the first five VCs, three Malaysian firms – Vynn Capital, Kairous Capital and First Move – were selected under the EMP. EMP is structured to support Malaysian fund managers in raising their first, second, or third fund with the goal of creating regionally competitive VC fund managers by strengthening fund governance, building track records and crowding-in capital. Kuala Lumpur-based Vynn Capital focuses on mobility and supply-chain startups from seed to Series A funding exercises across South-east Asia. Kairous Capital, which specialises in cross-border expansion, homes in on Malaysian tech startups looking to penetrate high-growth markets in Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia. The firm also channels know-how from China to Malaysian ventures. First Move, is a founder-led firm backing pre-seed startups, often acting as the first institutional investor. It focuses on co-building startups with experienced operators and second-time founders. Building a regional VC powerhouse Malaysia's Second Finance Minister Amir Hamzah Azizan, who also attended Tuesday's event to launch EMP and RMI, said one of the most important lessons from global innovation hubs is that thriving ecosystems do not come about by chance; they are intentionally cultivated. 'In Malaysia, we are laying the foundations for such an ecosystem, driven not just by capital, but by conviction. 'And we are beginning to see results. This month, Kuala Lumpur entered the Top 20 Emerging Startup Ecosystems globally – a first for Malaysia, and a testament to the power of coordinated ambition.' Jelawang Capital chairman Hisham Hamdan expects that, with the collaboration of this group of high calibre fund managers, the country will be able to attract more capital, talent, expertise and capabilities into Malaysia's ecosystem. The EMP and RMI initiatives form a key pillar of the Malaysian Venture Capital Roadmap 2024-2030, which aims to make the country a preferred regional hub by the end of the decade. The programmes also support the Malaysian government's goal of unlocking RM1 billion in investments to fund high-growth entrepreneurs and attract institutional capital to early-stage companies.
Business Times
24-06-2025
- Business
- Business Times
Malaysia's Khazanah names Granite Asia, AppWorks among first VC partners to boost startup ecosystem
[KUALA LUMPUR] Malaysia's sovereign wealth fund Khazanah Nasional has named Singapore-based Granite Asia and Taiwan's AppWorks among the first five venture capital (VC) firms selected under two strategic programmes aimed at transforming Malaysia into a regional venture capital hub. The announcement, made on Tuesday (Jun 24) by Khazanah and its wholly-owned subsidiary Jelawang Capital, marks the first rollout of its Emerging Fund Managers' Programme (EMP) and the Regional Fund Managers' Initiative (RMI), which were launched in October last year. The five selected fund managers under EMP and RMI are expected to deploy over RM200 million, a significant portion of which will be channeled into Malaysia-Nexus companies, supporting around 50 early-stage firms, said Khazanah managing director Amirul Feisal Wan Zahir. 'Our hope is that these five managers will help nurture the next wave of Malaysian startups, and that over time, those startups and founders will become mentors, backers and anchors for the next generation,' he said during the media briefing in Kuala Lumpur. He added that the initiatives are part of Khazanah's broader goal to act as both 'catalyst and connector' through its Dana Impak impact investment platform and Jelawang Capital. Khazanah, Malaysia's sovereign wealth fund, managed US$36 billion in assets as at the end of 2024. In October last year, Khazanah launched Jelawang Capital, a national fund-of-funds, designed to accelerate the growth of Malaysia's venture capital sector through investments and partnerships with fund managers. A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU Friday, 8.30 am Asean Business Business insights centering on South-east Asia's fast-growing economies. Sign Up Sign Up Granite Asia and AppWorks Granite Asia and AppWorks were chosen as RMI partners. The RMI seeks to draw in regional and global fund managers who will contribute to the local startup ecosystem by fostering the growth of Malaysian startups into regional and global entities, encouraging global companies to re-domicile in Malaysia to boost local job opportunities, and drawing top talent into the Malaysian ecosystem. Granite Asia, formerly known as GGV Capital Asia, is a leading multi-stage investor focused on transformative opportunities across Asia, with a track record of building over 115 unicorns and achieving 61 initial public offerings globally. The firm will back transformative startups in Malaysia through its early-stage fund, focusing on sectors such as consumer tech, enterprise software, healthcare, and advanced manufacturing. In partnership with Khazanah and Jelawang Capital, Granite Asia will also offer local entrepreneurs access to its founder network and strategic programmes to help Malaysian startups to scale beyond the local market into the region and globally. Meanwhile, AppWorks, a Taiwan-based early-stage VC, stands out for combining equity-free accelerator programmes with founder-centric capital deployment. It plans to roll out Malaysia-focused Web 2.0 and Web 3.0 startup cohorts, backed by local experts and its regional founder network. AppWorks' investment mandate includes artificial intelligence, blockchain, and digital economy startups across Southeast Asia, with a track record of top-quartile returns. Local VCs take centre stage Out of the first five VCs, three Malaysian firms – Vynn Capital, Kairous Capital and First Move – were selected under the EMP. EMP is structured to support Malaysian fund managers in raising their first, second, or third fund with the goal of creating regionally competitive VC fund managers by strengthening fund governance, building track record and crowding in capital. Kuala Lumpur-based Vynn Capital focused on mobility and supply chain startups from seed to Series A across Southeast Asia. Kairous Capital, which specialises in cross-border expansion, aims at helping Malaysian tech startups penetrate high-growth markets in Vietnam, Thailand, and Indonesia. The firm also channels know-how from China to Malaysian ventures. First Move, is a founder-led firm backing pre-seed startups, often acting as the first institutional investor. It focuses on co-building startups with experienced operators and second-time founders. Building a regional VC powerhouse Malaysia's Second Finance Minister Amir Hamzah Azizan, who also attended the event, said one of the most important lessons from global innovation hubs is that thriving ecosystems don't happen by chance, they are intentionally cultivated. 'In Malaysia, we are laying the foundations for such an ecosystem, driven not just by capital, but by conviction. And we are beginning to see the results. This month, Kuala Lumpur entered the Top 20 Emerging Startup Ecosystems globally – a first for Malaysia, and a testament to the power of coordinated ambition,' he added. Jelawang Capital chairman Hisham Hamdan expects with the collaboration of this group of high calibre fund managers, the country will be able to attract more capital, talent, expertise, and capabilities into Malaysia's ecosystem. The EMP and RMI initiatives form a key pillar of the Malaysian Venture Capital Roadmap 2024–2030, which aims to make the country a preferred regional hub by the end of the decade. The programmes also support the Malaysian government's goal of unlocking RM1 billion in investments to fund high-growth entrepreneurs and attract institutional capital to early-stage companies.
