While the Southeast Asian VC ecosystem is dominated by Singapore and Indonesia, every country in the region boasts its own line-up of savvy investors and VCs looking to cash in on the local startup scene. Pre-COVID, its GDP stood at USD 365 billion in 2019, and following a dip in 2020 due to the global pandemic, the central bank expects GDP to rebound by up to 7.5% in 2021, which will certainly boost the startup and VC sectors. While the VC sector in Malaysia is relatively less mature than in other emerging markets, with some of the largest players still associated with the Malaysian government, the sector has seen significant growth in the past few years. Read on to find out more about the top 15 VCs in Malaysia.
Who: Cradle Fund, under the auspices of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI), organizes different programs and initiatives to empower early-stage companies, with over USD 300 million under management. It has funded over 1,000 startups since its establishment in 2003.
Sectors: E-commerce, Digital Marketplace, Mobile/Internet and Fintech.
Who: MAVCAP (Malaysia Venture Capital Management Berhad) is the country’s largest VC and a subsidiary of the Ministry of Finance, with a focus on the ICT sector and other high-growth industries. It partners with VCs around the world to help its portfolio companies access a global network of investors and potential partners.
Sectors: ICT, Technology and Media.
Who: TH Capital is a Malaysian-based VC with strong Southeast Asian connections. They focus on technology innovation that is geared towards nation building activities.
Sectors: Fintech, IoT, E-commerce and mobile gaming are the main focus areas
Who: Founded in 2014, Kejora is a leading venture capital firm with up to USD 380 million of assets under management. To date, the company has invested in over 35 startups in Asia and created more than 91,000 jobs globally.
Sectors: All
Who: Xeraya is a VC focused on the area of life sciences. Through their ‘Open Innovation’ global initiative, they have partnerships with foreign innovators and institutions to generate and support innovative developments.
Sector: Medical technology, Pharmaceutics, Biotech and Biorenewables.
Who: NEXEA is a startup investment company that specializes in supporting and funding technology companies with the potential to grow into giants. It runs various mentoring and startup programs in Malaysia as well as the region. NEXEA provides funding of between USD 50,000 to USD 1 million.
Sectors: Technology, Digital marketplace, E-commerce, Media and Fintech.
Who: Intres Capital Partners is a Malaysian-based VC formed through a partnership with Malaysia Venture Capital Management Berhad (MAVCAP), QuestMark Capital Management and Teak Capital. The company currently runs the Axiata Digital Innovation Fund and is looking to invest up to USD 2.4 million per company.
Sectors: E-commerce, Location-based services, Big Data analytics, IoT, Cloud Services, Fintech and others
Who: 1337 is a technology accelerator and early-stage VC studio focused on the app development space in Malaysia as well as Southeast Asia. It focuses on pre-seed and seed rounds.
Sector: App technology solutions
Who: Vynn Capital is a Southeast Asia-focused VC based in Malaysia, backed by governments, institutional investors and family offices.
Sectors: Travel, Property, Food, FMCG and Female Economics
Who: Kumpulan Modal Perdana was established for Malaysian companies and investors to tap into international resources and vice versa. The company invest in tech startups in Southeast Asia and the US with a focus on technology development.
Sectors: Advanced Electronics, Medical Devices, Green Energy and more
Who: Teak Capital’s first fund is in partnership with MAVCAP, under its Outsource Partners’ Programme (OSP). They focus on innovative technology and high-growth areas from early to growth stages.
Sectors: All
Who: Netrove provides critical venture capital and corporate advisory services. Netrove focus mainly on early and growth stage startups, along with complementary corporate finance advisory services such as strategic restructuring, fund raising, corporate turn-arounds, IPO and M&A advisory.
Sectors: Energy & Cleantech, Media, SaaS, Travel, Fintech, Edutech
Who: Captii Ventures is a multi-stage VC that invests in technology and innovation, focusing mainly on startups in South East Asia.
Sectors: Marketplace, Media and Enterprise
Who: FirstFloor Capital is a venture investment firm that invests in high-growth technology companies. FirstFloor Capital is mainly involved in Series, A, B and C rounds with the aim of helping portfolio companies accelerate their growth.
Sectors: All
Who: Frontier Digital Ventures is focused on the online marketplace sector in emerging markets. The company has invested in Latin American startups such as Chilean-based Yapo.cl.
Sectors: E-commerce and online marketplaces.
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