Vertex venture holdings has announced its plan to add a $290 million capital venture to invest in the ever-changing and rapidly growing tech industry in Asia. The Singapore-based investment company has expressed optimism about the future asserting that the markets in Asia are offering a lot more opportunities because of the increased number of startups coming up.
The company, which was among the main backers of Grab, a ride-hailing company, said that the funds were targeting the tech industry which is having a high growth rate in the region. Chua Kee Lock, president, and CEO of Vertex Venture Holdings, who has headed the company for more than a decade, was on record saying:
Markets like Southeast Asia offer a lot more opportunities to invest in growth capital.
$15 million in funding to Southeast Asia startups
Vertex plans to invest around $10 million to $15 million in funding to startups. To qualify, these companies must be on their fourth round of funding. The company also announced that it would also look to fund companies that are their early stages in what they referred to as affiliate funds to a tune of $3 million to $4 million.
Vertex realized seven (7) years ago the potential of a ride-hailing company called Grab and invested heavily. Grab now is valued at an estimated $14 billion and has been a success for the company and for Chua who was the head of the company when it invested.
During that time, they had invested heavily in Southeast Asia which has a population of around 640 million people. The invested in companies that were offering online payments, eCommerce and ride-hailing services, a decision that has proved to have paid off.
Chua, in conclusion, said that Vertex will look at diversifying its portfolio and looking to venture into new markets in cybersecurity in Israel and will also look into investing in consumer-oriented technologies in China and Southeast Asia.
The company has already invested 10 percent of its funds in companies in the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States (US).
Internet of Things (IoT) security will become a particular area of focus, as connected devices become staples in daily life and cybercriminals look to exploit them. Stephen Zafarino, vice president of national recruiting for recruiting agency Mondo, confirmed:
Companies are definitely looking to figure out how we can protect these new products that we’re putting online and make sure they’re not a vulnerability.
Meanwhile, if you’re already a self-made individual looking for investments to expand your capital, take a look at the education space and what are the current needs, like the twenty-two billion dollars ($22B) after-school market. You just need to have the nose for these opportunities and be there when the market opportunities break.
