Asimov Ventures
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Based in Sao Paulo, Maya Capital was co-founded in 2018 by Lara Lemann and Mônica Saggioro. The VC manages two funds that invest in early-stage startups in Latin America. The first is worth $26m and the second raised $15m in October 2020. Half of the amount raised will be invested in new startups, while the balance will fund Series A rounds of portfolio startups.Together with co-investors like Kaszek Ventures and Y Combinator, the VC has invested in 25 startups in Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Mexico. Investments include plant-based foodtech NotCo, the car-rental operator Kovi and online education platform Trybe. Maya aims to increase its portfolio to 35 startups, focusing on post-Covid opportunities in diverse sectors like health, finance, mobility and logistics.
Based in Sao Paulo, Maya Capital was co-founded in 2018 by Lara Lemann and Mônica Saggioro. The VC manages two funds that invest in early-stage startups in Latin America. The first is worth $26m and the second raised $15m in October 2020. Half of the amount raised will be invested in new startups, while the balance will fund Series A rounds of portfolio startups.Together with co-investors like Kaszek Ventures and Y Combinator, the VC has invested in 25 startups in Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Mexico. Investments include plant-based foodtech NotCo, the car-rental operator Kovi and online education platform Trybe. Maya aims to increase its portfolio to 35 startups, focusing on post-Covid opportunities in diverse sectors like health, finance, mobility and logistics.
PayPal is the US-based online payments company founded in 1999 and acquired by eBay in 2002. It is listed in NASDAQ under the ticker code PYPL.Besides facilitating online payments and money transfers for many e-commerce companies and other internet-based businesses, it is famous for its network of former founders and other alumni, many of whom went on to establish successful companies or became investors in the tech and internet industries. Some famous names linked to this network, sometimes called “PayPal Mafia”, include ex-CEO Peter Thiel, Elon Musk, Dave McClure (founder of 500 Startups), and Reid Hoffman (LinkedIn co-founder).PayPal has invested in several companies, including ride-hailing firms Gojek and Uber and e-commerce platform MercadoLibre. It has also established PayPal Ventures as a separate VC arm and PayPal Incubator to support early-stage startups.
PayPal is the US-based online payments company founded in 1999 and acquired by eBay in 2002. It is listed in NASDAQ under the ticker code PYPL.Besides facilitating online payments and money transfers for many e-commerce companies and other internet-based businesses, it is famous for its network of former founders and other alumni, many of whom went on to establish successful companies or became investors in the tech and internet industries. Some famous names linked to this network, sometimes called “PayPal Mafia”, include ex-CEO Peter Thiel, Elon Musk, Dave McClure (founder of 500 Startups), and Reid Hoffman (LinkedIn co-founder).PayPal has invested in several companies, including ride-hailing firms Gojek and Uber and e-commerce platform MercadoLibre. It has also established PayPal Ventures as a separate VC arm and PayPal Incubator to support early-stage startups.
Yamaha Motor Ventures & Laboratory Silicon Valley
The investment arm of Yamaha Motor Group (Japan) was founded in 2015 and is headquartered in Palo Alto, California. It focuses on industrial automation and transportation technology, and on smart and automated solutions in particular. Recent investments include automated strawberry picker Advanced Farm Technologies' US$7.5m Series A round and drone and robotics startup Exyn Technology's US$16m Series A round.
The investment arm of Yamaha Motor Group (Japan) was founded in 2015 and is headquartered in Palo Alto, California. It focuses on industrial automation and transportation technology, and on smart and automated solutions in particular. Recent investments include automated strawberry picker Advanced Farm Technologies' US$7.5m Series A round and drone and robotics startup Exyn Technology's US$16m Series A round.
Norfund is the sovereign investment fund of Norway, established by the parliament in 1997 and owned by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The company has committed NOK 28.4bn in investments into 170 projects in developing countries as of 2020. Norfund has regional offices in Thailand, Costa Rica, Kenya, Mozambique and Ghana to support its activities in Asia, Africa and Latin America. In Asia, its core investment targets are Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Myanmar, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Norfund primarily invests in three key areas: clean energy, agriculture and fintech. The fund has invested in solar power projects and various food companies in India and various African countries. In Asia, Norfund has invested in Amartha, an Indonesian P2P lending fintech company providing loans to women-led microbusinesses. Norfund also invests in other venture funds, such as Southeast Asia-focused Openspace Ventures Fund III, to expand and diversify their portfolio.
Norfund is the sovereign investment fund of Norway, established by the parliament in 1997 and owned by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The company has committed NOK 28.4bn in investments into 170 projects in developing countries as of 2020. Norfund has regional offices in Thailand, Costa Rica, Kenya, Mozambique and Ghana to support its activities in Asia, Africa and Latin America. In Asia, its core investment targets are Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Myanmar, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Norfund primarily invests in three key areas: clean energy, agriculture and fintech. The fund has invested in solar power projects and various food companies in India and various African countries. In Asia, Norfund has invested in Amartha, an Indonesian P2P lending fintech company providing loans to women-led microbusinesses. Norfund also invests in other venture funds, such as Southeast Asia-focused Openspace Ventures Fund III, to expand and diversify their portfolio.
Bamboo Capital Partners is an impact investment company that focuses on supporting energy access, finance and healthcare-related ventures in developing countries. The company manages 10 investment funds across Asia, Africa, and Latin America, with companies in Indonesia, India, Kyrgyz Republic, and Brazil having received investments from this company. Bamboo Capital Partners states that their portfolio healthcare companies have served 3.4m patients, and 9.68m metric tons of CO2 emissions have been avoided through the use of solar panels and green energy championed by their startups.Bamboo Capital Partners have worked with governments and major investment groups to support the fulfillment of SDG goals through startup investing. In 2020, Bamboo Capital Partners was appointed by the government of Madagascar and the World Bank as the fund manager for the $40m Off-Grid Market Development Fund. Bamboo is also a partner of the Palladium Group, which owns a minority stake in the VC.
Bamboo Capital Partners is an impact investment company that focuses on supporting energy access, finance and healthcare-related ventures in developing countries. The company manages 10 investment funds across Asia, Africa, and Latin America, with companies in Indonesia, India, Kyrgyz Republic, and Brazil having received investments from this company. Bamboo Capital Partners states that their portfolio healthcare companies have served 3.4m patients, and 9.68m metric tons of CO2 emissions have been avoided through the use of solar panels and green energy championed by their startups.Bamboo Capital Partners have worked with governments and major investment groups to support the fulfillment of SDG goals through startup investing. In 2020, Bamboo Capital Partners was appointed by the government of Madagascar and the World Bank as the fund manager for the $40m Off-Grid Market Development Fund. Bamboo is also a partner of the Palladium Group, which owns a minority stake in the VC.
Based in San Francisco, the Mulago Foundation is a philanthropic foundation designed to carry on the life work of pediatrician Rainer Arnhold who died in 1993 while working in the mountains of Bolivia. He originally set up the Mulago Foundation in 1968, naming it after a hospital in Uganda. His Jewish family, bankers for generations, continued to support the foundation for impact investing across diverse sectors and geographies, with scalable solutions to alleviate poverty.It has invested in 61 companies to date. Successful ventures include: Kenya’s Komaza that raised $28m in its 2020 Series B and Myanmar’s Proximity Finance, a fintech for small-holder farmers that raised $14m in 2020. Komaza helps poor families turn dry land into small-scale, income-generating tree farms, benefiting more than 2m farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Based in San Francisco, the Mulago Foundation is a philanthropic foundation designed to carry on the life work of pediatrician Rainer Arnhold who died in 1993 while working in the mountains of Bolivia. He originally set up the Mulago Foundation in 1968, naming it after a hospital in Uganda. His Jewish family, bankers for generations, continued to support the foundation for impact investing across diverse sectors and geographies, with scalable solutions to alleviate poverty.It has invested in 61 companies to date. Successful ventures include: Kenya’s Komaza that raised $28m in its 2020 Series B and Myanmar’s Proximity Finance, a fintech for small-holder farmers that raised $14m in 2020. Komaza helps poor families turn dry land into small-scale, income-generating tree farms, benefiting more than 2m farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa.
VNV Global was originally founded as Vostok Nafta in 1996, with its first investment in Russia. The investment vehicle initially focused on investments in agriculture and natural resources, but began to diversify into early consumer internet companies like Avito and Tinkoff Bank. Shares were listed on NASDAQ OMX and the VC pivoted to high-growth tech investments in 2007. In 2015, the name was changed to Vostok New Ventures and shortened to VNV Global in 2020 to reflect its international strategy to expand outside Europe.The mid-cap NASDAQ Stockholm exchange-listed VNV mainly invests in mobility, medtech and marketplaces. It currently has 31 startups in its portfolio and six exits managed to date. Recent investments led by VNV include the $43m Series B funding of London-based food waste app OLIO in September 2021 and the $1.6m seed round of Vietnamese dating app Fika in October 2021.
VNV Global was originally founded as Vostok Nafta in 1996, with its first investment in Russia. The investment vehicle initially focused on investments in agriculture and natural resources, but began to diversify into early consumer internet companies like Avito and Tinkoff Bank. Shares were listed on NASDAQ OMX and the VC pivoted to high-growth tech investments in 2007. In 2015, the name was changed to Vostok New Ventures and shortened to VNV Global in 2020 to reflect its international strategy to expand outside Europe.The mid-cap NASDAQ Stockholm exchange-listed VNV mainly invests in mobility, medtech and marketplaces. It currently has 31 startups in its portfolio and six exits managed to date. Recent investments led by VNV include the $43m Series B funding of London-based food waste app OLIO in September 2021 and the $1.6m seed round of Vietnamese dating app Fika in October 2021.
Famous techpreneur Li Yinan (b. 1970) is the former CTO of Baidu and former CEO of Wuxian Xunqi, a China Mobile subsidiary. After Li graduated from Huazhong University of Science & Technology with a master’s degree in Optics Engineering, he joined Huawei and was promoted to vice-president of its Central Research Department in just six months; in 1997 Li because the youngest vice-president at Huawei. In 2001, Li quit Huawei and started his own data communication company, Harbour Networks, which followed the same structure of Huawei and soon became its main competitor. In 2005, Harbour Networks lost in its intense battle with Huawei and was acquired by the larger player. Even though Li rejoined Huawei after the acquisition, he was never able to re-enter the core management team because of his damaged relationship with Ren Zhengfei, the founder and president of Huawei. In April 2015, Li founded his smart e-scooter company, NIU Smart Scooters. Li began investing in 2010 and joined GSR Ventures in 2011. Up to June 2015, Li had invested in more than 10 companies from the TMT sector. Li stood trial for insider trading in March 2016, according to news reports.
Famous techpreneur Li Yinan (b. 1970) is the former CTO of Baidu and former CEO of Wuxian Xunqi, a China Mobile subsidiary. After Li graduated from Huazhong University of Science & Technology with a master’s degree in Optics Engineering, he joined Huawei and was promoted to vice-president of its Central Research Department in just six months; in 1997 Li because the youngest vice-president at Huawei. In 2001, Li quit Huawei and started his own data communication company, Harbour Networks, which followed the same structure of Huawei and soon became its main competitor. In 2005, Harbour Networks lost in its intense battle with Huawei and was acquired by the larger player. Even though Li rejoined Huawei after the acquisition, he was never able to re-enter the core management team because of his damaged relationship with Ren Zhengfei, the founder and president of Huawei. In April 2015, Li founded his smart e-scooter company, NIU Smart Scooters. Li began investing in 2010 and joined GSR Ventures in 2011. Up to June 2015, Li had invested in more than 10 companies from the TMT sector. Li stood trial for insider trading in March 2016, according to news reports.
Future Positive Capital is a Paris-based VC with a second office in London. Its investments cover deep-technology companies applying AI, biotechnology, synthetic biology, as well as robotics. Co-funded in 2016 by ex-Index Ventures associate Sofia Hmich along with Alexandre Terrien and Michael Rosen; it has made 18 investments to date. In 2019 Future Positive raised over $57m pan-European impact investment fund, claiming that most European VCs are continuing to staying focused on sectors, such as consumer, fintech, and marketing, or web and mobile technologies. Future Positive’s belief is that there is instead, a long-tail of investment opportunities to back businesses that actually tackle “the world’s most pressing problems”.Through this fund, it will back throughout Seed and Series A stages, with the possibility to follow up on Series B investing between around €300,000 and €5m. Since then the company has backed startups in the like of BioBeats, an AI company focused on preventative mental health, cell-based startup Meatable, and more recently NotCo, the Chilean unicorn disrupting the food and beverage sector with AI-enabled plant-based products.The team counts on an extensive network of mentors, innovators, impact angel investors and entrepreneurs such as F1 pilots Nico Rosberg, the MD of Alibaba France Sebastien Badault, the Omid Ashtari the President of Citymapper amongst others.
Future Positive Capital is a Paris-based VC with a second office in London. Its investments cover deep-technology companies applying AI, biotechnology, synthetic biology, as well as robotics. Co-funded in 2016 by ex-Index Ventures associate Sofia Hmich along with Alexandre Terrien and Michael Rosen; it has made 18 investments to date. In 2019 Future Positive raised over $57m pan-European impact investment fund, claiming that most European VCs are continuing to staying focused on sectors, such as consumer, fintech, and marketing, or web and mobile technologies. Future Positive’s belief is that there is instead, a long-tail of investment opportunities to back businesses that actually tackle “the world’s most pressing problems”.Through this fund, it will back throughout Seed and Series A stages, with the possibility to follow up on Series B investing between around €300,000 and €5m. Since then the company has backed startups in the like of BioBeats, an AI company focused on preventative mental health, cell-based startup Meatable, and more recently NotCo, the Chilean unicorn disrupting the food and beverage sector with AI-enabled plant-based products.The team counts on an extensive network of mentors, innovators, impact angel investors and entrepreneurs such as F1 pilots Nico Rosberg, the MD of Alibaba France Sebastien Badault, the Omid Ashtari the President of Citymapper amongst others.
Aspex Management was founded in 2018 by Hermes Li Ho Kei who was previously the executive MD and Head of Asia Equities at Och-Ziff Capital Management, aka OZ Management. Prior to joining OZ in 2011 Li worked at Goldman, Sachs & Co in Hong Kong.The London School of Economics graduate is now the chief investment officer at Aspex. The Hong Kong firm focuses on equity investments in Pan-Asia, specializing in sectors with long-term market growth potential and companies undergoing structural changes.Aspex led the $64m funding round for South Korean fintech unicorn Toss in August 2019. The P2P money transfer service platform Toss is created by Viva Republica backed by PayPal. Other participants in the round included existing Toss investors Kleiner Perkins, Altos Ventures, Singapore's GIC, Sequoia Capital China, Goodwater Capital and Bessemer Venture Partners.In May 2020, Aspex also invested in another startup Market Kurly, a grocery-delivery service provider that became South Korea’s latest unicorn via the Series E funding round that secured $328m led by DST Global. In July, Aspex also joined the $900m Series C+ funding round of Xpeng Motors, Tesla’s EV rival in China.
Aspex Management was founded in 2018 by Hermes Li Ho Kei who was previously the executive MD and Head of Asia Equities at Och-Ziff Capital Management, aka OZ Management. Prior to joining OZ in 2011 Li worked at Goldman, Sachs & Co in Hong Kong.The London School of Economics graduate is now the chief investment officer at Aspex. The Hong Kong firm focuses on equity investments in Pan-Asia, specializing in sectors with long-term market growth potential and companies undergoing structural changes.Aspex led the $64m funding round for South Korean fintech unicorn Toss in August 2019. The P2P money transfer service platform Toss is created by Viva Republica backed by PayPal. Other participants in the round included existing Toss investors Kleiner Perkins, Altos Ventures, Singapore's GIC, Sequoia Capital China, Goodwater Capital and Bessemer Venture Partners.In May 2020, Aspex also invested in another startup Market Kurly, a grocery-delivery service provider that became South Korea’s latest unicorn via the Series E funding round that secured $328m led by DST Global. In July, Aspex also joined the $900m Series C+ funding round of Xpeng Motors, Tesla’s EV rival in China.
Born in 1968, Jerry Yang is a Taiwanese-American billionaire computer programmer. After co-creating the Yahoo internet navigational guide in 1994, he co-founded the company Yahoo! Inc in 1995 with David Filo while both were studying at Stanford University. Yang did not complete his PhD in electrical engineering to become an entrepreneur “selling internet advertising”.Yang was Yahoo! CEO for almost two years until 2009, rejecting Microsoft’s takeover offer of $47.5bn in 2008. He eventually left the board in 2012 when he resigned due to strategic disagreements such as whether to sell all or part of the company. In 2016, Yahoo! completed the sale of its core operating business to Verizon for $5bn. Yang was also a board member of the Alibaba Group from 2006 to 2012. Yang met Jack Ma in 1997 when Ma was working as a government-employed tour guide. The former English teacher gave him a tour of the Great Wall of China. Ma went on to found Alibaba a few months after meeting Yang.After leaving Yahoo!, Yang founded AME Cloud Ventures to invest in multiple tech startups. As of November 2020, Yang’s net worth was valued at $2.3bn. In 2017, he and his wife pledged $25m to the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, the largest gift in the museum's history.
Born in 1968, Jerry Yang is a Taiwanese-American billionaire computer programmer. After co-creating the Yahoo internet navigational guide in 1994, he co-founded the company Yahoo! Inc in 1995 with David Filo while both were studying at Stanford University. Yang did not complete his PhD in electrical engineering to become an entrepreneur “selling internet advertising”.Yang was Yahoo! CEO for almost two years until 2009, rejecting Microsoft’s takeover offer of $47.5bn in 2008. He eventually left the board in 2012 when he resigned due to strategic disagreements such as whether to sell all or part of the company. In 2016, Yahoo! completed the sale of its core operating business to Verizon for $5bn. Yang was also a board member of the Alibaba Group from 2006 to 2012. Yang met Jack Ma in 1997 when Ma was working as a government-employed tour guide. The former English teacher gave him a tour of the Great Wall of China. Ma went on to found Alibaba a few months after meeting Yang.After leaving Yahoo!, Yang founded AME Cloud Ventures to invest in multiple tech startups. As of November 2020, Yang’s net worth was valued at $2.3bn. In 2017, he and his wife pledged $25m to the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, the largest gift in the museum's history.
Startmate is an accelerator program for tech-enabled Australian and New Zealand start-ups. It also operates a seed fund backed by venture capitalists and established entrepreneurs. The organisation was established in 2011 by Niki Scevak, founder of Blackbird Ventures, and a team that included the founders of Australian enterprise software company Atlassian. Since its inception in 2011, Startmate has invested in more than 150 startups with a combined valuation of more than A$1 billion. Startmate runs two accelerator cohorts a year, usually from January–April and July–October. This accelerator program is open to a wide range of entrepreneurs, from idea-stage groups and pre-Series A startups, to solo founders and complete teams. Companies participating in Startmate’s accelerator program each receive A$75,000 from Startmate’s community of mentors, in exchange for 7.5% equity. In 2019 Startmate launched a dedicated Climate Cohort, which runs parallel with the standard program and focuses on startups in cleantech and climate-tech. Startmate also runs a First Believers program twice a year, which trains future or aspiring angel investors from Australia and New Zealand by building their confidence and networks and refining their investment strategies. In addition, the organization runs a coaching and mentorship program and holds other networking programs, like a Founders’ Fellowship, Women Fellowship, and Student Fellowship, at various dates throughout the year.
Startmate is an accelerator program for tech-enabled Australian and New Zealand start-ups. It also operates a seed fund backed by venture capitalists and established entrepreneurs. The organisation was established in 2011 by Niki Scevak, founder of Blackbird Ventures, and a team that included the founders of Australian enterprise software company Atlassian. Since its inception in 2011, Startmate has invested in more than 150 startups with a combined valuation of more than A$1 billion. Startmate runs two accelerator cohorts a year, usually from January–April and July–October. This accelerator program is open to a wide range of entrepreneurs, from idea-stage groups and pre-Series A startups, to solo founders and complete teams. Companies participating in Startmate’s accelerator program each receive A$75,000 from Startmate’s community of mentors, in exchange for 7.5% equity. In 2019 Startmate launched a dedicated Climate Cohort, which runs parallel with the standard program and focuses on startups in cleantech and climate-tech. Startmate also runs a First Believers program twice a year, which trains future or aspiring angel investors from Australia and New Zealand by building their confidence and networks and refining their investment strategies. In addition, the organization runs a coaching and mentorship program and holds other networking programs, like a Founders’ Fellowship, Women Fellowship, and Student Fellowship, at various dates throughout the year.
Catalonia: Spain's fast-rising robotics hub and next opportunity
With the robotics sector on the rise in Catalonia, expect to see more growth ahead, driving opportunities in related segments, especially services
Can AI make ethical decisions? Ethyka by Acuilae wants to train AI systems to reason like humans
Ethyka, an AI training module, sets the ethical principles and conditioning for AI systems in applications ranging from chatbots to autonomous cars
New Ventures Innovation: Prasetiya Mulya University takes on student entrepreneurship
To prepare a new generation of startup founders, Prasetiya Mulya University combines theoretical education with real-life exposure to the startup world
Beatriz González: Seaya Ventures head and Spanish tech VC trailblazer
From Cabify to Glovo, the only woman to head a Spanish VC firm has backed some of the country’s most successful startups to date
Taronga Ventures takes RealTechX to Singapore; plans Japan, US growth
The Australian proptech investor to focus on ESG in its acceleration program, including women under-representation and site safety
eShop Ventures: A costly spending spree to create the Spanish Amazon
Behind the downfall of one of Spain's most promising startups
Intudo Ventures: Grooming returning overseas talent for an Indonesia-only bet
Combining the experience and networks of foreign-educated Indonesians with local distribution channels, Intudo’s hyperlocal strategy has attracted $200m in managed assets
Alpha JWC Ventures bets on Indonesian fintech, analytics startups for big impact
A commitment to mentoring and supporting its portfolio companies also lies at the core of its business
Early Charm Ventures: Taking research from the labs to the real world
Instead of investing money, the venture studio gets hands-on, co-running companies with top scientists and their cutting-edge research
Bayer Growth Ventures' Paimun Amini: Invest in tech for smarter, more sustainable farming
Corporate venture capital showed up in abundance at Smart Agrifood Malaga, where CompassList spoke with Paimun Amini, Director of Venture Investments for Bayer Growth Ventures (BGV)
Big Idea Ventures Founder Andrew D Ive: Asia will lead cell-based meat innovation
In a wide-ranging interview, the managing general partner of the US- and Singapore-based foodtech investor also expounds on his goal to extend sustainability to the rest of the food sector, combining good returns with doing good
“Sniper investor” Zhu Xiaohu: GSR Ventures chief’s slow but steady way of spotting future unicorns
Known for his conservative investing in China’s often-euphoric tech startup scene, Zhu Xiaohu has caught unicorns like Didi Chuxing while making a profitable exit from Ofo just before it sank
East Ventures raises funds, teams up with state agency to produce Covid-19 tests for Indonesia
East Ventures investee Nusantics has been working with state researchers to produce the prototype; expects mass production of the test kits soon
Warung Pintar: Creating a little place of happiness with smart kiosks
CEO Agung Bezharie Hadinegoro on how Warung Pintar is tapping IoT and other digital tech to unleash the economic potential of Indonesia's traditional street vendors
Harnessing its innovative startups, Portugal builds a better cleantech ecosystem
With help from government and private-sector initiatives, Portuguese cleantech startups are playing an ever-increasing role in helping the country meet its energy challenges while cutting harmful greenhouse gases
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