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Given region-wide restrictions as a result of COVID-19, founders and funders were stripped of networking opportunities including conferences and roadshows. Seeing an opportunity to leverage communications as a force for good to connect various stakeholders to accelerate the speed of capital movements and streamline an otherwise long-winded process of matching investors and funding opportunities across the region, integrated communications agency PRecious Communications launched a fortnightly webinar and podcast for Southeast Asian startup founders and investors, Southeast Asia Connect (SEA Connect).
SEA Connect aimed to connect Southeast Asia’s startup ecosystem to the world and serve as a networking platform for startups and investors. Having worked with over hundreds of entrepreneurs and investors to raise capital, grow their businesses, exit and establish a communications strategy designed for success in Southeast Asia, SEA Connect co-host Lars Voedisch (PRecious Communications’ Managing Director) leveraged his strong business acumen and solid communications expertise to identify key story angles that are relevant to the region’s startup and investment community. Chis Tran, Founder & Managing Partner of CapConnect (previously Head of North Ridge Partners Asia) also co-hosted the podcast, capitalising on his experience with leading high-growth technology companies on capital raising, growth by mergers & acquisitions and strategic advisory, and track record in advising over 50 high growth deals up to $1Bn in value across the region. Featuring renowned thought leaders in the space, the 60-minute-episode podcast series shared strategic actionable insights on the ecosystem and most importantly, how to engage, connect and co-contribute to building a sustainable startup community in Southeast Asia, with a focus on:
Getting the Money Meeting investors, and discovering how to get their attention. Meeting VCs, Corporate VCs, multi-billion funds regionally and beyond.
Building the Dream Learning from unicorn founders and those that have achieved the fabled exit.
Growing to Learn List of some episodes and story angles:
Impact Investing – Old Heroes with New Labels?
Impact investing is a young concept in Asia, but it is growing rapidly. In total, 16 percent of global impact investment AUM are allocated to East, South, and Southeast Asia, compared to 28 percent of AUM allocated to the US and Canada.
Topics discussed:
- Impact investing vs ESG Investing
- Current landscape and outlook for continued positive societal change in SEA
Unicorn Breeding
Over the past decade, Asia's startup scene has been led by China, which created some of the world's most valuable unlisted startups that are now household names like Alibaba and Tencent. Of course, we all know the hits keep on coming with TikTok operator ByteDance.
Topics discussed:
- The unicorn DNA
- The next wave of unicorns
- How will the unicorns exit
Merchant Platforms in Southeast Asia – The Next Billion Users
Google talks about finding the next “billion” users - is it the case that a significant part of the next billion users will be served and acquired indirectly via the millions of MSME merchants embedded in the emerging markets of Southeast Asia?
Topics discussed:
- The shift to B2B Super Apps
- Size of the “Merchant Enterprise segment”
- Economics around merchants
Please refer to the supporting document for a complete list of episodes and panelists. All episodes are available on Spotify, Google Podcasts, and Apple Podcasts.
Impact
In a span of slightly over six months from 14 May to 20 November, SEA Connect has hosted 12 webinar episodes, showcasing investors with a combined total of $10 billion in Funds Under Management (FUM). Grab, a Unicorn valued at $14.3 billion, and Ninja Van (valued at $2 billion) were featured on SEA Connect, which hit a reach of over 10,000 on a global scale.
Apart from unicorn founders, SEA Connect likewise featured prominent VCs from firms such as Qiming Venture Partners, B Capital Group and Grab Ventures.
Nomination Title: Southeast Asia Connect: Connecting Southeast Asia’s Startup Ecosystem to the World
