Revisiting Southeast Asia’s Startup Fundraising Pathways in 2025
About the session:
In 2025, Southeast Asia’s startup ecosystem is at an interesting juncture. Against a backdrop of global AI hype cycles, rising tariffs, and shifting geopolitical currents, both fundraising opportunities and exit strategies have taken on more nuance. From elusive IPOs to strategic M&As and secondary deals, how can founders and investors think about navigating this new terrain?
Join us for a panel discussion exploring how these macro trends are reshaping the region’s startup pathways to liquidity. We’ll unpack:
The current state of M&A and IPOs in SEA for early-stage startups
How macro forces like AI, tariffs, and geopolitics are influencing deal-making and investor behavior
Investor perspectives on liquidity, secondary sales, and alternative exit pathways
What SEA can learn from exit activity in India and China
Who should attend:
Startup founders, aspiring startup executives, and anyone looking to understand the strategic shifts in SEA’s venture-backed startup scene. This event is especially relevant for those interested in Insignia Ventures Partners’ 12-week experiential programs, including the flagship VC Accelerator immersing professionals in the processes and rigor of venture investing, and StartCXO, equipping future startup leaders with the cross-functional skills to scale high-growth startups in the region.
What will the session cover:
🕔 5.00pm - 5.30pm: Registration
🤝 5.30pm - 6.00pm: Networking
💬 6.00pm - 6.40pm: Panel Discussion
🍸 6.40pm - 8.00pm: Networking
Featured Speakers:
Navas Ebin Muhammed, Managing Director and Head of APAC (Mars Growth Capital)
Navas is the Managing Director & Head of APAC for Mars Growth Capital and Liquidity Group. Singapore based Mars Growth Capital, is the largest growth to late stage mid-market technology financing credit fund in the region with an AUM of over USD 1B. It is a Joint venture between MUFG Bank and Liquidity Group, which is the world’s largest AI based asset manager for private credit managing over USD 2.5B. Navas has successfully led transactions worth around USD 500M in startups at various stages and spread across various regions over the last 4 years with Mars Growth. He started his career as an Entrepreneur himself before moving into technology financing. He enjoys conversations and is committed to working towards the development of the technology loan market in APAC as a solution to the huge growth funding gap in the sector in SEA etc.
Yongcheng Ong, Principal (Insignia Ventures Partners)
Yongcheng Ong is Principal at Insignia Ventures Partners. He previously spent three years at Qiming Venture Partners, focusing on growth-stage investments in Southeast Asia and India. Before that, he was a member of Sea Limited's Corporate Development & Strategy team, contributing to the company's IPO journey. Yongcheng also gained experience at Deutsche Bank prior to entering the technology scene. He holds a Bachelor's Degree in Accountancy from Nanyang Technological University.
Moderator: Thomas Jeng, Global Head of Startups (Aspire)
Thomas Jeng is Global Head of Startups at Aspire, a fast-growing FinTech company providing finance solutions to startups, SMBs, and the web3 community throughout the Asia-Pacific. Thomas focuses on strategy, organizational design, as well as commercial operations.
Prior to joining Aspire, he held a variety of roles in the startup and venture capital space, including:
Leading go-to-market and customer success as VP, Head of Commercial at Gnowbe, an early-stage EdTech company
Leading expansion in Asia, Europe, and Africa as Head of Global Business Development at 500 Startups (now 500 Global), a worldwide venture capital firm and startup ecosystem builder
Building Junction, a platform for digital innovation talent, as Co-Founder and CEO
Thomas began his career in strategy consulting at firms such as Boston Consulting Group and Gartner. Thomas holds a bachelor’s degree in International Politics from Georgetown University and an MBA from the Yale School of Management.
Let’s chart the future of exits in SEA—whether you're raising your first round or thinking three steps ahead, join us in this session to take a deeper dive into the fundraising and exit paths for 2025 and beyond.