Starting a Southeast Asia VC fund and how to break into VC. 1982 Ventures was invited to join a panel at INSEAD’s Emerging Markets Conference on starting an ASEAN Focused Venture Capital Fund.

1982 Ventures was invited to join a panel at INSEAD’s Emerging Markets Conference on starting an ASEAN Focused Venture Capital Fund.

‍Scott Krivokopich, Managing Partner of 1982 Ventures, shared his views on COVID induced macroeconomic trends, the current fundraising environment for startups, how to break into venture capital and attractive markets in Southeast Asia.

Scott highlighted that fintech has been growing much faster than many other industries as a result of the pandemic. He stated, “We have seen digital payments outpace overall market growth. Businesses have been hurt by the pandemic and there is now much more of a focus on how they can streamline user experiences and build resilience in their businesses. More often than not, this means going digital.”

"digital payments outpace overall market growth"

Scott also provided his views on fundraising strategies for startups, “If you’re at the seed stage, ask a prospective investor the tough questions such as whether or not they have been deploying the past 6 months and how much cash they have in reserve.” He continued, “Be wary of being strung along versus investing your time and effort into building a relationship with investors who are both capable and interested in your business model.  Bias your efforts towards funds who have to deploy their capital to get a return as opposed to family offices and angels who may not feel the same pressure.”

For prospective MBA candidates, he encouraged those that want to break into venture capital in Southeast Asia to steer away from a typical finance track and focus on marketing, product and tech. He said, “Work at a strong later stage startup, build a strong network of founders and get close to partners at the VC firms that you want to work with. Becoming a great operator demonstrates how you can add tangible value to a VC firm.”

‍About INSEAD Emerging Markets Institute (EMI)

‍The INSEAD Emerging Markets Institute (EMI) is a world class think-tank for the creation and dissemination of credible and timely information on issues related to business management, economic development and social progress in the emerging economies. This includes the development of cutting-edge pedagogical materials, research publications and data sets. INSEAD faculty have built up a significant body of academic and applied research on the emerging markets. Along with our Distinguished Fellows, they are also engaged in the development of pedagogical materials, research papers and documents related to the emerging markets.