In preparation for FinovateAsia November 14, we wanted to provide some insight into the region’s venture capital scene. Here’s what we learned from Melissa Guzy, Founder and Managing Partner for Arbor Ventures.
Arbor Ventures is a Hong Kong-based venture capital firm with roots in the Silicon Valley. The firm invests in companies based in Singapore, Hong Kong, and ASEAN regions, whose focus is in up-and-coming topics such as:
- Big Data
- Cloud Computing
- Financial Technology
- Collaborative Consumption
Finovate: Arbor Ventures is focused on the Asia market. How is the Venture Capital environment in Asia different from that of the U.S. and Europe?
Guzy: The market in Asia is quite different than the US and Europe and China is different from the rest of Asia in terms of venture capital and market opportunities. In Asia, we are looking for entrepreneurs that can understand the local
Guzy: The market in Asia is quite different than the US and Europe and China is different from the rest of Asia in terms of venture capital and market opportunities. In Asia, we are looking for entrepreneurs that can understand the local
opportunity, the business environment as well as scale across the region.
Finovate: What are some current trends in Asia-based fintech?
Guzy: We have a large under served and under banked population so areas such as prepaid cards, remittances, cross border brokerage and FX are some of the most interesting areas for innovation.
Finovate: Where do you see financial technology evolving in Asia in the next 5 years?
Guzy: Over the next 5 years, the convertibility of the Chinese Yuan will continue to drive change across the region as well as the formation of the AEC (ASEAN Economic Community) in 2015. The technology to support mobile banking, payments, and money transfers as well as cross border transactions are going to be transformed.
Finovate: What 3 solid pieces of advice can you provide Asia-based fintech companies seeking investment?
Guzy: It is the same advice that you would provide anywhere to a start up, build a solid team and understand the market pull and what is needed before spending large sums of money on a product or service. Start ups especially in ASEAN need to spend wisely since there is a shortfall of Series A and Series B funding in the region so entrepreneurs need to aware of this issue when developing their funding requirements early on.
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If you’re interested in fintech in the Asia Pacific region, we hope to see you at FinovateAsia in a few days.
anthonyuchung 