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TechNode Global

Singapore-based venture capital firm Quest Ventures has appointed Philippine-based April Ong Vaño as its Head of Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG).

She will be covering this role while based in Cebu, The Philippines.

“I intend to drive practical outcomes in local communities. These include microfinance for agriculture and accessible solutions for clean water and energy, all of which are important for a decarbonised planet,

“I firmly believe that venture capital plays a pivotal role in sustainable innovations and technology. I look forward to supporting transformative startups to scale their impact,” said Ong Vaño.

It is noted that Quest Ventures is one of the first venture capital firm signatories in Asia to the Principles of Responsible Investment, an investor initiative in partnership with UNEP Finance Initiative and UN Global Compact.

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Manila Bulletin

Philippine-based April Ong Vaño to champion outcome-driven initiatives in sustainability

Emerging markets top venture capital firm Quest Ventures announced today that it has appointed Ms. April Ong Vaño as its Head of Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG). In this capacity, Ms. Ong Vaño will play a pivotal role in advancing the company’s mission and advancing sustainability efforts in key markets.

Ms Ong Vaño brings a wealth of experience to this role, having served ten years in social innovation and sustainable development across government, non-profit, and private sector projects. As Head of ESG at Quest Ventures, Ms Ong Vaño will leverage her knowledge of venture financing and local markets to spearhead strategic initiatives with meaningful outcomes. She will be covering this role while based in Cebu, The Philippines.

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DealStreetAsia

Singapore-based venture capital firm Quest Ventures has appointed April Ong Vano as the head of its environmental, social & governance (ESG) functions.

Ong Vano has been with the company for five years, and will be based in the Philippines in her new role, leading sustainability efforts in key markets.

Quest Ventures is an Asia-focused venture capital firm, operating in more than 150 cities across the continent. Its portfolio includes companies such as 99.co, Carousell, Carro, Glife, Hepmil, Oddle, Shopback, VulcanPost, Xfers, and Yummy Corporation.

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KnowESG

This strategic move underscores Quest Ventures’ commitment to advancing its mission of sustainability across key markets.

April Ong Vaño, the newly appointed ESG head, brings a rich and diverse wealth of experience to her role, having dedicated an entire decade to social innovation and sustainable development. Her impressive background spans various sectors, including government, non-profit organisations, and the private sector.

She will be stationed in Cebu, The Philippines, and her mission is nothing short of transformative. She aims to drive tangible, positive changes in local communities, with a particular focus on critical areas such as microfinance for agriculture and accessible, eco-friendly solutions for clean water and energy, all of which are pivotal for a sustainable, decarbonised planet.

Expressing her vision for this pivotal role, Ong Vaño stated, “I am dedicated to effecting tangible change in local communities, with a specific emphasis on providing microfinance for agriculture and accessible clean water and energy solutions, all of which are indispensable for a sustainable, decarbonised world.”

Notably, Quest Ventures stands as one of the trailblazing venture capital firms in Asia, having committed to the Principles of Responsible Investment, an investor initiative forged in partnership with the UNEP Finance Initiative and UN Global Compact.

The firm’s unique blend of capital and technology is making a substantial contribution to uplifting communities in emerging economies throughout Southeast Asia and Central Asia, garnering accolades such as VC of the Year in 2022.

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Digital News Asia

With a decade of experience in social innovation and sustainable development across various sectors, she aims to leverage her expertise in venture financing and local markets to spearhead strategic initiatives. Ong Vaño will be based in Cebu, The Philippines, and her mission includes driving practical outcomes in local communities, particularly in areas like microfinance for agriculture and accessible clean water and energy solutions for a decarbonized planet.

Quest Ventures is among the first venture capital firms in Asia to sign the Principles of Responsible Investment, an investor initiative in collaboration with UNEP Finance Initiative and UN Global Compact. The firm’s combination of capital and technology contributes to uplifting communities in emerging economies across Southeast Asia and Central Asia, earning it accolades such as VC of the Year in 2022.

James Tan, managing partner, expressed the company’s delight in having Ong Vaño lead their ESG efforts, emphasizing her wealth of experience derived from years of addressing real-life issues impacting social impact entrepreneurs and individuals at the base of the pyramid.

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Vietnam Investment Review

Prime Minister of Singapore, Lee Hsien Loong, will pay an official visit to Vietnam this week. Tan See Leng, Singapore’s Minister for Manpower and Second Minister for Trade and Industry, writes about how both economies can bring their economic ties to greater heights.

Singapore and Vietnam are among the top three startup ecosystems in Southeast Asia. With our common goal of driving further economic growth through technology and innovation, there is scope for us both to tap on each other’s innovation ecosystems for partners, funding, and talent. Our collaboration in innovation has gained momentum through BLOCK71 in Ho Chi Minh City, a collaboration between the National University of Singapore and Vietnam’s Becamex IDC, which is currently home to more than 1,000 startups, incubators, and accelerators.

There is also the Global Innovation Alliance node in the same city, where Enterprise Singapore partnered with the Saigon Innovation Hub and Quest Ventures to facilitate startup exchanges between both countries.

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SunStar

IN THE high stakes arena of startup investment, a seasoned angel investor and a venture capitalist told Cebu business leaders and entrepreneurs not to be afraid of taking risks and to go bold on investing in startups with promising products or services seen to have high demand and potential.

These advantages have an upper hand to steer the success for any startup ecosystem, Joseph de Leon of Manila Angel Investors Network (Main) and James Tan of Quest Venture said during the second day of the “Innovation and Technology: Summit and Expo” organized by the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry as part the months-long celebration of Cebu Business Months 2023 on Friday, Aug. 18, 2023, at the SM Seaside City Cebu.

Tan is the founder and managing partner at Quest Ventures, a pioneering venture capital fund in Asia based in Singapore centering on technological advances, while de Leon is a founding Member of Main.

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NUS News

A start-up catalysing waste reduction for positive sustainability impact. An innovative venture that manufactures body-assistive apparel using patented fabric-based air-spring technology to reduce muscle effort and potential injury when doing physical work. A research-based company that collects and transforms organic waste from farmers into an array of sustainable alternative materials.

These were the NUS-affiliated start-ups recognised for making significant environmental, social or sustainability-related impacts at the iGnite Award, organised by Alpha JWC Ventures in partnership with NUS Enterprise. The iGnite Award is the flagship start-up support programme of Alpha JWC Ventures, designed to nurture the next generation of impact-driven founders. Through their partnership with NUS, the award now extends its support to recognise and empower promising early-stage impact start-ups affiliated with NUS, enabling them to create a lasting positive impact on communities.

… six start-ups advanced to the grand finals on 26 July 2023, where they presented their transformative solutions to a distinguished panel of judges representing pioneers in the start-up space: Mr Brian Koh, Director of Ecosystem Development, NUS Enterprise; Mr Jefrey Joe, Managing Partner, Alpha JWC Ventures; and Mr James Tan, Chairman, Action Community for Entrepreneurship (ACE).

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The Business Times

The startup he is CEO of, treatsure, has matured in tandem. By the company’s estimates, the platform has collectively saved 50 tonnes of food from waste and reached 80,000 users locally.

From its initial “buffet-in-a-box” concept that enabled users to pay for a box of excess food from hotel buffets, the app ventured into surplus grocery distribution, and now runs a concept store in the middle of the central business district that offers a range of sustainability experiences and education.

But at its core, little has changed, said Wong, now 34. “Our mission is still to get everyone to treat food as treasure.”

This steady growth has affirmed their choice to tackle food waste via a sustainable business model that offers consumers and businesses alike incentives, rather than one that relies on donations or goodwill offerings.

So far, treatsure has raised funding from venture capital firm Quest Ventures and raiSE Singapore. It is actively pitching for a new round of investors.

“In this part of the world, we’ve seen less funding going towards tech startups in the food waste sustainability space. The focus has traditionally been on agritech, alternative protein and vertical farms,” said Wong.

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Lianhe Zaobao

位处欧亚大陆的广袤草原国度，哈萨克斯坦是新加坡在中亚最大的贸易伙伴，去年双边商品贸易总额为4亿1230万元。根据新加坡企业发展局资料，目前有超过30家我国公司在当地设有实体办事处。本期《商游四海》聚焦哈萨克斯坦的商机，看看这个中亚最大经济体，能为新加坡商家带来哪些机遇。

（求索创投）成立于2011年，获包括新加坡和哈萨克斯坦主权财富基金的支持。

我们决定投资哈萨克斯坦前，比较了邻近的乌兹别克斯坦、土库曼斯坦和阿塞拜疆，哈萨克斯坦具备了我们须要的所有条件。

我们在那里在三年内，投资了30多家公司，是投最多公司 的风投。加上其他风投的投资项目，有足够的量吸引投资成熟 项目的资金进来。

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