2017

2017 Dec 26

Quest Ventures part of launch of world’s first digital framework for Islamic economy

Gulf Times

Malaysia, home of the world’s largest Islamic finance industry, is taking the idea of creating a comprehensive Islamic economy a step further and announced it will launch a debut “Islamic Digital Economy Framework” by March next year as a growth backbone for its entire halal industry.

The driving force behind the Islamic digital initiative is the Malaysian Digital Economy Corp, or MDEC, a government-backed entity which is seeking to create a growth ecosystem for the Islamic economy in Malaysia in accordance with the government’s national strategy to tap the potential of both the Islamic and the digital economy.

Singapore-based Quest Ventures, which invests in Internet-related technology startups, as well as Jakarta-based Ethis Ventures, which invests in and supports Islamic crowd funding platforms, are among the three venture capital firms participating.

2017 Dec 20

Quest Ventures identified as key catalyst in Malaysia’s Islamic Digital Economy

Bernama

Quest Ventures is mentioned as one of the three investment firms that the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) is working with. Ethis Ventures, one of the other investment firms, is a portfolio company of Quest Ventures, and further strengthens Quest Ventures’ collective presence in this space.

Malaysia’s leadership in Islamic finance and the halal sector put the country in a favourable position to dominate the Islamic Digital marketplace. The Islamic Digital Economy framework is part of Malaysia’s strategy to cement the country’s leadership in the global halal marketplace and create a unique and competitive advantage to accelerate the growth of digital economy.

2017 Dec 04

Singapore and Malaysia should be comrades in global tech battles, not competitors

Southeast Asia Globe

Singapore and Malaysia are playing catch up with global tech capitals, but their pace may be slowed by talent that’s looking too timid for the cutthroat business.

“But playing too nice can cripple the industry. James Tan, managing partner of Quest Ventures, a venture fund focusing on China and Southeast Asia, says that local startups should emulate China’s ruthlessness and “get big fast”.

“There is nothing wrong with wanting to stay as a small entrepreneur, but if so, why play in the fast-growth tech game? Tech startups have to grow by penetrating new cities or countries, including expansion by acquisition. Otherwise, you are just setting yourself up to be acquired by the Chinese or the Americans when they enter your market.

Looking ahead, Tan says, a key tactic will be for Singapore and Malaysia to remain comrades, rather than competitors.

2017 Nov 01

Venture Partner Goh Yiping honoured in The Peak’s Power List 2017

The Peak

Venture partner Goh Yiping received The Peak’s magazine Power List 2017 award along with other industry honorees. Recognised for her achievements in the last decade, Yiping’s role in building up e-commerce in Indonesia was highlighted.

“By 2012, we facilitated about $10 million worth of transactions that originated from our site and was completed at our partners’ sites,” she says. All Deals Asia was acquired by Lippo Group in 2014. In the next three years, she helped Lippo Group to build from scratch Indonesian e-commerce site Matahari Mall. While it might look like yet another online shopping site, Matahari Mall presented a new concept for its time – Online-to-Offline.

“I emphasise three things: to keep reinventing ourselves to stay relevant, to experiment constantly, and to collaborate widely.”

2017 Oct 02

Women take Asia’s economic helm in the ASEAN-China Young Entrepreneur Forum

SAUCEInk

Delegates from China, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao, Malaysia, Myanmar, The Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Viet Nam gathered at Siem Reap, Cambodia. Under the title “Role of Emerging Youth and Women Entrepreneurs in Economic Development”, they worked together with government representatives to plan a clear pathway for local and international economic integration of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) while discussing the challenges of young female entrepreneurs.

Singapore brought seven young, competitive representatives that reflect the power of women entrepreneurs in the rapid-growing business landscape of Singapore. Quest Ventures’ senior analyst Jasmine Toh was the head of the Singapore delegation.

2017 Sep 29

福岡市、シンガポール政府のスタートアップ支援機関ACEとスタートアップの相互支援に関する覚書を締結

The Bridge

福岡市は28日、シンガポール政府のスタートアップ支援機関である ACE（Action Community for Entrepreneurship）とスタートアップの相互支援に関する覚書を締結したことを明らかにした。これまでに福岡市は、エストニア政府、ヘルシンキ市、台北市、台湾スタートアップハブ、サンフランシスコ D-HAUS（btrax による運営）、フランス・ボルドー都市圏、ニュージーランド・オークランド市と同様の覚書を締結しており、今回の ACE を含めると8例目となる（エストニア政府とは、傘下の3つの機関と覚書を締結）。

福岡市長の高島宗一郎氏、ACE Deputy Chairman で 55tuan.com（55団）の共同創業者でもある James Tan 氏。

2017 Sep 28

Fukuoka city and ACE Singapore signs MOU to help startups grow internationally

Startup City Fukuoka

James Tan, managing partner of Quest Ventures, signed an MOU with the Japanese city of Fukuoka in his capacity as the vice-chairman of the Action Community for Entrepreneurship. Mr Soichiro Takashima, Mayor of Fukuoka, signed the MOU on behalf of the city.

“It (MOU) gives entrepreneurs access to information on the local market and access to a support system that provides them with all of the help they need to get their company up and running.”

2017 Sep 22

2017亚洲VR产业合作论坛成功举办，中韩VR架起沟通之桥

黑匣

求索创投高级分析师杜淑燕代表新加坡参加了在韩国首尔举行的2017亚洲VR产业合作论坛暨韩国虚拟现实产业博览会。

中国有最大的VR市场，韩国有顶级VR内容开发能力，但信息不对称之下双方如何对接？日前召开的2017亚洲VR产业合作论坛给出了答案。

9月16日至20日，2017亚洲VR产业合作论坛暨韩国虚拟现实产业博览会在韩国首尔召开。来自中韩日以及港台等国家和地区的200余位嘉宾齐聚岩洞数码媒体城，共话亚洲VR发展大势及商谈各方合作。

本届KVRF分展览和会议两个模块。参展项目达170多个，覆盖了中国、韩国、日本、新加坡、马来西亚、越南、香港、台湾等亚洲国家和地区的主要VR企业和投资机构。黑匣网、汇桔网、HTC Vive、幻影星空、启赋资本、超级队长、Pico、5号空间、创客街、当红齐天、大航海VR等中国机构代表悉数到场。

2017 Sep 22

Is the Singapore F1 Grand Prix a vanity project? Quest Ventures venture partner Jeffrey Seah weighs in

Marketing Magazine

Jeffrey Seah, venture partner at Quest Ventures, said the F1 Grand Prix has evolved into “a transactional contract rather than a vanity or awareness project, as compared to the past”.

“The original aim of getting on the world map has been achieved. The timely change of F1 ownership has lubricated the renewal process,” Seah said.

2017 Sep 16

NUS interviews James Tan in celebratory video documenting ecosystem building efforts

NUS Enterprise

As one of the earliest venture capital firms to set up in Blk71, Quest Ventures has seen the tremendous transformation of this area from one old flatted factory block to the LaunchPad that it is today.

In NUS Enterprise’s celebratory video on how it has shaped the ecosystem as a builder, collaborator and global connector, Quest Ventures managing partner James Tan was interviewed for his perspective.

“The transformation has been tremendous. I firmly believe that the ecosystem that NUS has been able to bring together has been the single biggest driver for making the place become what it is today,” says James in the video.