2023

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The NDC will leverage its newly established Philippine Innovation Hub (iHub) for this collaboration. iHub is also the headquarters of the Startup Venture Fund (SVF), the Philippine E-commerce Platform (PEP), and the Ph AI Research Center (PAIR). The SVF recently received US$143 million from the Philippines’s Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to invest in local startups.

Anton Mauricio, General Manager of the NDC, said: “With their significant footprint in Singapore and across Asia, Quest Ventures brings valuable cross-border insights, best practices and extensive network that aligns with our key objectives in enhancing the local venture capital ecosystem and promoting sustainable investments.”

Quest Ventures is an active VC firm with a portfolio of 100-plus companies in over 150 cities across Asia. Its portfolio companies include 99.co, Carousell, Carro, Glife, Hepmil/ PGAG, Oddle, Shopback, VulcanPost, Xfers, and Kraver’s Canteen.

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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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The Astana Times

Editor’s note: In a recent interview with The Banker, Renat Bekturov, the governor of the Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC) spoke about the AIFC and the evolving landscape of investment opportunities in Kazakhstan. Below is the full text of the interview.

It has created a small but growing space for private investors. For example, one of the start-ups that operates in Tajikistan has registered in AIFC due to the rule of law. We see foreign investors requiring companies from the region to register here. Singapore’s venture capital firm Quest Ventures requires project start-ups to register with AIFC.

We also want to focus on innovation to enable start-ups to raise capital and explore their ideas within our regulator’s fintech sandbox. With the emergence of AI and blockchain, this is an area to focus on as a higher value-add industry to move the country’s economy forward.

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The Banker

Renat Bekturov, the governor of the Astana International Financial Centre, talks to Kimberley Long about how the centre has grown since its launch in 2018, the development of Kazakhstan’s capital markets, and how the centre has benefited from sanctions against Russia.

In terms of the capital market we are at an early stage, but we are pushing it forward with AIX and by creating a jurisdiction that is similar to what fund managers would see elsewhere. We have introduced different flexible structures, allowing the creation of general partnerships, limited partnerships, and limited liability partnerships, for example. Companies in AIFC can have different classes of shares, tailored to different groups of investors.

It has created a small but growing space for private investors. For example, one of the start-ups that operates in Tajikistan has registered in AIFC due to the rule of law. We see foreign investors requiring companies from the region to register here. Singapore’s venture capital firm Quest Ventures requires project start-ups to register with AIFC.

Finally, environmental, social and governance is of course important. We are working with the government to approve the taxonomy of social projects. The next step is to help the country in its aspirations to become carbon neutral by 2060 by creating a carbon units trading system and much more. This is especially important in light of the EU introducing CBAM, the cross-border adjustment mechanism. We believe if we don’t invest in this, we will have to bear the cost in the future.

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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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