South-east Asia's young startup alumni are changing the face of investments

They're moving into angel investments, a risky asset class once reserved for the wealthy and well-connected

Claudia Chong

Published Mon, Oct 25, 2021 · 05:50 AM

Singapore

THEY helped build South-east Asia's current wave of startups. Now, tech founders and employees are helping to fund a new generation of companies and pass on important lessons.

Angel investments, a risky asset class once reserved for well-connected and affluent individuals, are increasingly being done by those in their 20s and 30s with experience operating startups.

Some have benefitted from payouts after their companies were acquired, went public, or did a secondary share sale following increases in company valuation. More could join the investor community as a pack of startups head for the public market.

The angel investing phenomenon is also driven by people backing people they know. South-east Asia's first generation tech platforms - such as Lazada and Sea - birthed alumni that went on to create and lead over 1,000 sta…