VCs in South-east Asia lie in wait, even as valuations soften

Singapore

STARTUP valuations in South-east Asia are beginning to soften as the industry comes to terms with the economic impact of Covid-19, venture capital (VC) investors told The Business Times. But VCs aren't in a hurry to go bargain-hunting, as they keep a close watch on fundamentals while sourcing for deals.

According to private market intelligence firm Preqin, there were US$2.7 billion worth of venture capital deals in South-east Asia in the first quarter of 2020, down 20.6 per cent from a year ago. The number of deals in Q1 this year stood at 105, marking the lowest Q1 deal count since 2015.