Raisewell Ventures, a VC fund focusing on the US and Southeast Asia, has announced its official launch, while Singapore-based VC firm Leo Capital has secured the first close of its 25 million euros ($27.6 million) Nordic Fund.
Raisewell Ventures officially launches
Raisewell Ventures, a newly established venture capital fund, has announced its official launch. With a strategic focus on the US and Southeast Asia, Raisewell Ventures aims to invest in key sectors such as climate tech, manufacturing and supply chain, and health tech.
Raisewell Ventures will support early-stage investments while occasionally backing growth-stage startups.
“Investing in the US alone doesn’t move the needle. We invest and build bridges across countries and industries, starting with the US and Southeast Asia,” Jeep Kline, Founder and Managing Partner of Raisewell Ventures wrote in a post on LinkedIn.
Kline—recognised as one of the ‘Top 25 Women of Influence in Silicon Valley’—is the first Thai woman to launch a US-based impact VC fund. Raisewell Ventures is Kline’s fourth investment fund. She is also a senior executive at Intel and pre-IPO technology companies and an economist at The World Bank.
SG’s Leo Capital secures first close of Nordic Fund
Singapore-based VC firm Leo Capital has announced the first close of its new 25 million euro ($27.6 million) Nordic Fund. The new fund, headquartered in Helsinki, is supported by anchor investor Business Finland Venture Capital, along with a diverse group of returning and new investors worldwide.
Leo Capital aims to assist Finnish startups in scaling globally, especially in the US market.
Founded in 2018, Leo Capital is known for investing in early-stage B2B SaaS startups across India, Southeast Asia, and the Nordics.
The decision to expand into Nordics, particularly Helsinki, was heavily influenced by the city’s robust tech ecosystem and the strong support provided by the Finnish government. ‘The Nordics was an attractive region for us because of its openness to outsiders. It felt like a more welcoming ecosystem. Founders in the Nordics are building global businesses from day one,” said Shwetank Verma, co-founder and managing partner, Leo Capital.
In June, DealStreetAsia reported that Leo Capital closed its third fund way below its target of $125 million as the VC struggled with investor reluctance amid a tough fundraising environment.
