- Stefanus Ade Hadiwidjaja, Chief Investment Officer, Indonesia Investment Authority
- Ming Eng, Partner, Granite Asia
- Joji Thomas Philip, Founder & Editor-in-Chief, DealStreetAsia
There is a growing need for flexible financing solutions beyond bank lending, particularly for technology-driven companies and traditional businesses undertaking digital transformation.
Tech-enabled investable opportunities offer a huge potential for investors in SE Asia, especially Indonesia, where debt and hybrid instruments can fuel a boom in traditional industries such as healthcare, food, agri, manufacturing, supply chain, and logistics, among others.
This fireside chat features leaders from the country’s SWF Indonesia Investment Authority and investment firm Granite Asia, who have partnered to inject up to $1.2 billion into the country’s tech sector. The strategic partnership will offer tailored financing solutions—equity and hybrid capital investments—to businesses at various stages of development, fostering innovation while optimising risk-adjusted returns for investors.
Balancing impact and alpha in climate and ESG investments
- Nakul Zaveri, Partner and Co-Head of Climate Investment Strategy, LeapFrog Investments
- Winston Mandrawa, Managing Director & Head of ASEAN, Affirma Capital
- Lisa Genasci, Managing Director, Sustainable Finance, ADM Capital
- Abhishek Mittal, Partner, Aavishkaar Capital
- Michelle Teo, Senior Journalist & Managing Editor, DealStreetAsia (Moderator)
Concerns around rising climate change and the growing need for sustainable solutions have led to the sector garnering investor interest and funding. Financing is starting to flow as more and more funds are mushrooming to transform the economy and protect the environment.
However, identifying these opportunities is key to deploying capital responsibly and generating strong returns. Private capital, unlike government spending and philanthropic grants, can only be deployed where there are clear, investible opportunities to generate returns. Isolating these opportunities is critical to unlocking a wave of green investments in emerging markets.
How are investors tapping opportunities in low-carbon technologies across energy, mobility, and agriculture sectors? How can green transition transform South and SE Asian economies?
Alternative financing strategies turn mainstream amid funding winter
- Paul Ong, Partner, Innoven Capital SEA
- Gena Bijaksana, CEO & Co-Founder, Qverse
- Darryl Ratulangi, Managing Director, OCBC Ventura
- Pimfha Chan, Correspondent, Singapore, DealStreetAsia (Moderator)
The need for alternative financing has driven fund managers to ramp up both deployment and fundraising activities in the asset class. Venture debt has been emerging as an alternative route for startups that are struggling to fundraise, especially amid the funding winter in Asia. Venture debt essentially helps startups and early-stage companies raise capital without giving up equity.
This panel will look at the rise of venture debt, private credit and other non-equity structures that are bridging the unmet demand for financing amid the funding drought.
Digital infra sees PE attention and M&A action
- Herson Suindah, President Director & CEO, SM+ Holdings
- Vikram Sinha, President Director & CEO, Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison (IOH)
- Matthew Goh, Director of Infrastructure, KKR
- Ngoc Nguyen, Deputy Editor, Vietnam, DealStreetAsia (Moderator)
Driven by the rapid adoption of AI and increasing internet consumption, the surging demand for digital infrastructure has sparked a wave of M&A activity across Southeast Asia. Global private equity giants are competing for data centres and telco assets in aggressive bid rounds.
This panel will explore the investment opportunities within this asset class in the region, with a special focus on Indonesia, where corporates are actively divesting their non-core assets. The discussion will offer insights from both the operator and investor perspectives.
Why are investments in Southeast Asia’s digital infrastructure attractive? Will the momentum in M&A activity continue into 2025?
Fixing SE Asia’s exit conundrum
- I Gede Nyoman Yetna, Director of Listing, Indonesia Stock Exchange
- Helen Wong, Managing Partner, AC Ventures
- Abhijay Sethia, Chief Strategy Officer, Kredivo
- Patrick Yip, Founding Partner, Intudo Ventures
- Michelle Teo, Senior Journalist & Managing Editor, DealStreetAsia (Moderator)
Despite a tepid exit landscape, SE Asia’s venture-backed companies with strong fundamentals and a focus on profitability have a better chance to tap various exit routes including IPOs and trade sales. The overall lacklustre exit climate in SE Asia and the resultant lack of liquidity has also impacted startup fundraising in the region. Amid this backdrop, investors value companies with strong unit economics and sustainable growth. In terms of IPOs, SE Asia’s tech industry can still explore exits domestically or closer to home even though overseas listings allow firms to tap a deeper capital pool and a diversified base.
This panel will explore the viability and potential of various exit channels and ways to tap them in SE Asia.
Fintech shows promise but needs new monetisation strategies
- Deng Chao, CEO, HashKey
- Claudia Kolonas, Founder, Pluang
- Gavin Guo, CFO, YUP
- Pratyush Prasanna, Group CEO, Flip
- Dino Setiawan, CEO, AwanTunai
- Dmitry Levit, Founder & General Partner, Cento Ventures (Moderator)
Despite the ongoing funding drought, fintech startups remained a priority, attracting capital due to their adaptability and potential for high returns. This focus has enabled fintech to remain Southeast Asia’s leading vertical, with an upward trajectory that hints at stronger market resilience. And, wealth tech is leading the charge. In the first nine months of 2024, wealth tech claimed the top spot within fintech, closing 41 deals and outpacing traditional fintech categories like lending and e-payments.
However, the era of easy money is over as investors exercise restraint and focus on companies that are either already profitable or have a clear path to profitability. The shift in approach has prompted players to rework monetisation strategies for long-term growth.
