Singapore's Leonie Hill Capital backs aerospace VC fund

Leonie will be the anchor investor in the fund, and will manage the vehicle with Starburst founder Francois Chopard. According to a statement, portfolio companies will be targeted globally over a period of three years, with operations and first investments expected to start as early as the first quarter of 2017.

The fund will leverage Starburst's existing operations across Singapore, the US, Germany and France. This support will include help with recruitment, talent management and building strategic relationships through the accelerator's network of aerospace corporate partners, including Panasonic Avionics, Boeing and Air France KLM.

Starburst claims to be the world's first aerospace accelerator. More than 100 startups have joined its program across fields including flying cars, supersonic jets and drones. It also supports development of related technologies such as simulations, artificial intelligence, 3D printing, data analytics and new materials.

"This funding is indicative of the underlying strength of Starburst Accelerator, a well-managed and operationally strong company that has already achieved a great deal and is now well positioned to enable start-ups future growth to the aerospace industry," said Arun Kant, CEO of Leonie. "We are thrilled to have helped Francois and his team secure the new capital that will allow them to fully realize the potential of what we can do in the sector. The Starburst structure is the first of its kind, setting the pace to a new model of venture fund and Leonie Hill Capital is proud to support that trend."

Founded in 2007, Leonie invests in traditional passive and enhanced indexing strategies with a focus on Singapore, South Korea, Japan and the US.

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• Topics
• Southeast Asia
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• seed
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