Vulcan Capital expands into Asia
Vulcan Capital, a US-based venture investor set up by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, has opened a Singapore office and earmarked $100 million for investment in Southeast Asia.
It is the first international expansion for Vulcan, which was founded in 2013 to advance a global philanthropic agenda via long-horizon commitments to both private and public companies. The firm takes a sector-agnostic approach encompassing VC, leveraged buyouts, acquisitions, special situations, and fixed income strategies.
“Vulcan Capital’s distinctive mission is a first for Southeast Asia, and we look forward to bringing a new brand of catalytic capital to the entrepreneurial and investment community here,” said Tommy Teo, a former executive director with Northstar Group, who will serve as a managing director and head of Southeast Asia for Vulcan.
Teo will be joined in the Singapore office by Minjie Yu, who was previously a partner at Ethos Partners with a focus on early-stage technology and growth opportunities in Asia. Yu also spent five years on the Southeast Asia-focused investment team at Dymon Asia Private Equity. Vulcan’s global CIO is Chris Orndorff, a former senior portfolio manager at US fixed income investor Western Asset.
The plan is to make investments around Southeast Asia from the seed to Series B stages, combining the expertise of the local team with Vulcan’s global network. This includes business interests in media, sports, real estate, artificial intelligence, and space technology. Alibaba Group, Uber, Indian e-commerce giant Flipkart, and US virtual reality developer Magic Leap currently feature in the portfolio.
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