Top 15 Angel Investors for AI Startups in Asia in 2025
The landscape of investment in artificial intelligence (AI) is evolving rapidly across Asia. With its potential to revolutionize various sectors, AI has attracted considerable interest from investors, particularly angel investors and venture firms. As we look towards 2025, here are the top 15 angel investors for AI startups in Asia, highlighting their investment focus, stages, and notable activities.
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1. East Ventures
Headquarters: Tokyo, Japan
Investment Focus: Early-stage investments across diverse sectors including AI, Food and Beverage, and Healthcare.
Investment Stage: Seed to Series B
Notable Investments: Known for pivotal investments in Indonesian tech companies, especially Tokopedia.
Key Personnel: Willson Cuaca, Co-founder and Managing Partner, is highly recognized in the region.
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2. Sequoia Capital (China)
Headquarters: China
Investment Focus: Early to growth-stage tech startups with a significant focus on AI.
Investment Stage: Seed to Growth
Notable Investments: Major backer of Alibaba, Didi Chuxing, and Meituan Dianping.
Activity: One of the most active angel investors in Asia-Pacific, renowned for insights on scaling startups.
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3. 500 Startups / 500 Durians
Headquarters: US based with a strong affiliate in Southeast Asia (500 Durians)
Investment Focus: Investments encompass various sectors, particularly early-stage startups in AI.
Investment Stage: Seed stage investments
Notable Investments: Focuses on deep learning applications among several unicorns in the region.
Activity: Recognized as a leading early-stage investor across Southeast Asia.
4. AI Angelclub
Headquarters: South Korea
Investment Focus: Early-stage startups specifically in the AI sector.
Investment Strategy: Prioritizes innovative tech, especially in Healthcare.
Network: Encompasses a broad range of investors and tech professionals.
Stage: Focused principally on early-stage investments.
5. Antler
Headquarters: Singapore
Investment Focus: Wide-ranging sectors including AI, health tech, and consumer tech.
Investment Stage: Early stage to Series A and beyond.
Activity: Known for its extensive backing of tech startups across Europe and Asia.
Notable Investments: Includes productivity tools and innovative tech solutions.
6. Vertex Ventures
Headquarters: Singapore
Investment Focus: Technology and Healthcare sectors, focusing on innovation.
Investment Stage: Early to growth-stage investments.
Coverage: Strong presence in Southeast Asia and India.
Key Personnel: Joshua Agusta serves as Executive Director and key decision-maker.
7. A2D Ventures
Headquarters: Singapore
Investment Focus: Primarily targets early-stage startups in Southeast Asia.
Investment Strategy: Connects startups with a vast network of accredited investors and family offices.
Platform: Gaining traction as a prominent angel investing platform in the region.
Stage: Focuses on early-stage investments.
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8. Lightspeed Venture Partners
Headquarters: Global, with a robust presence in Asia
Investment Focus: Diverse sectors with a strong commitment to AI-driven companies.
Investment Stage: Seed to Growth stages, catering to various stages of company maturation.
Notable Investments: Includes globally recognized brands like Snapchat and GrubHub.
Global Presence: Operates on a global scale, leveraging insights from multiple markets.
9. Gobi Partners
Headquarters: China
Investment Focus: Early and growth-stage startups, specifically in technology.
Geographic Focus: Primarily concentrated on the Chinese market with expansive growth plans.
Stage: Invests across early and growth stages to scale businesses.
Activity: Active player in the Asia Pacific investment scene.
10. XA Network
Headquarters: Southeast Asia
Investment Focus: Early-stage technology startups including AI applications.
Network: Comprises seasoned executives from global tech companies, fostering collective investment.
Activity: Notable for having made close to 100 investments across various industries.
Expansion: Recently extended its reach to include opportunities in Africa.
11. Kstart Capital
Headquarters: India
Investment Focus: Primarily on early-stage technology startups, including AI-driven solutions.
Investment Stage: Focuses on seed to Series A.
Notable Investments: Known for various successful tech startups across India.
Key Personnel: Renowned for a blend of venture capital expertise and startup experience.
12. Chinachem Charitable Foundation
Headquarters: Hong Kong
Investment Focus: Diverse sectors with a growing interest in AI-driven startups.
Investment Stage: Typically invests at the seed stage.
Notable Investments: Emerging startups aimed at social and technological impact.
Activity: Increasing presence in the AI sector, seeking innovative solutions.
13. Honey Capital
Headquarters: Singapore
Investment Focus: Early-stage startups with an emphasis on AI and technology.
Investment Strategy: Invests in transformative technology with solid business models.
Stage: Early-stage investments primarily focusing on seed funding.
Notable Investments: Known for making headlines with technology startups preparing for rapid growth.
14. Cypher Capital
Headquarters: United Arab Emirates
Investment Focus: A mix of sectors heavily weighted towards AI and financial technology.
Investment Stage: All stages, though primarily focused on early-stage opportunities.
Activity: Active in expanding its reach within the Asian markets, particularly in tech startups.
Notable Investments: Seeks ventures that incorporate blockchain technology and AI.
15. Sierra Ventures
Headquarters: Global presence with significant interest in Asia
Investment Focus: Primarily technology and SaaS with a growing interest in AI startups.
Investment Stage: Series A through Growth stage funding.
Notable Investments: Backed numerous successful tech companies and continues to focus on AI innovations.
Activity: Actively pursuing new investment opportunities in the dynamic Asia market.
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FAQ
Q: What are the main investment focuses of East Ventures?
A: East Ventures primarily targets early-stage investments across various sectors, including AI, healthcare, and SaaS, with notable success in Indonesian tech companies like Tokopedia. Learn more about East Ventures.
Q: What are the notable investments made by Sequoia Capital (China)?
A: Sequoia Capital (China) is known for its investments in prominent tech companies such as Alibaba and Didi Chuxing. Discover more about Sequoia Capital.
Q: What is 500 Startups/500 Durians known for?
A: This venture is recognized as one of the most active tech investors in Southeast Asia, focusing on early-stage startups across various sectors, including AI. Read more about 500 Startups.
Q: What type of startups does AI Angelclub focus on?
A: AI Angelclub specializes in investing in early-stage startups that specifically operate in the Artificial Intelligence sector. Explore AI Angelclub.
Q: What investment stage does Antler typically focus on?
A: Antler invests across a broad range of sectors, including AI, primarily targeting early to Series A funding stages. Learn about Antler.
Q: What does Vertex Ventures invest in?
A: Vertex Ventures focuses on technology and healthcare, providing early to growth-stage investments across Southeast Asia and India. Discover more about Vertex Ventures.
Q: How does A2D Ventures operate?
A: A2D Ventures is a fast-growing angel investing platform that connects early-stage startups with accredited angels and family offices across Southeast Asia. Read more about A2D Ventures.
Q: What kind of companies does Lightspeed Venture Partners invest in?
A: Lightspeed Venture Partners invests in both enterprise and consumer sectors, with a strong emphasis on AI startups from seed to growth stages. More about Lightspeed Venture Partners.
Q: What regions does Gobi Partners primarily focus on?
A: Gobi Partners mainly invests in early and growth-stage startups, with a particular emphasis on companies operating in the Chinese market. Explore Gobi Partners.
Q: What is the core activity of XA Network?
A: XA Network is involved in early-stage technology startups and has made nearly 100 investments, consisting of senior executives from global tech companies. Learn about XA Network.
About the Author
Violetta Bonenkamp, also known as MeanCEO, is an experienced startup founder with an impressive educational background including an MBA and four other higher education degrees. She has over 20 years of work experience across multiple countries, including 5 years as a solopreneur and serial entrepreneur.
Violetta is a true multiple specialist who has built expertise in Linguistics, Education, Business Management, Blockchain, Entrepreneurship, Intellectual Property, Game Design, AI, SEO, Digital Marketing, cyber security and zero code automations. Her extensive educational journey includes a Master of Arts in Linguistics and Education, an Advanced Master in Linguistics from Belgium (2006-2007), an MBA from Blekinge Institute of Technology in Sweden (2006-2008), and an Erasmus Mundus joint program European Master of Higher Education from universities in Norway, Finland, and Portugal (2009).
She is the founder of Fe/male Switch, a startup game that encourages women to enter STEM fields, and also leads CADChain, and multiple other projects like the Directory of 1,000 Startup Cities with a proprietary MeanCEO Index that ranks cities for female entrepreneurs. Violetta created the "gamepreneurship" methodology, which forms the scientific basis of her startup game. She also builds a lot of SEO tools for startups. Her achievements include being named one of the top 100 women in Europe by EU Startups in 2022 and being nominated for Impact Person of the year at the Dutch Blockchain Week. She is an author with Sifted and a speaker at different Universities. Recently she published a book on Startup Idea Validation the right way: from zero to first customers and beyond and launched a Directory of 1,500+ websites for startups to list themselves in order to gain traction and build backlinks.
