Integra Partners: Investing In Tech Startups That Are Making A Difference In South And Southeast Asia

Integra Partners is a venture capital firm that is investing in the future of South and Southeast Asia. By investing in early-stage tech startups that are expanding access to affordable financial services and digital healthcare, Integra Partners is helping to build a more inclusive and prosperous region. The firm is committed to supporting the next generation of entrepreneurs who are using technology to solve some of the most pressing challenges in the region. Integra Partners believes that these entrepreneurs have the potential to transform the lives of millions of people in South and Southeast Asia.

If you are a tech entrepreneur who is passionate about making a difference in the world, Integra Partners wants to hear from you. The firm is looking to invest in startups that are using technology to create a more equitable and sustainable future for South and Southeast Asia. With that, why don't you join me in learning more about Integra Partners with its Managing Partner, Christiaan Kaptein.

How has your career led you to join Integra Partners? 

I started my career in corporate development at a global asset management company in China. In 2007, I led a project for their venture capital team, and I realized that a career in venture is what I wanted to pursue. Seeing entrepreneurs build their own businesses as a junior member of a VC team, I also came to believe that being a founder myself would be the best way to grow as an investor. When I was in my early thirties, with my wife pregnant with our first baby, I took the jump. That was 12 years ago now and along the way I met Jinesh Patel, my partner at Integra Partners. In 2017 we launched our first fund together which focused on early stage fintech companies in Southeast Asia. 

Can you provide an overview of Integra Partners and its core focus areas or investment strategies?

Integra Partners focuses on early stage investing in Southeast Asia. We are thesis-driven investors, and after fintech in our first fund, we added digital health in our second fund. In addition to our core fintech and health themes, we are investing horizontally in embedded fintech opportunities, ranging from commerce, to agri, to climate. Today, Integra Partners has a team of 18 across Southeast Asia, managing over $140 million in AUM across 2 funds. 

What sets Integra Partners apart from other venture capital firms in the industry?

We look at companies through an impact lens, asking ourselves, “is this company building something that will last?”. Specifically, for our second fund, all our investments drive either access to or affordability of financial services and/or healthcare in the region. For us, we believe the best risk adjusted returns are in the B2B space, so most of our companies serve SMEs or enterprise customers. On a softer note, we try to be the best partners to our founders. We like investing early, and we are comfortable to lead. That means we are often the first outside investor. We put a lot of time and effort in supporting our founders, in good times and bad. 

Could you share some examples of successful investments made by Integra Partners and how they align with the company's overall strategy?

Our most recent investments in our second Fund  include Sirius, a global enterprise fintech platform from Thailand, Elfie, a global chronic care platform in Vietnam, GraaS, a regional platform helping brands to grow online, and Cleanhub, our first climate related investment. We are currently working on some exciting investments in the Philippines, which we hope to announce soon.

Why is fintech and health tech your target industries? What value do you see in them?

These are fundamental building blocks for sustainable economic growth. 

What are your future plans for Integra Partners? 

Our goal is to grow Integra Partners into the pre-eminent early stage investor in the key themes that matter, across all Southeast Asia and other emerging markets. 

Christiaan Kaptein is the Managing Partner of Integra Partners. Christiaan’s role is incredibly important since he is responsible for leadership, operational oversight, business development, client and stakeholder relations, and compliance and governance among many others. With inspiring passion, Christiaan is dedicated to investing in early stage startups in Southeast Asia. Using his experiences and learnings, he truly believes that the journey is as important as the end goal of any person or business. 

Visit www.techshake.asia if you would like to know and connect more with Integra Partners.