From Fund 2 LP to nine angel investments: Toyo's story
Watch Toyo’s Full interview
By the end of 2025, Toyo had made nine angel investments. His first direct startup investments came after he joined Accelerating Asia Fund 2.
When Toyo first spoke to Craig, he wanted to understand how to start investing in startups. He already had investments in other asset classes, but venture was new to him. He wanted to support founders and had questions about how to choose the companies, assess the opportunities and decide who to trust with his money.
What he remembers about that meeting is the conversation. “I shared my concerns, shared my background,” he says. It felt more like talking to a friend than listening to a sales pitch, and he came away thinking, “okay, I can trust this guy.” The accelerator appealed to him because our team was already reviewing hundreds of companies, and he'd have opportunities to meet the founders himself.
Toyo joined Fund 2 as a Limited Partner. Through Demo Days and mentor sessions, he could meet founders, understand their businesses and see how our investment and accelerator process worked. He later invested directly in portfolio companies, including WeGro and Pattern.
Choosing where to invest directly
WeGro's connection to finance made it a business Toyo felt equipped to understand. “For WeGro, because it's finance-related, I found it close to my expertise,” he says. Supporting agriculture in Bangladesh also appealed to him personally. He felt the investment could contribute to society as well as being part of his portfolio.
Pattern caught his attention for a different reason. At the time he invested, its business model focused on a food-related app. “One of my interests is food,” he says, and he wanted to support companies working in that area. After speaking with the founder, the investment amount also felt manageable to him.
The companies appealed to different parts of his experience, but he is clear about what gave him the comfort to consider investing:
“I wouldn't have invested if they weren't portfolio companies in Accelerating Asia in the first place.”
He knew there was a limit to the due diligence he could do alone. The screening by Accelerating Asia and its investor network gave him a starting point. From there, he could consider the businesses against his own expertise, interests and the amount he was prepared to invest.
Building his own angel portfolio
Speaking about his first direct startup investments, Toyo says: “I don't think I could do it before joining Accelerating Asia. But I know now how I can assess the opportunities by myself.”
He kept going. By the end of 2025, Toyo publicly reported making his ninth angel investment, in an education startup operating mainly in India. His own business, World Finance Edu, now brings together three areas of his work: startup investment, teaching corporate finance and providing fractional CFO services to startups and SMEs.
The nine is the total Toyo reported across his own angel portfolio, not a count of investments sourced through Accelerating Asia. Investing in Fund 2 doesn't require LPs to make direct investments. For Toyo, though, the fund became the place where he started. It gave him access to companies he wouldn't have known how to find himself, the opportunity to meet their founders and a base from which to build his own judgement.
Fund 2 is in final close. If you're considering investing in startups across South and Southeast Asia, find out more about the fund.
Start with the fund deck. Choose your path at acceleratingasia.com/investors and we'll send access.
Ask a question first. Email team@acceleratingasia.com and we'll get back to you.
Ready to invest? Book a call here with a partner.
See the portfolio. Check out acceleratingasia.com/portfolio. Filter by country, sector, or fundraising status. Request an introduction directly to any CEO.
For investors and partners. Choose your path at acceleratingasia.com/investors. Whether you're looking to co-invest in individual startups or invest in the fund, the next step is there.
* Carta Q4 2025 VC Fund Performance. US benchmarks used as Asian fund comparables remain limited.
About Accelerating Asia Ventures
Accelerating Asia Ventures is an independent accelerator and venture capital fund investing in early-stage startups across Southeast and South Asia. Founded by operators, the organisation is committed to supporting founders with capital, credibility, and a long-term community.
For interviews, data requests, or portfolio introductions, contact: team@acceleratingasia.com
