Originally from Delhi, I have been living in Singapore for 5+ years now, consider both to be home.
I am a certified yoga instructor and occasionally teach classes in Singapore.
I have over 14 years of experience working across various industries in business roles. Most recently, I was Head of Enterprise Partnerships at Grab where I helped scale the enterprise business through partnerships and sales and managed over U$50M in revenue. I have worked at Uber and other early-stage startups and specialise in implementing growth strategies across Asia.
In the past, I set up a live video streaming platform in Indonesia and scaled it to 1M monthly active users locally. A Chartered Accountant by profession, I honed my skills by working in Investment Banking and Consulting at firms including KPMG. I have been a startup mentor and advisor since a number of years and work with many early-stage businesses.
I believe founders are dreamers that are looking to create a better future by solving relevant problems we face. As someone who loves problem-solving, I love helping founders overcome obstacles and maximise their potential.
Having worked in early-stage startups and large tech companies like Uber, I have experienced how the right partnerships can unlock growth potential through multiplier effects. I am passionate about enabling companies to grow by leveraging their strengths.
I have been working with the Accelerating Asia team for over 3 years now and truly believe in the value they are creating in the startup ecosystem in Southeast Asia. Their accelerator program and VC fund are enabling startups in countries like Bangladesh to create value and scale businesses that are positively impacting the region’s growth. Being part of this growth story is exciting for me.
Southeast Asia is a mobile-first economy and strong investments into digitisation will continue in sectors like healthcare, education and financial services. This region was long known for copycat business models, but recent years have seen the emergence of mutant models that are imported but highly customised to local markets like Indonesia and Vietnam and I expect that trend to continue.
There are a number of local B2B SaaS platforms that are becoming global players from this region and I believe that is a strong trend that will continue to attract investments.
This region has seen record investments in 2020 and I expect that trend to continue over the next 5 years. With increased investments in the form of early and late-stage funds, I expect more startups getting created looking to disrupt physical industries.
Their ability to embed their product into existing value chains will enable them to build strong sources of revenue from the get-go. The incumbents have increasingly larger innovation teams and mandates to explore technologies that can make them redundant and all of these units are looking to identify startups they can partner with or acquire to stay ahead of the curve.
For first time angels, it is critical to start building up their credibility and have potential deal flows by engaging with angel networks or accelerators like Accelerating Asia. Over a period of time, they will be able to develop their own judgment on industries and investment fit. One of the key factors startups value in angels is any additional value they can unlock and angels should double down on startups in industries of similar background.
If you’re interested in partnering with us to deliver startup programs or investing alongside us, meeting our portfolio companies or just generally interested in talking to us about startup investing, connect with Amar.
Accelerating Asia invests in startups with scalable technology solutions and revenue generating business models that combine purpose with profit.
In making an investment decision, investors must rely on their own examination of startups and the terms of the investment including the merits and risks involved. Prospective investors should not construe this content as legal, tax, investment, financial or accounting advice.
