Bettina Gamboa is a change and impact enabler by heart. Prior to Accelerating Asia, she began her stint in supporting startups through executing startup development programs at IdeaSpace Foundation, the largest startup support organisation and accelerator in the Philippines. The pursuit of meaningful work and being a catalyst for change are at the core of everything she does.  Alongside program development, she finds her niche in startup events hosting, having hosted over dozens of workshops, networking events, and demo days since she stepped into the startup space.

Keefe oversees the admin operations, and provides administrative support within the team and company. He is able to learn & adapt to new things, and develop & maintain high standards for his work. He likes to stay organized, likes to be on time for organised events, work-related or otherwise.

Keefe graduated from De La-Salle College of Saint Benilde in 2018 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Multimedia Arts. He has also previously worked as a multimedia designer and a project coordinator for both international and national clients/companies.

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Charlyn has worked with numerous brands across the globe as a Digital Marketing Professional for more than 6 years with a focus on social media, copywriting, and SEO. Charlyn is fueled by her desire to deliver content that reflects the heart and vision of each founder.

Nikki is our go-to creator and multimedia designer for all things video, content and graphic design related. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Multimedia Arts from De La Salle College of Saint Benilde and is a Dean’s List recipient. Nikki is flexible and meticulous in developing and producing quality videos, animation, and design. She has also worked with multiple national and international clients, from content to branding.

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Besides graphic designing, she’s a fashion designer and entrepreneur.

Swami Sekar is a Technologist, Investor and Serial Entrepreneur. He co-founded Winimy AI, a multi-award winning Voice and Conversational AI company to build the future of Brand-Customer Engagement.

Swami Sekar has worked as a Venture Capital Investor at Intel Capital and held leadership roles in Sales and Business Development at Intel and VMWare. He was recognised as one of 100 Leaders of Tomorrow by St. Gallen Symposium in 2010. Swami Sekar has been recognised as a Young Leader at World Cities Summit (Global initiative spearheaded by the Ministry of National Development, Singapore), joining a network of global leaders & change-makers from diverse sectors who shape the global urban agenda. Swami Sekar holds a Masters in Electrical Engineering & Computer Science and an MBA from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Entrepreneur, certified yoga teacher and coach. Driven by curiosity and his passion to unlock potential, he is constantly seeking ways to find the best version of himself and others.

He has held senior leadership roles in various tech companies and was previously Head of Enterprise Partnerships at Grab.

He specialises in scaling startups across regions and implementing growth strategies. A Chartered Accountant by profession, he honed his skills by working in Consulting and Investment Banking at KPMG and Alpen Capital respectively.

Chalinda has spent 10 years building startup, ecosystems and fundraising investment. He is the CEO of the Lankan Angel Network and raised the first Angel Fund dedicated to early-stage startups in Sri Lanka. The Angel Fund brings together 100 Limited Partners from over 20 industries & disciplines and are from Asia, APAC, Europe & North America.

He obtained a Bachelors from the University of London in 2009 and began my entrepreneurial crusade. In 2020, I received the Chevening Fellowship(CRISP), hosted by the University of Oxford.

Alex Miller is an entrepreneur and former CTO of GetCraft.com, South East Asia's Premium Creator Network.  Originally from New York City, Alex got his start in NYC's Silicon Alley in 1999. Later, he spent 10 years in Beijing where, as Product Manager for Advertising, he helped Renren.com go from $5m to $50m in annual advertising revenue and achieve an IPO on the NYSE.

Since then Alex has cofounded 4 startups in video, marketing technology and chat.  He has worked as an Entrepreneur In Residence at 500 Startups in San Francisco as well as Head of Product at creadits.com in Singapore.

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In founding Accelerating Asia in 2019 with co-founder Craig Dixon, Amra became the first female founding general partner of a venture capital firm in Southeast Asia. 

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This unique perspective has helped Amra steward Accelerating Asia into one of the top startup accelerators in Asia (the portfolio has now crossed US$600 million in valuation). For example, Amra has frequently championed startups that make a social impact, including gender-lens investments, which make up 50% of the portfolio. With her support, Accelerating Asia has also implemented other pioneering initiatives, such as a Code of Conduct to create a diverse and inclusive workplace. She has also assembled a Gender Advisory Committee to ensure that Accelerating Asia remains at the forefront of these issues. Under her leadership, Accelerating Asia’s startups not only transform their industries, but affect change while doing so.

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Read Craig's articles here

Craig founded Accelerating Asia in 2019 with co-founder Amra Naidoo. With his extensive startup investment experience, including over 100 startup investment rounds, Craig oversees Accelerating Asia’s Venture Capital fund which invests in pre-Series A startups. Under his leadership, the Accelerating Asia portfolio has now crossed a US$600 million valuation from startups all over the region, including Southeast Asia, East Asia, South Asia, and most recently, Middle East and North Africa. Craig frequently shares his expertise on venture-building and startups as a sought-after speaker in Asia and through articles shared on the Accelerating Asia blog (accessible here).

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Craig holds an MBA from the University of Maryland/HKUST.