Demystifying SEA’s venture-building rise amid downturn

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Hello reader,

“Mysterious” is the adjective used by Guillaume Catella, founder of Singapore-based startup studio Creatella, to describe how some may view venture building. I couldn’t agree more.

While far from an alien concept, the term “venture builder” is often confused with incubator and accelerator.

But venture building involves juggling hundreds of ideas per year, hiring founding teams, and developing a minimum viable product within months. Unscalable or unprofitable pursuits are swiftly nipped in the bud.

This model lessens the risks involved in starting a business – as nine out of 10 startups fail. It’s an attractive investment proposition in a bear market and VCs are well aware of this.

Here’s a detailed account of how investment major Temasek leveraged its venture-building endeavors to solidify its presence in the startup sphere.

In today’s premium story, my colleague Shadine delves into the ins and outs of venture building in Southeast Asia, from its emergence as an asset class to the labor-related conundrum it faces in Singapore.

Interviews with leading stakeholders in this space also reveal how these venture studios rose to prominence in the region and why governments and corporations alike are trying to get in on the act amid an economic downturn.

Today we look at:

• SEA’s venture-building boom in a bear market
• Bukalapak taking a majority stake in Malaysia’s iPrice
• Other newsy highlights such as GIC, Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund, going on an AI investment spree

— Shravanth

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Premium summary

Starting from scratch

Bukalapak’s Malaysian mission

Quick bytes