East Ventures appoints ex-Temasek exec as venture partner

Jakarta-based East Ventures has appointed Koh Wai Kit to serve as a venture partner at the early-stage VC firm.

East Ventures’ new venture partner Koh Wai Kit / Photo credit: East Ventures

Koh brings with him over a decade of investment experience, according to a statement. Prior to his new position, he served as a founding member of Pavilion Capital, a Temasek subsidiary focused on private equity and venture capital in Asia, leading investments in China, Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asia.

Koh also previously served in investment, strategy, and portfolio management functions at Temasek. He had also been a member of the Singapore Administrative Service, helping in public policy formulation and implementation.

“We have worked closely with Wai Kit for years and we truly value his advice. Wai Kit is a quick-witted thinker with a great deal of empathy, sharing the same core value we hold at East Ventures,” said East Ventures co-founder and managing partner Willson Cuaca.

Since it was founded in 2009, East Ventures has invested in unicorns such as Tokopedia and Traveloka. It has also backed companies such as Ruangguru, Warung Pintar, Kudo (acquired by Grab), Loket (acquired by Gojek), Tech in Asia, Xendit, IDN Media, MokaPOS (acquired by Gojek), ShopBack, Koinworks, Waresix, and Sociolla.

Some of its more recent investees include the Singapore-based ESOP management startup Qapita, genomics tech firm Nusantics, and Indonesian investment platform Bibit.