500 Startups promotes Khailee Ng to managing partner

Khailee Ng, managing partner at 500 Startups.

500 Startups announced today it elected two new managing partners, Bedy Yang from its operation in Brazil and Latin America, and Khailee Ng, the firm’s venture partner in Malaysia, who oversees the Southeast Asian fund (500 Durians).

CB Insights, an intelligence resource for investors, calls 500 Startups the world’s most active venture capital firm. It has invested in more than 850 companies in 40 countries since its inception in 2010.

Ng founded 500 Durians and has a prolific record of starting ventures and investing. He is the founder of GroupsMore (acquired by Groupon) and Says.com (merged with REV Asia). In the past seven months, Ng has made more than 30 investments in Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, and Malaysia.

See: 10 of Indonesia’s most active venture capital firms

500 Startups says Ng will continue to build the company’s presence in Southeast Asia by investing in the region’s most promising founders. He will also assist with replicating lessons learned from Southeast Asian startups, and applying them to other emerging markets.

However, Ng says not much will really change when it comes to his job description or responsibilities, and that he will still run the show for 500 Durians. No new venture partner will occupy his former role. Ng says:

My primary duty is to the limited partners who invested in the Southeast Asian fund, 500 Durians, and the startups I invested in. It is because of the speed and success of 500 Durians and its team that I am able to spend some extra time coaching other new venture partners, help new regional funds get set up, and contribute to the thinking behind 500’s next phase of scale.

500 Startups, was founded by Paypal and Google alumni, and is headquartered in Silicon Valley. The company claims to see the election of non-Silicon Valley leadership as part of its global strategy. More than 25 percent of its companies now come from outside of the US.

Founding managing partner of 500 Startups Dave McClure says, “the best entrepreneurs can come from any country. And they may serve customers from all around the world. You’re going to need a combination of local experts and a global platform to support them. And Khailee possesses all of those global-local qualities to help grow 500’s presence in Southeast Asia and beyond.”