Venturra aiming for 8 to 12 deals in 2023

Either directly or as a limited partner, many global investors cut their first check to the Indonesian market during the Covid-19 pandemic, recalls Raditya Pramana of Jakarta-headquartered Venturra.

“(Before that), we used to have to spend a lot of time on market education with global investors on why they should be investing in Indonesia; now the conversation has evolved to be more about how to invest in Indonesia,” says Pramana, who is a managing partner at the early-stage investment firm.

“The learning curve has straightened out quite a bit.”

Venturra managing partners John Riady (left) and Raditya Pramana / Photo credit: Venturra

As Venturra prepares to launch a new fund – its third one – in the coming months, the firm says it anticipates making eight to 12 deals this year. That said, it expects to see “greater value creation activity at the ideation stage” as the market cycle restarts the next year, “leading to more opportunities in seed to series A rounds.”

Vigor, renewed 💪

The firm has completed 29 investments since 2019, with the majority of them in seed-stage companies.

Some of Venturra’s notable exits include Grab, fintech firm Fave, and beauty commerce startup Sociolla. Now the firm seeks to “welcome entrepreneurs” working in the climate tech space.

A sum of its parts
Active since: 2015
Managing partners: John Riady, Raditya Pramana
New fund size: Undisclosed
Invests in: Sector-agnostic
Select portfolio firms: 99.co, Carro, Bananas, Cove, Klinik Pintar
Headquarters: Jakarta
Areas covered: Southeast Asia

Indonesia has “always had rich resources in the ground,” says Pramana, adding that this has “disincentivized” the country from investing in climate tech in the past.

“We are now at a point where it is necessary to invest in clean energy and production,” he says.

According to Venturra, Indonesia “is poised to play a pivotal role in reducing global net greenhouse gas emissions and has the potential to emerge as a prominent climate-tech hub in the region” owing to several reasons.

These include the concentration of carbon sinks in Indonesia, the country’s nickel reserves, as well as its potential for a circular economy, among other factors.

Besides seeking out entrepreneurs in climate tech, Venturra has also released a report on climate change, which highlights trends in the sector and identifies production, agriculture, electricity, and transportation as they key verticals for innovation across Southeast Asia.

More deal screenings 🏃

Venturra describes its approach to investing as “very deliberate and purposeful,” actively seeking out opportunities rather than waiting for them to come its way.

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