Brief: Former Sequoia partner Yinglan Tan raises $25m for debut fund

Photo credit: Yinglan Tan.

The news (extracted from Dealstreetasia):

• Singapore-based Insignia Ventures Partners, founded by former Sequoia Capital venture partner Yinglan Tan, has raised US$25 million for its first fund, according to a US SEC filing.
• The fund will target technology startups in Southeast Asia.
• Tan left Sequoia earlier this year after a five-year stint to put up his own fund.

Why it matters:

• Tan is among prominent names in the investment community, having been involved in multiple Sequoia investments, including Indonesia’s Tokopedia and Go-Jek, as well as Singapore’s Carousell.
• Sequoia has been operating in the series A and B spaces in Southeast Asia, but despite that it doesn’t have a dedicated fund. Instead, its deals in the region are covered by its India fund. Tan’s new VC firm serves as a boon for Southeast Asia, which continues to attract active interest from investors, especially those from China.
• With the new fund and others such as 500 Startup’s US$50 million Durians fund II and Vertex Ventures’ planned U$150 million fund, startup investments in the region are on track to hit an all-time high this year.