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Nikita Puri · · 4 min read

Behind Temasek’s venture-building spree

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Hi there,

Investors often say that they don’t invest in a startup – they invest in a founder instead. Just days ago, an investor echoed this in a conversation with me. Among the things he talked about was how a founder may have a great idea, but they aren’t necessarily the best person to work with.

Hiring managers share the same sentiment. The ones I’ve talked with stressed how a skill set isn’t everything – a lot also depends on the person the said skill set is attached to.

When it comes to startups, the stakes are usually so high that one can’t really leave things to chance. But what if an investor could build a plethora of ventures – the next set of disruptive businesses – to get the desired results?

Equipped to provide the long-term support these startups could need, Temasek seems well down that path now. The Singapore state-owned investment major has 28 ventures of its own, and 12 of them are startups. Besides having a venture building arm, Temasek also has about 14 investment firms, as my colleague Collin maps out in this edition’s Big Story. This one’s a ready reckoner to the multihyphenate firm, as Temasek now wears hats in different capacities.

In the meantime, Kickstart Ventures continues to focus on what it describes as the three Ds – digitalization, decarbonization, and decentralization – as it deploys more funding in the coming year. Collin has more on this in Making Waves.

— Nikita


THE BIG STORY

Mapping Temasek’s role in the startup space

Image credit: Timmy Loen

The Singapore state-owned investor has launched 28 firms, including 14 investment firms and a venture-building arm, in its quest for disruptive businesses.


MAKING WAVES

Recession Run: Kickstart Ventures to deploy more funding in 2023

Image credit: Timmy Loen


FYI


NEWS YOU SHOULD KNOW


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Nikita Puri

I write about people and tech. Share tips and stories at nikita.puri@techinasia.com, or DM on Twitter at @nik_hibernating