Temasek-backed Tikehau joins $5m round of Singapore lending firm

Helicap, a Singapore-based alternative lending startup, has raised US$5 million in a funding round led by Temasek-backed Tikehau Capital and Asian financial house PhillipCapital. Both of them are financial firms that each have over US$35 billion in assets under management.

Jean-Baptiste Feat, global co-CIO of Tikehau Capital, and Grace Tang, executive director of Phillip Private Equity, will join Helicap’s advisory team after the deal.

(from left) Phillip Private Equity’s executive director Grace Tang, Helicap’s chief investment officer Quentin Vanoekel, Tikehau Capital’s global co-chief investment officer Jean-Baptiste Feat, and Helicap’s group CEO David Z Wang / Photo credit: Helicap

Founded in 2018, Helicap provides curated access to alternative debt investments to a wide network of accredited investors, including family offices, high-net-worth individuals, impact funds, and institutional investors.

Since its inception, the firm has facilitated 300 deals worth a total of US$150 million. In a statement, it said that its private debt fund recently raised US$10 million from a regional bank-backed asset management firm.

Helicap looks to disburse lending capital to over 300 million unbanked and underbanked SMEs and individuals in Southeast Asia.

The company was established by investment executives David Z. Wang and Quentin Vanoekel. It counts Credit Saison, East Ventures, Access Ventures, Voveo Capital, and Soilbuild Group Holdings as its equity investors.

Helicap plans to use the fresh funding to expand its products and services.

See also: The key players in Singapore’s thriving fintech space