Saison Capital has unveiled, for the first time, its active Asia-forward footprint across the Web3 ecosystem and efforts to elevate operational excellence for those in the region. In the second half of 2022, almost two-thirds of the firm’s investments were in Web3, indicating a strong belief in the growth and opportunity of the sector.
“There are still significant gaps in the infrastructure we need for web3 services to mature and close the distance to mainstream adoption. Asia is poised to be a growth engine for local and global companies building these foundations, which is why companies are prioritizing to find the right partners who can help them successfully navigate the region. Saison Capital is accelerating these pathways by partnering with experienced founders and operators who take a long-term view on innovations that can happen in the space regardless of market conditions.” said Chris Sirise, Founding Partner at Saison Capital.
Saison Capital’s approach to Web3
Saison Capital, an early-stage venture capital fund focusing on emerging markets, invests in ambitious founders working towards solving significant problems. The firm is particularly interested in backing startups involved in embedded finance, including non-fintech companies expanding into fintech, web3, e-commerce, and other related areas.
The firm has actively deployed capital across 30 deals in diverse Web3 sectors. It has also established a token fund to accelerate access to strategic capital for companies. Across these deals, investment themes have included but are not limited to the intersection of fintech and Web3 (BVNK, Flint, Wind, Open Eden, Binocs, Evertas), intellectual property and digital asset ownership (BuyStars, Origins NFT, Avium, Mythic Protocol, Nf3x), enablers to improve efficiency (HQ.xyz, Krayon, Gomu).
More than 65% of Saison Capital’s Web3 deals were made in the second half of 2022. The figure reflects its commitment to a patient capital approach, regardless of market conditions. The firm also continues to invest in Web3 founders with strong Web2 experience. The average Saison Capital founder has accumulated over a decade of founder or operator experience before building a Web3 startup.
How Saison Capital is Strengthening the Ecosystem
Saison Capital has developed a comprehensive support system to help startups in Southeast Asia and India, both of which are rapidly growing regions in the industry. Their efforts range from providing tokenomics advisory to talent acquisition and accelerating go-to-market strategies. The firm has mainly focused on supporting founders in emerging Asian markets, with most of its Web3 portfolio invested in this area. As interest in global projects in the region grows, Saison Capital has responded by expanding its support for Web3 projects across new markets, such as Korea, Japan, and the US. The firm is doubling down on grassroots community initiatives from Asia via four critical efforts to strengthen pathways for projects.
Simplifying the process of bringing global Web3 talent to Singapore
Saison Capital has been appointed a Startup SG Entrepass Partner in addition to its existing appointment under the Singaporean government’s Tech@SG scheme. As such, founders foreign founders in the Saison Capital portfolio will have access to extra support, dependency passes, and expedited application processes.
Introducing a blended Web2 and Web3 Saison Capital Scouts cohort
Saison Capital has established itself as a trailblazer in the Southeast Asian region by launching one of the first scout programs. As part of their efforts to support and foster a strong community of founders and operators, they are introducing a new blended cohort that will enable Web3 founders and operators to join the existing community of Web2 counterparts. This move is expected to bring greater diversity and fresh perspectives to the thriving ecosystem.
Accelerating resources for the 2to3 Product Manager Community
Catalyzing the education of an organically grown community of 400+ web3-curious product managers, Saison Capital will ramp up its education on the implications of several technologies. These topics include blockchain, digital assets, and distributed ledger technologies. Further, the firm will support product managers from the community moving into Web3 to leap into startup founder or operator roles.
Connecting Asian and Global Web-3 leaders in-person
Saison Capital continues collaborating with leading Web3 players such as Coinbase and Blockdaemon to convene a series of networking events connecting Asian ecosystem drivers over breakfasts. After a successful run of more than 20 events in 2022, more will follow in 2023 to bring together Web3 founders, operators, and investors.
Saison Capital’s continued commitment to Web3 startups
In conclusion, Saison Capital is expanding its presence in Asia and strengthening its commitment to the Web3 ecosystem by supporting startups in emerging markets and investing in ambitious founders who are solving significant problems. The firm is helping Web3 startups in several fast-growing markets through its comprehensive support system. Saison Capital is laying the foundations for further innovation and cross-project collaboration in the Web3 space by taking an ecosystem-oriented approach and facilitating deep community-building.
In closing, Principal at Saison Capital, Qin En Looi, said, “The borderless promise of Web3 has yet to be fully realized regarding the opportunities for Asia-based startups. We are facilitating deep community-building, which is the foundational structure for further innovation and cross-project collaboration. By taking an ecosystem-oriented approach from the outset of Web3 development, we stand to build a more robust operating environment that can sustain the peaks and troughs of market conditions. Better connections now provide the infrastructure for smarter development and deployment in the future.”