Tell us a bit about yourself
I'm a Senior Investment Associate at Monk's Hill Ventures (‘MHV’) and have more than four years of experience in the venture capital space working with founders, investors, and community partners to build the startup ecosystem in Southeast Asia. At MHV, we look to invest in early-stage tech companies in Southeast Asia, primarily in Series A. Prior to MHV, I was an investment banker where I advised large corporate clients on IPOs, and local and cross-border M&A transactions. I specialized in the consumer, real estate, telecommunication, and energy sectors. I spent two years after my investment banking career in an operational role where I was a project manager for an engineering service company, executing construction projects at Thailand's premier industrial estates.
Please share your engagement with startups thus far.
I mentored startups across various industries and stages of maturity in Southeast Asia. Startups in the Plug and Play program are in different stages of growth, with founders who are either first-time entrepreneurs or seasoned ones who have previously started multiple companies. What is interesting is that regardless of their stage or background, there are always learning opportunities, for both the founders and myself. The goal is to explore the unknown challenges in one’s entrepreneurial journey and work together to figure out how we can learn and find solutions most effectively.
Please share what you enjoy about being a mentor thus far.
Learning new perspectives and fresh ideas inspires my curiosity. I also believe that with open minds, opportunities are limitless.
Why did you decide to become a mentor with Plug and Play?
Plug and Play have played an instrumental role in providing support for startups in the region, connecting founders and investors in different ways. I always enjoy meeting founders in the program and being part of this initiative to support promising new ventures.
For you, what is the value of being a mentor?
Creating deep connections that extend beyond mere knowledge sharing. I now have many meaningful relationships with founders throughout my mentoring journey and the experience has been surprisingly rewarding.
Written by: June Chen.
June Chen is one of our Smart Cities program mentors. She is a Senior Investment Associate at Monk's Hill Ventures.
Interested in being one of our mentors? Join our platform here!
