About this Event
This event will be in a Webinar Session format.
The She Economy represents a hugely untapped commercial opportunity as “women are actually multiple markets in one. They are not just 50% of the economy but control 80% of global consumer spending”, according to Virginia Tan, Teja Ventures’ Founding Partner, a venture capital firm that focuses on investing in technology companies for the She Economy.
Teja Ventures’ investment thesis is based upon the belief that women are often the first adopters of new forms of consumption behaviour – and the biggest drivers and beneficiaries of new business models in the Internet economy. Virginia’s personal mission is to change the perception of gender as an opportunity, rather than a limitation, and to prove that investing in businesses targeted at women or led by women does not mean sacrificing financial returns.
Join us and hear more from Virginia in conversation with Cindy Teoh, Associate Director of Golden Equator Ventures.
About the Speakers
Virginia Tan, Founding Partner, Teja Ventures
Virginia Tan is the founding partner of Teja Ventures, the first gender lens VC fund for emerging Asia. As a pioneering thought leader for gender and technology in Asia, she founded She Loves Tech, the world’s largest startup competition for women and technology. Virginia Tan is also the co-founder and former president of Lean In China, one of China’s leading nonprofit platforms for women with over 100,000 members across more than 25 cities and 100 universities in China, which supports the goals and aspirations of Chinese women.
Virginia’s background is in law and finance, having worked in Europe, Middle East, Asia, Africa and South America for 2 magic circle firms Clifford Chance and Allen and Overy. She specialised in emerging market investments and has covered more than USD 30 billions of transactions in the course of her career. She moved to Beijing in 2013 to work on strategic investments related to the “One Belt One Road” initiative.
Virginia was selected by the Rockefeller Foundation as one of 8 Next Generation Leaders for its Beijing25+ Summit in 2020, named by Fast Company as one of 100 most innovative people in business in China, by Prestige as one of Singapore’s 40 under 40 in 2019, and as a Global Shaper by the World Economic Forum in 2014. Forbes as hailed her as “removing barriers to global womens empowerment and Fast Company has named her “the Hua Mulan of the business world”. Her work has been featured by leading media such as Forbes, Bloomberg, Financial Times, BBC, China Daily, CCTV, Straits Times, VICE etc. She has spoken at some of the world’s largest corporations and leading institutions such as Alibaba, Baidu, Bloomberg, Dell, Disney, DSM, General Electric, Google, P&G, HP, Medtronic, Peking University, Tsinghua University, Columbia University, UNICEF, UN Women, World Economic Forum, Milken Institute, etc.
Cindy Teoh, Associate Director, Golden Equator Ventures
Cindy joined Golden Equator Ventures with investment, operational and management experience across the banking, clean energy and aviation industries. Applying business intelligence and IT business analysis to fund management, she has reviewed over a thousand companies, and led deals in the FinTech, HR tech, PropTech and New Media sectors. Cindy has also helped startups secure partnerships with tech giants (i.e. Google, Facebook), enter new markets, hire key management and expand strategic networks. She has completed the CFA Level 1 examination and holds a Bachelor’s degree (major in Economics), from the National University of Singapore.
About Teja Ventures
Teja Ventures is the first gender lens VC fund for emerging Asia, focusing on early stage technology companies for the She Economy. We believe women are the biggest arbitrage opportunity of our generation. We invest in diverse founders and companies which leverage the economic potential of women as a demographic – whether as consumers, online traffic or a mobile workforce. Our key market is South East Asia, with strategic exposure to India and China.
Data shows us that women are both the biggest drivers and beneficiaries in new business models in the internet economy. Our investment strategy consists in investing in core verticals in the She Economy with a focus on digital distribution and underserved segments. In a post-covid world, this strategy is proving to be countercyclical as our portfolio addresses some of the world’s most urgent priorities.
About Golden Equator Ventures
Southeast Asia’s growing tech market holds promise for both investors and consumers. Situated in Singapore, the geographical nexus of this tech-driven economy, Golden Equator Ventures has set out on a journey to strengthen the long-term sustainability of businesses with the deep belief to drive positive change through our investments. We operate as a gateway, offering global investors the access to Southeast Asia’s emerging tech opportunities.
As investment professionals who embody the entrepreneurial spirit, we work hand-in-hand with our founders, harnessing our combined operational experience to strategically support their growing companies. We thrive in the fast-paced startup environment together with our portfolio companies, and believe in building lasting partnerships borne out of trust and respect. These factors, along with our market expertise and extensive networks, allow us to accelerate growth trajectories to achieve success for our stakeholders.