After more than two decades of investing...
I believe we’ve found the next big hidden opportunity:


Most LPs exploring venture capital funds as an investment vehicle are concerned with media sentiment.

"Capital at risk"
"Growth at all costs"
"Long-term"

The numbers don't lie. If well managed, venture investing reaps very attractive ROI versus most other alternatives.

And, you won't even need to find the next unicorn to do that.

Today, sustainable, sticky growth is the holy grail for any investment office looking for longevity with attractive returns.

Some years ago my partner, Murli, and I started Tin Men Capital in pursuit of that.

Our fund's unique focus:
- B2B and Enterprise Tech Startups
- With a strong focus in Southeast Asia
- Who are in Series A stage and beyond

Our thesis:
SouthEast Asia's legacy industries are still largely undigitised.
B2B tech in large TAM > High-gross margins > Sticky recurring revenue > Quicker pathway to profitability

We've already proven that these ideas our sound with measured results from our inaugural fund.

Family offices and institutions that work with us appreciate our ethos in running the fund:

⚙️ DISCIPLINED DEAL-SOURCING : 
Carefully scrutinising every deal for the right valuations, founder mix, and expertise. No exceptions.

⚙️ HIGH-CONVICTION: 
We only invest in a handful of teams that apply. Sounds counterintuitive, but It's seeing above-market returns with below-average failure rates.

⚙️ EXPERIENCED B2B OPERATORS AT THE HELM: 
Murli and I bring collectively more than 40 years of experience in investing and management, having sat on boards and brokered large M&As. Our thoughts have also been featured on TechInAsia, Peak Magazine, and more.

Some of our portfolio companies:

🔵 Hubble (Series B)
Resource management platform for parties in the construction value chain to track and optimise processes

🔵  Zipline (Series A)
Australia's #1 workplace management platform for the aged care and health sectors

🔵  GlobalTix (Series A)
Software and marketplace software for tourism attraction operators and travel product distributors 

We’re always on the lookout for new partners and startups to join us.

If keen to chat, shoot me a DM/email or head over to our website to drop us a line.

Jeremy Tan

What no one tells you about running a VC fund (until you find out yourself).

People who’ve founded, or started, a VC fund know this:
It doesn’t just take a good investing team to run a fund.
You need an army of professional services firms to keep the clockwork going.

Most people see the obvious work.
 - Fundraising
 - Sourcing
 - Investing
 - Exiting

But there’s so much more running behind the scenes.

+ Capital calls
+ KYC / onboarding investors
+ Periodic reports to Limited Partners
+ Regulatory filings
+ Audit

None of these are optional.
If we want a well-functioning ecosystem, we need dependable service providers who can do these at a cost structure that makes sense.

However, that’s not we see today.
Come audit season, we’re still getting questions like:

“Why are your startups burning cash?”
“Can I have a DCF model for your investment?”

Audits are important. They’re a third-party opinion on how we value the portfolio.

But many auditors here are still (stubbornly?) looking at VC portfolios with a mature company lens.
And the pricing often follows: ~US$2k per year per company for a fair market valuation.

For VC funds (typically smaller than PE funds), that adds up fast and eats painfully into net returns.

It’s not sustainable. 
We’re in severe need of a step change in approach.

One bright spot for us has been working with good folks like those at Carta. (this is not a sponsored post 😅)

They’ve taken a tech-enabled approach to an archaic part of fund admin.

🔺 Capital call calculations done faster, with fewer errors.
🔺 Financial details available online, with enough granularity.
🔺 Onboarding, KYC, subscriptions, all in one platform.

To be clear, they’re not perfect.
Beyond the tech, the people we interface with…
They listen. They hear the pain points. 
And they keep iterating.

Eventually, investors should be able to access investment-level financials seamlessly, straight from source data.

If SEA wants a world-class VC ecosystem, the services layer around fund management, legal, accounting etc. has to keep evolving.

As it is right now, there is much room for improvement. 

For an aspiring financial hub of Southeast Asia, I don’t think this is too much to ask.

PS. If you know good individuals who are bright spots in the services layer of tech in SEA, do tag them in the comment section for visibility.

Backing brilliant B2B founders 🦓 in Southeast Asia | Co-founder at Tin Men Capital | Linkedin Top Voice

Designlabb

Full-cycle brand design shop. We bring life to software and consulting brands globally with visually-stunning identities and memorable digital experiences.

We have worked with personal brands, agencies, consultants, and startups (from Southeast Asia & Silicon Valley). Our mission is to build a world where creativity and innovation intersect, driven by a shared vision of what's possible.

Notable clients: Lendingpot (a subsidiary of IFS Capital Limited), Row One Asia, DayTech & DayTech Gifts, Ergonomia (Réunion & France), SunLink (#1 Solar Platform for Customers in America), and more.

3M+ views, 7k+ followers on TikTok.

Founder & Creative Lead

www.alvisoh.com

A weekly newsletter on systems, principles, and tools for designers, builders, and creators.

Covering the topics on how to become valuable in the attention economy, how to think, and the power of deep focus. I also republish my newsletter (https://designlabb.medium.com/subscribe) on design here. 

Join 200+ readers at https://www.alvisoh.com/subscribe

Reach out at alvis@designlabb.cc

Writer

ACE.SG (Action Community for Entrepreneurship)

Member

Tin Men Capital

Tin Men Capital is a Singapore-based venture capital firm that's exclusively focused on B2B tech startups operating from South East Asia. It is led by Murli Ravi and Jeremy Tan. 

It has backed companies such as SixSense, Hubble, Globaltix, Zipline, Glife, Manuva and Overdrive. ​Having launched fund II in late 2022, Tin Men Capital are actively investing 2-4 mil USD checks in B2B tech startups in Southeast Asia at the Series A stage.

Partnerships & Investments

Brewo Coffee

In a world where most people settle for the mundane and ordinary, Brewo dares to be different. Founded in 2023 by a passionate team of coffee aficionados, Brewo is on a mission to share the magic of traditional coffee from all corners of the globe with every Singaporean – starting with Vietnamese coffee.

Coffee is more than just a morning beverage, it's a journey that takes you on a sensory adventure. At Brewo, we understand this better than anyone else. That's why we scoured the world to find the finest coffee beans, each with their unique story and flavour profile, to bring them straight to your doorstep – yes, you read it correctly!

Our journey began in Hanoi, Vietnam, where we discovered the bold and robust flavour of Vietnamese coffee – and we figured, “why can’t we find this in Singapore?” That experience inspired us to create a brand that's all about exploring and savouring the different nuances of coffee from all over the world.

We believe that everyone deserves to experience the richness and diversity of coffee, and we're here to make it happen. Whether you're a coffee connoisseur or just starting your journey, Brewo is your passport to a world of coffee adventures. Join us on this journey and let us awaken your taste buds to the wonders of traditional coffee.

Because at Brewo, we bring back the taste of nostalgia, to you.

In the first week of launching, we generated over $1,400 in sales from Word-of Mouth, partnerships, and online and offline marketing efforts.

Co-Founder - Head of Branding & Marketing

A Singapore-based creative agency with an international footprint, serving brands since 2021. I specialise in street, portraits, and event photography. Aside from photography, I help brands with their creative strategies (i.e. effective storytelling, content strategy, etc.). I've worked with brands such as Affinidi, TagEspresso, China Skinny, and more.

For business inquiries, email me at contactalvisoh@gmail.com

Past clients: Temasek-backed companies, TagEspresso, M.A.D School (Love, Bonito), Inc. Equality Ventures, and many more.

Creative Agency

China Skinny

China Skinny is one of the best known marketing and research agencies in China. It has established itself as a leader in understanding the latest trends, insights and best practices for the ever-changing Chinese marketplace, something it incorporates into everything it does. 

China Skinny publishes the most read English newsletter about marketing to Chinese consumers, and is regularly contacted by media such as Bloomberg, Reuters and Forbes for its view on the China market.

In my time at China Skinny, I've:
- Successfully written project proposal that secured an AUD$100,000 auction project, demonstrating persuasive writing and strategic planning abilities
- Assisted in leading brand strategy projects for clients such as Ladurée, a French manufacturer and retailer of high-end pastries.
- Assisted in the preparation of pitch decks to global management and marketing teams regarding a brand’s China presence, how the industry is changing, and qualitative and quantitative market research results
- Illustrated data with graphs and translate complex results into written texts and visuals that are clear and understandable 
- Developed and implemented automated workflows with tools like Zapier and ChatGPT, identifying and addressing inefficiencies in research and social media management
- Created personal AI research assistant using GPT-4 to streamline research and strategic execution
- Manage China Skinny’s LinkedIn, Facebook, and X, and ensure all posts are aligned with the brand’s mission and vision 
- Developed and executed comprehensive social media strategy spanned five months to promote our services and proprietary social media trackers

Market Analyst 

Carousell Group

- 5-figures total sales
- Back-to-school items (i.e. bags, wallets, phone cases, etc.), camera goods (i.e. lens filter, disposable cameras, etc.), and Apple products (i.e. Apple Airpods, Apple Airtags, etc.)

Reseller

INGRID DESIGN PTE LTD

Creative Designer

Protégé Ventures

- Developed company due diligence expertise in venture capital through a one-month training, including market research and venture capital fundamentals
- Developed investment thesis in a start-up pitch through the in-depth analysis of business models, market research and market sizing

Analyst-in-Training

I'm Alvis Oh, founder and creative lead at Designlabb (www.designlabb.cc) – a web design agency for startups (early to growth stage SaaS) and consultants. I previously co-founded Brewo – a Vietnamese coffee startup with my friends that serves IHLs like SIM, NTU, Ngee Ann Polytechnic, etc. Prev. @ Tin Men Capital (VC investing in B2B SaaS & Marketplaces) & China Skinny (China's most-read newsletter).

Besides work, I love reading (philosophy and anything that relates to personal growth), playing all kinds of sports (basketball especially!), and learning about startups.

I'm very active on X and Threads, so if you want some advice on design or ideas on philosophy, find me there!

Last thing, I'm always open to connecting with like-minded people. Whether you're interested in design, tech, startups, or philosophy, feel free to reach out. I'm happy to offer design advice or engage in thought-provoking discussions. Let's connect and exchange ideas!

P.S. If you've participated or are participating in the PolyFintech100 API Hackathon, you may know me as the two consecutive Grand Champions for the years 2022 and 2023.

taplio

The Battle

Jeremy Tan

Alvis Oh 胡峻愷

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance ScoreJeremy Tan's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

taplio

The Battle

Jeremy Tan

Alvis Oh 胡峻愷

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Jeremy Tan's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreJeremy Tan's LinkedIn Performance