Phuong Tran: Investing akin to dating

When it comes to fundraising, founders build the case for why investors should support their vision. But how do investors determine which startups are worth betting on?

In an interview with Blue Venture Series, Wavemaker Partners’ Principal Phuong Tran discusses what makes a startup attractive to investors and some useful tips for increasing their chances of getting funded. 

She likens investing to dating–you don’t need to rush it. It takes time to build trust and establish a healthy relationship. You should also trust your intuition more.

With years of experience leading deals, Phuong also shares her thoughts about startup unicorns, the most promising B2B trends in Vietnam where she’s based, how founders can spend their capital efficiently, and more.

Blue Venture Series is the first program in Vietnam that offers insights and lessons from well-established VCs, founders, and other tech experts focusing on the local market.

Watch the full interview below.

Here’s how to translate it to English:

  • Click on the Closed-Captioning icon (🇨🇨‌) to enable subtitles
  • Click on Settings (⚙️), select auto-translate then choose the language you want

Prior to joining Wavemaker, Phuong was one of the founding members of Vietnamese VC VinaCapital Ventures, where she sourced, executed, and added value to Seed and Series A investments. She also worked as a project coordinator for a joint venture project between a Singaporean petrochemical firm and Vietnam’s largest refinery (Dung Quat).

Lead image credit: Palden Gyamtso/Unsplash

Share to:

Rize decarbonise rice cultivation

Rize Raises US$14M in Series A Funding to Boost Tech Platform for Sustainable Rice Farming

Making sustainable rice farming viable is essential for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, which account for more than

Read More
Jakarta traffic motorcycle street

How B2B investor Wavemaker Partners views Indonesia’s B2C scene

Almost all of Indonesia’s unicorns and decacorns are B2C companies, except two. But that’s not surprising at all.

Read More
Gapai

Gapai Secures $1 Million in Seed Funding to Empower Indonesian Migrant Workers

This seed round is led by Wavemaker Partners, with Antler participating as a repeat investor in Gapai. With the

Read More
Lloyd Heinrich Metro Electro

MetroElectro secures AU$1.04M of pre-seed funding from Wavemaker Impact to develop mid-sized renewable power plants to fast-track energy transition

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA, 7 MAY 2024 – MetroElectro, an innovative climate tech startup  founded by veteran digital

Read More
housing canal

Lhoopa: Solving the affordable housing crisis in SEA,
one home at a time

It’s a story we often hear in emerging markets: people leaving rural areas for cities in search of a better life,

Read More
Staple-cofounders-benjamin-stein-joshua-kettlewell

Staple raises $4m pre-Series A funding from Wavemaker Partners

SINGAPORE, 15 APRIL 2024 — Staple, a leading innovator in AI-driven document processing solutions headquartered in

Read More