Team
Our SEA-focused team comprises veteran entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, and experienced hires.
PARTNERS
Successfully exited three tech companies
B. Paul Santos is Managing Partner of Wavemaker Partners and led the establishment of the Singapore-headquartered Southeast Asia office in 2012. Wavemaker is Southeast Asia’s go-to early-stage VC for enterprise and deep tech, with over US$180 million in assets under management (AUM) across three funds, and close to US$700 million in total exits. 120+ out of the 140+ (85%) portfolio companies the firm has invested in since 2012 are in enterprise and deep tech. Specific industries include software, AI, security, as well as precision agriculture, cleantech, additive manufacturing, and laser communications.
Investee companies that have managed to raise significant financing rounds include eFishery, GrowSari, GudangAda, and Relativity Space. Companies that are seeing promising traction include Novade, Lynk, Silent Eight, and ecoSPIRITS. Exits include TradeGecko’s acquisition for US$80 million by Intuit, Moka for US$130 million and Coins.ph for US$72 million by Gojek, Red Dot Payment by PayU/Naspers for US$65 million-plus, and Wavecell by 8×8 for US$125 million.
Paul has a keen interest in promoting entrepreneurship and sustainability. He is an Advisor to the Singapore Management University (SMU) Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (IIE), where he is also an Adjunct Faculty Member. He is also a member of the Singapore chapter of the Entrepreneurs Organization (EO) and a member of the Investment Committee of Asian Development Bank (ABD) Ventures, which supports startups that contribute to the achievement of the UNDP Sustainable Development Goals in Asia-Pacific.
Prior to becoming a venture capitalist, Paul was an entrepreneur who had co-founded six companies across multiple industries and sold three of them. He started his career as a product manager at Procter & Gamble (P&G). He graduated from the Ateneo de Manila University with a B.S. in Management Engineering and a Joint Minor in International Management with the University of Antwerp.
Career venture capitalist
Gavin leads the investment team at Wavemaker Partners and is responsible for all investment-related activities. He has led and participated in more than 100 investments and actively supports several Wavemaker Partners’ portfolio companies including Shield and eFishery.
Gavin had started his career in venture capital with Matrix Partners China and Infocomm Investments, a Singapore government venture firm now called SGInnovate. Before that, he helped to run his family business in home furnishings and sleep products.
Gavin graduated with a BA in Financial Economics from Columbia University in the City of New York and is currently undertaking an Executive MBA in Finance at Tsinghua University.
Eric Manlunas
General Partner
Wavemaker US Founder and SEA General Partner
Eric is Founder of Wavemaker US and is General Partner at Wavemaker SEA. He started his career in consulting at Arthur Andersen focusing on the retail sector. He then founded 2 companies which were both acquired – Interfoods acquired by La Reina and SiteStar acquired by Lynchburg.net. In 2003 he made the move into venture capital. Since then, he has made over 150 investments including 3 unicorns – Digital Globe (NYSE: DIGI), MindBody (NASDAQ: MB) and Viagogo. He has also led investments into StyleHaul (acquired by RTL), Phunware (IPO) and 17Hats.
Entrepreneur and greentech investor
Steve is an entrepreneur who has built businesses in Asia and Europe. This includes most recently as co-founder of PropertyGuru Group, which he grew into a market leader in Southeast Asia used by 37 million people monthly. He is a sustainability advocate, angel investor and mentor focused on climate and social impact in Asia.
Doug Parker
Venture Partner
Clean Tech Investor
Doug is a deep tech entrepreneur, having built and exited nuTonomy, one of the very few successful self-driving car companies. He is now 100% focused on investing in clean tech, including green energy, climate change and water and waste technologies.
Recovering Investment banker
Sui Ling joined Wavemaker in 2017. As Operating Partner, she is responsible for helping the mature companies in Wavemaker’s portfolio with business development, follow-on financing, and eventual exits. She spent 20 years in investment banking raising capital for high growth companies and executing cross-border M&A. In her most recent role, she served as the Head of Corporate Finance SEA at BNP Paribas. Prior to becoming a venture capitalist, she was Executive Director of Investment Banking at JP Morgan Singapore. Sui Ling started her career with Merrill Lynch New York followed by stints in Singapore and London. She graduated from Wellesley College with a Bachelor of Arts in French and Economics.
TEAM
Talent Acquisition and Management | Organisational Development | Community and Platform
Rachel leads strategic projects and supports the organisational development of Wavemaker. She also leads the Community and Platform team to help accelerate growth of portfolio companies.
Rachel has 15 years’ experience in HR and Talent Acquisition from Singapore, New Zealand, and Malaysia. During her four years at 90 Seconds from seed stage to Series B, she was the Head of Talent, hired as the 17th employee and helped grow the business to over 180 employees, spanning across Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, US, and UK. Partnering with the Founder/CEO and leading a team of eight, Rachel built the entire talent organization, including Talent Acquisition (engineering and non-engineering), Talent Management, and HR and Compliance.
Deep Tech | Industrial | Hardware | Thailand
Joel has a soft spot for deep tech opportunities that provide that 10x improvement over the status quo, and also focuses on the hardware opportunities for the firm. He is involved in sourcing, bringing investments through the entire deal process, and managing a segment of the portfolio. Prior to Wavemaker, Joel worked under the M&A Advisory team of PwC Singapore and the Finance team of government-owned venture capital firm Infocomm Investments (now SG Innovate). Joel graduated Summa Cum Laude from Singapore Management University with a double degree in Business Management and Accountancy.
Investments
Kano focuses on the sourcing and evaluation of deals across Southeast Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. She has over 8 years of experience in investments and consulting. Prior to joining Wavemaker, Kano was an investment manager in the private equity team at Aberdeen Standard Investments, where she invested in mid-sized companies across a wide range of industries. She started her career as a management consultant at PwC in London. Kano holds a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Sciences from the University of Warwick.
Retail and Distribution | Media | Sustainability | Indonesia
Melissa focuses on retail and distribution, marketing and media, sustainability, proptech, and funtech investments, as well as the Indonesian and Malaysian market. Prior to Wavemaker, she led Shopee’s Regional Marketing (Partnerships) team, where she sourced and nurtured strategic platform-wide partnerships across synergistic industries. She also held various roles at Singapore Airlines, from corporate strategy, fuel procurement and hedging to product innovation and management. Melissa graduated Summa Cum Laude from New York University with a double major in International Relations and Economics.
Fintech | Banking | Energy | Indonesia
Ajay is involved in the sourcing and evaluation of deals, due diligence, and the preparation of investment proposals for the fund’s investment decisions. He focuses on the performance of Wavemaker’s Fintech and Agritech portfolio companies as well as the Indonesian and South Asian markets. Previously, Ajay was a consultant with Deloitte Consulting in the United States, focusing on human capital strategy for a number of Fortune 500 companies. Additionally, Ajay has experience in banking, energy, and startups in both emerging and developed markets. Ajay graduated from Emory University with a degree in Economics.
Education | Healthcare | Enterprise | Vietnam
Prior to Wavemaker, Phuong was one of the founding members of Vietnam’s local VC VinaCapital Ventures, where she sourced, executed, and added value to seed and Series A investments. She also worked as a project coordinator to develop a joint venture project between a Singaporean petrochemical firm and Vietnam’s largest refinery (Dung Quat).
Fintech | Supply Chain | Retail | Indonesia
Junius is involved in sourcing and evaluation of deals, due diligence, and the preparation of investment proposal for the fund’s investment decisions. He focuses on Retail, Supply-chain and Fintech as well as the Indonesian market. Prior to Wavemaker, Junius was a consultant at EY Indonesia’s Strategy and Transaction where he did numerous M&A transactions and strategic advisories in various sectors, namely; digital economy, power & energy, infrastructure, retail, financial services, media, and real estate. Junius graduated from Loyola Marymount University with a Bachelor of Business Administration (Finance).
Data Science | Machine Learning | Philippines
Bernie is involved in the sourcing and evaluation of deals, due diligence, and the preparation of investment proposals for the fund’s investment decisions. He focuses on Data Science & Analytics, Machine Learning, and the Philippine market. Prior to Wavemaker, Bernie developed and handled data systems at both a Rocket Internet startup and a well-known Philippine F&B brand. Bernie studied BS Management Engineering at Ateneo de Manila University in Manila, Philippines.
Education | Retail | Fintech | Philippines
Elj is involved in the sourcing and evaluation of deals, due diligence, and the preparation of investment proposals for the fund’s investment decisions. Prior to Wavemaker, Elj was an analyst at ICCP, the Philippine partner investment bank of DBS Singapore where he assisted in numerous Capital Markets transactions in real estate, fintech, and F&B sectors. He was also a summer analyst within the Corporate & Investment Banking team at J.P. Morgan Manila, helping with special projects. Elj graduated magna cum laude and valedictorian from the De La Salle University Philippines with a major in Financial Economics.
Healthcare | Property | Retail | Vietnam
Hiep is involved in the evaluation of deals, due diligence, and the preparation of investment proposals for the fund’s investment decisions. Prior to Wavemaker, Hiep was part of Vietnam Investments Group where he spent his summer assisting the due diligence and strategic support functions within the F&B sector. Most recently, he was a summer analyst within the Corporate Debt Capital Markets team within TD Securities in New York, helping with the debt issuance process for companies within the Energy, Industrial, and REITs sector. Hiep graduated magna cum laude from the University of Massachusetts Amherst with a major in Finance and a minor in Sociology.
Enterprise | Agriculture | Fintech | Indonesia
Kelvin is involved in the sourcing and evaluation of deals, due diligence, and the preparation of investment proposals for the fund’s investment decisions. Prior to Wavemaker, Kelvin had worked in the Consulting department at EY and was part of the Business Development team at Lifepal. Kelvin graduated with Honours from Nanyang Business School, with a major in Banking and Finance, and was given the NTU President Research Scholar award. During his time in university, Kelvin co-founded 180 Degrees Consulting NTU, a branch of the world’s largest consultancy for non-profits and social enterprises.
Vasundhara Tankha
Vice President, Investor Relations
Investor Relations
Vasundhara is focusing on building relationships with investors and corporates. She has 8 years of experience in investor relations and finance. Prior to joining Wavemaker, Vasundhara was an Investor Relations Manager at PayPal in San Francisco. She started her career with Morgan Stanley where she spent 6 years between London and New York. Vasundhara holds a Masters in Management from the London School of Economics, and a Bachelors in Economics from the Delhi University.
Investor Relations
Emily has 4 years of experience in Investor Relations and Fund Administration. At State Street and Citco Fund Services, she supervised the investor relations team providing daily LP support for their Private Equity and Real Estate Fund Managers. Emily holds a bachelor’s degree of Economics and Finance from RMIT University and is a CFA Level II candidate.
Communications
Jum is passionate about crafting narratives and telling meaningful stories. Before joining Wavemaker, she spent 15 years as a journalist, reporting on business and technology in Southeast Asia. She was part of the founding team behind The Ken Southeast Asia, a leading subscription-driven media organization in the region. Previously, she was Managing Editor of Tech in Asia, a Y Combinator-backed media, events, and jobs platform, where she supervised a team of reporters regionally and co-led Editorial strategy. Other previous stints include writing and editing roles at media organizations Rappler and ABS-CBN Corporation in the Philippines.
Communications
Mariel creates and manages content to drive traffic and engagement across Wavemaker’s various platforms.
Prior to joining Wavemaker, Mariel was the Senior Marketing Manager at Vitamin Marketing Studios where she crafted and executed campaigns for clients among diverse industries. She also worked as a Consumer Insights intern at Shopee Philippines where she created and managed data systems to guide decision making for the Marketing team. Mariel Litan graduated cum laude from Ateneo de Manila University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications Technology Management.
Research | Advisory | Consulting
Manuel oversees the firm’s research practice, supporting due diligence processes. He was previously a Research Director for IT Services advisory firm, Tholons, where he led consulting projects for Fortune 500 clients and institutional bodies such as the IADB (Inter-American Development Bank) and the World Bank. Prior, Manuel was a Research Manager for IDC (International Data Corporation), heading country operations in the Philippines. In this role, he was responsible for market research and consulting projects for country and regional ICT sectors, focusing on Enterprise Servers, PCs, IT Services, Mobile and Software markets. Manuel graduated with a Masters degree in Information Sciences from the Universidad de Navarra (Spain) and completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Asia & the Pacific (Philippines).
Intellectual Property and Tech Lawyer
Wenshan practiced as an intellectual property and tech lawyer for 5 years before making the shift in-house as a dedicated legal counsel. Across stints in Mediacorp, ZALORA, 90 Seconds and Circles.Life, he has encountered and helped to solve a wide variety of problems and legal issues for companies across various stages of growth
Restructuring and Special Situations
Prior to joining Wavemaker’s legal team, Megan practiced law in the restructuring and special situations space, handling both domestic and cross-border commercial matters. Megan’s experience includes advising on distressed mergers and acquisitions, financing, operational and commercial matters across a variety of sectors.
Gabrielle Rodriguez
Paralegal
Legal Team
Gabbie Rodriguez earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Legal Management from Ateneo de Manila University in the Philippines. During her time at university, Gabbie served as a paralegal for a corporate taxation law firm. She worked as a legislative staffer for Philippine Senator Pia S. Cayetano at the Senate of the Philippines. Beyond this, Gabbie is happiest when pursuing her passion projects. She takes pride in her work for her ventures, including an e-commerce lifestyle brand, Amál, and food business, Puto People.
Chyn Chyi Sing
Accounting Associate
Finance
Chyn Chyi supports financial reporting, budgeting, forecasting, and liaising with external auditors and tax agents. Prior to Wavemaker, she worked as an account executive in Forevertrust, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Continental Hope Group which is one of the largest high-tech based diversified corporation in China. She experienced in setting up accounting system and framework for new entity in Vietnam. She also managed accounting matters for Hong Kong and Indonesia based subsidiary. In addition to that, she was also participated in project of acquisition of a SGX listed property company.
Operations
Chris manages HR, finance, and administration for Wavemaker, providing guidance and support for our portfolio companies in these areas whenever required. Prior to joining Wavemaker, she was HR and Administration manager for 3I Infotech where she managed the full spectrum of HR support for 400 employees in Singapore, Malaysia, India and Australia.
Business Support | Pitman Shorthand
Mandy is Executive Assistant at Wavemaker Partners. Prior to joining Wavemaker, she held various administrative and secretarial roles, directly supporting C-suite executives and senior management across industries, including professional services, FMCG, and hospitality. She was also a part-time lecturer preparing students for a variety of administrative and secretarial qualifications in a vocational education institution and the LCCI. She is an expert in shorthand, such as Pitman New Era and Pitman 2000.
Finance
Mac oversees Finance at Wavemaker. He has more than a decade of experience in Private Equity/Venture Capital, sell-side services and Audit. Prior to joining Wavemaker, Mac was a Finance Director of an US headquartered Private Equity firm managing the finance, risk & compliance and operation functions across Singapore, India, Hong Kong and India offices. Mac is a Chartered Accountant, holds a Master of Science (Finance) from University College Dublin and ACCA.
Portfolio Support | Research
Camille supports a selection of portfolio companies under Wavemaker. She also works closely with the Investment Team to help in the due diligence processes. Prior to Wavemaker, Camille was part of the External Reporting Team in Procter & Gamble International Operations where she was the Front Office Manager for the Pakistan market. In this role, she supported the different stakeholders of the companies present in P&G Pakistan, as well as the preparation and filing of the companies’ financial statements. Camille graduated Magna Cum Laude and valedictorian from the De La Salle University Philippines holding a double degree in Applied Economics where she majored in Financial Economics and Legal Management.
Project Management
Ysabela drives forward and manages the strategic projects of Wavemaker.
She was previously an intern for Disini Law and PwC Southeast Asia Consulting where she assisted in managing their operations, marketing, and events. She also worked on future impact analyses of workforce transformation. Ysabela is passionate about social impact and sustainability, which she developed as a volunteer for Children’s International Summer Villages (CISV) and her university’s student-led organization in aid of UNICEF. She completed a term in France at IESEG School of Management, and graduated Magna Cum Laude from De La Salle University-Manila with a Major in Psychology and Minor in Economic Studies.
