Rei Murakami Frenzel, Kadan Capital Founding Partner, on building a venture firm in Singapore

#investing #venturecapital #japan #southeastasia #podcast

After several years working at Mistubishi and then for her family office foundation investing in the public markets, Rei Murakami Frenzel had a new goal while she was working out of Singapore: to get into venture capital investing. She joined our Certificate in Venture Capital for its third cohort in 2022 and a year later founded Kadan Capital, an early stage venture firm investing in fintech and AI startups across Asia.

She goes on call to share her journey from Japan to Singapore, from the public markets to venture capital, and going from Insignia Ventures Academy's 12 week program to setting up Kadan Capital.

Rei also hosts Kadan's podcast True Founders Stories‪@KadanCapital‬

Timestamps

(00:30) Introducing Rei and her journey from Japan to Singapore;
(02:00) Why Rei became interested in venture capital;
(02:59) Rei's Insignia Ventures Academy experience;
(05:39) Starting Kadan Capital with a focus on fintech and AI in Southeast Asia;
(09:18) Rei's value-add as an investor;
(11:00) Rei's views on the Japan-Southeast Asia cross-border venture activity and investing in Japan;
(14:12) Advice for founders on expanding to Japan;
(16:03) Rei's views on exits in Southeast Asia;
(18:38) Learnings on being a venture capitalist;
(20:07) Make or break moment in Rei's career;

Directed by Paulo Joquiño
Produced by Paulo Joquiño

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The content of this podcast is for informational purposes only, should not be taken as legal, tax, or business advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security, and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Insignia Ventures⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ fund. Any and all opinions shared in this episode are solely personal thoughts and reflections of the guest and the host.