Incubate Fund Asia Strengthens it's Leadership with Rajeev Ranka and Dave Kwong

Incubate Fund Asia, a sector-agnostic Japanese Venture Capital Fund specializing in seed-stage investment, has announced the promotion of two of its Principals, Rajeev Ranka and Dave Kwong, to Partners in the fund. The promotion of these two Principals reflects their significant contribution to the fund and their expertise in the Indian and South East startup ecosystem. The move comes as the fund aims to build a portfolio of around 20 startups with its third fund, which has a target corpus of $50 Million.

Rajeev Ranka and Dave Kwong have been instrumental in the success of Incubate Fund Asia’s India-focused entity, which was recently rebranded to enhance focus on pre-seed and Seed-stage startups in India and South East Asia. They have been with the fund for several years and have played a key role in identifying and nurturing promising startups in the region. In their new roles as Partners, Rajeev and Dave will continue to work closely with the founders and entrepreneurs in shaping the future of their startups. They will also play a key role in the fund’s investment strategy and portfolio management.

Rajeev Ranka joined Incubate Fund Asia in early 2020 as a Principal for India investments. He is an IIT Bombay graduate and has been leading India investments for the fund. Dave Kwong is a Partner at the fund and has been with the fund for several years. He has been instrumental in the investment and development of early-stage startups in South East Asia. 

Commenting on the promotion, Rajeev Ranka, Partner at Incubate Fund Asia said, "I am excited to take on this new role and continue to work with the experienced team at Incubate Fund Japan and Asia to support the growth of early-stage startups in India. We have a strong track record of identifying and investing in promising startups, and I look forward to building on that success in my new role as Partner."

Dave Kwong added, "I am honoured to be part of this team as always and looking forward to continue to work with our team at Incubate Fund Asia to identify and invest in the most promising early-stage startups in the region. We have a unique opportunity to support the growth of the entrepreneurial ecosystem in India and Southeast Asia, and I am excited to be a part of that effort."

Mr Nao Murakami, Founder and General Partner of Incubate Fund Asia on the announcement, said, "We are thrilled to promote Rajeev Ranka and Dave Kwong to Partners in the fund. They have been instrumental in the success of our India-focused entity and have a deep understanding of the startup ecosystem in the region. We are confident that they will continue to play a key role in identifying and nurturing promising startups in India and Southeast Asia."

Incubate Fund Asia remains deeply committed to its vision of nurturing innovation and catalyzing the growth of startups, ultimately contributing to the development of a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem across Asia. The fund has backed 27 Indian companies across B2B, B2C, supply chain, and consumer tech segments across both tier 1 and tier 2 markets with $500K to $1.5 million average deal size. It expanded to India in 2016 and started Incubate Fund India, which was recently rebranded as Incubate Fund Asia.

The fund's strategy is to invest in pre-seed and Seed-stage startups in India and Southeast Asia, The recent announcement of the first close of their third fund with a target corpus of $50 million is a testament to their commitment to supporting early-stage startups in the region.