Senior executives from a host of fintech giants - including PayPal, Stripe and Grab - have banded together to launch an angel investment network that will look to put money into early-stage startups in Southeast Asia.
Brought together by Saison Capital and Finantier, the Fintech Angel Operators network will make investments and bring their extensive on-the-ground expertise to fintech startups in the region.
The network will operate with a cohort-based syndicate structure and will include up to 100 fintech founders, executives and operators in its first batch. Capital from the network will be deployed collectively by investors interested in the deal via a standard angel investment structure.
Meanwhile, firms in specific areas, such as lending and payments, will get access to capital from a curated group of specialist operators.
Among the angels onboard are executives from Grab Financial, Wise, PayPal, Stripe, Revolut and Remitly.
Sagar Gupta, startup ecosystem lead, Stripe, says: "The venture capital ecosystem in Southeast Asia has developed at a rapid pace over the last few years. Yet, it’s rare to have a collection of angels that focus on operational value-add within a particular industry vertical.
"I’m super excited to see the impact of the Fintech Angel Operators in the region to build a globally impactful ecosystem."