Monk's Hill Ventures: backing the fearless builders of Southeast Asia

Founded by entrepreneurs Peng T. Ong and Kuo-Yi Lim, Monk's Hill Ventures backs fearless founders building iconic companies — early-stage tech, primarily pre-Series A and Series A, across Southeast Asia.

Monk's Hill Ventures (MHV) is a Southeast Asian venture capital firm with a rallying cry that captures its posture towards founders: "We back the fearless in building iconic companies." Founded in 2014 by entrepreneurs Peng T. Ong and Kuo-Yi Lim, the firm invests in early-stage technology startups — primarily pre-Series A and Series A — across Southeast Asia.

Both founders came from the operator side. Lim's first foray into investment was as CEO of Infocomm Investments, a Singapore government agency, after founding his own startup — giving the partnership a blend of entrepreneurial scars and institutional discipline that shows up in how it mentors founders.

Thesis and footprint

MHV works with entrepreneurs to use technology to improve the lives of millions of people in the region, and is backed by institutional investors and family offices from around the world. Its home bases are Singapore and Jakarta, and the firm is explicitly geared to help Asian companies expand globally — as well as global companies expand into Asia — drawing on relationships built across Japan, China, India and Indonesia.

Its maiden fund was S$100 million (around US$73 million), announced in 2014. The firm has not publicly disclosed the size of its subsequent funds.

Portfolio

MHV's portfolio spans logistics, real estate, cybersecurity, fintech, health and edtech. Notable names include logistics and fulfilment company Ninjavan, online real-estate platform ZipMatch and cybersecurity company Horangi — each a category leader in its market.

The firm has built a portfolio of more than 50 fast-growing companies across Southeast Asia, including AI English-learning platform ELSA, digital-identity startup VIDA — which raised a pre-Series A round backed by MHV alongside Jungle Ventures and Alpha JWC Ventures — and health-tech company Jio Health.

Founder-first posture

MHV's co-founders describe their role as mentor and thought partner rather than just capital provider — a stance shaped by having raised money themselves as entrepreneurs. For founders, that translates into an investor that understands the operating grind of scaling in ASEAN's fragmented markets, from regulatory nuance to cross-border talent and follow-on fundraising across ASEAN's fragmented markets.

Why it matters for founders

If you are building an early-stage tech company in Southeast Asia — especially in fintech, logistics, health or anything where regional expansion across ASEAN matters — MHV pairs Series A cheques with operator-level guidance from founders who have scaled on both sides of the Pacific and know exactly what Series A diligence looks like from the founder's side of the table.