Funding Tech Startups in Selected Asian Countries

Paul Vandenberg, Aimee Hampel-Milagrosa and Matthias Helble

Chapter 6 in Investment in Startups and Small Business Financing, 2021, pp 163-192 from World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd.

Abstract: In many Asian countries, we observe a rapid expansion of technology-oriented startups. Governments hope that these startups will boost economic growth, create jobs, and foster sustainable development. However, transforming an innovative idea into a successful business is not easy and is constrained by limited access to funding. We analyze access to funding for tech startups in four sectors — greentech, agritech, edtech, and healthtech — that are linked directly to the Sustainable Development Goals. The chapter focuses on four countries, Cambodia, India, Thailand, and Viet Nam, and includes insights from interviews with startups, incubators, and other players. We find that tech startups rely on an array of funding sources and that venture capital is not a common source. In addition, greentech and agritech startups produce products that require long-term support through the design, testing, prototyping, and certification stages. Such “patient capital” is in short supply. On the positive side, enterprises in development-oriented sectors can seek funds from impact investors and international development (aid) agencies.

Keywords: Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises; SMEs; Startups; Finance; SME Finance; Corporate Finance; Micro-Finance; Risky Businesses; Asymmetry of information; Investment; Venture Capital; Credit Guarantee; Credit Guarantee Fund; Credit Guarantee Corporation; Credit Guarantee Scheme; Korea Credit Guarantee Fund; KODIT; Small Businesses; Hometown Investment Trust Fund; HIT Funds Techno-Economic Feasibility Study; Tech Startup; Soft Infrastructure; Startup Ecosystem; Credit Guarantee Premium Rate; Regulatory Frameworks; Leveraging; Asia; East Asia; South East Asia; ASEAN; South Asia; Central Asia; Iran; Kazakhstan; Malaysia; Japan; Thailand; Naoyuki Yoshino; Farhad Taghizadeh-Hesary; Peter Morgan; Chul Ju Kim; Daehee Yoon; Islamic Banking; Islamic; Finance; The Fourth Industrial Revolution; Damu Fund; Inclusive Growth; Financial Inclusion (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: G3 O1 O16 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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