James Chan Email & Phone Number

Singapore

Singapore, Sg

I’m building Southeast Asia’s top EV mobility company to change the way motorcyclists move and for cleaner air. We design, assemble and support EV motorcycles for Indonesia and Vietnam. We’re an atoms-first, bits-later business focused on offering performance-superior, cost-competitive connected/smart EV motorcycles that are “made for" and "made in" the region.

I remain as Director of my personal investment holdings and led our partial sale (to Grab), spin-out (to 7-Eleven Vietnam) and withdrawal from Vietnam. Today, Silicon Straits is my personal investment holdings vehicle and is also the founding incubator for Ion Mobility.

I am founder and was CEO at Silicon Straits - an innovation tribe that makes early-stage investments and helps tech entrepreneurs and startups with strategy, financing and go-to-market. Its subsidiary Silicon Straits Foundry is a leading product development foundry that works with startups and enterprises to design, develop, co-create and launch B2C and B2B products for the Southeast Asian market.Silicon Straits makes early-stage investments and helps technology entrepreneurs and companies with strategy, financing and go-to-market. Its investments include Burpple, Neoteny 3, HipVan, Caarly (acq. by Carousell), Ztore, Carro, OneEight Technologies, PolicyPal, Udu, Pixel Labs and SurePark.Its subsidiary Silicon Straits Foundry is a leading product development foundry that works with startups and enterprises to design, develop and co-create B2C and B2B products for the Southeast Asian market. Partners include entrepreneurs, startups and enterprises such as SingPost eCommerce, Starhub, Blue Bird Group, 7-Eleven Indonesia and 7-Eleven Vietnam.

Sg

Sg

I started Neoteny Labs with Joi Ito (General Partner) and raised a US$5M early-stage venture fund that had been investing since May 2010; I ran lean as a 1-man fund operation. These days, the fund is in passive liquidation mode.Neoteny Labs invested in 24 internet and open hardware startups across the US (12), UK (1) and Asia Pacific (11) over 2+ years, from May 2010 to Feb 2012. We have since returned more than capital to LPs, with significant unrealised portfolio positions.

I was the founder and CEO of Asia Pacific Ex-China at Wecash. I joined Wecash in Dec 2016 to spearhead the Group’s entry into Southeast Asia and invested into its Indonesia subsidiary. Under my leadership, Wecash’s Southeast Asia and South Asia team grew from 0 to more than 500 people as I led our efforts from zero-to-X, entering and scaling Wecash’s businesses in the emerging markets of Indonesia, India and Vietnam. Wecash was founded in Nov 2013 in Beijing and uses big data and machine learning to evaluate consumer credit, detect fraud and underwrite unsecured cash and white goods loans; from institutional lenders to consumer and business owner borrowers. By working closely with banks and consumer finance companies, Wecash is able to improve risk pricing and accessibility of financial products while decreasing non-performing loans by up to 70%. Wecash has more than 800 employees across its offices in China, United States, Brazil, Singapore, Indonesia, India and Vietnam. The company has raised in excess of US$266 million in financing, acquired over 130 million users and disbursed loans worth more than US$7 billion since 2014.Under my leadership, we hit US$40M ARR with more than 3M unique borrowers in Indonesia. I exited my direct stake in Indonesia to HQ in 2018 and handed over the reins in 2019.

Somerville, Ma, Us

I help out at a portfolio company with the hiring of their core China team and the early innings of their China and Southeast Asia strategy. I am a seed investor in Formlabs through Neoteny Labs since 2011.

Roswell, Georgia, Us

I drove Grey Orange's APAC growth and expansion, with a focus on Greater China, Japan and Southeast Asia. I built the Singapore office and team, formulated and executed the company's Japan and China market entry, as part of expanding the company's presence across key markets in Asia Pacific.

Roswell, Georgia, Us

I helped Grey Orange clinch their first ex-India client in Asia Pacific.

Cambrdige, Ma, Us

I was one of 3 directors at E14, an independent, non-profit incubator fund with strong affiliation to MIT and MIT Media Lab. I had set up E14 before joining the board.

Singapore, Sg

I was Burpple's first investor through Neoteny Labs and saw their growth from a paper idea to reality. I stepped down from the Board just after their Series A raise.Burpple is a smart and beautiful way to remember, organize and explore food moments with your friends. Burpple empowers people to remember special dinner dates, share home-cooked creations, explore what’s good in places and organize these great finds.

San Francisco, Ca, Us

I was the local director for Pivotal Labs Singapore, and remained as director for New Context Singapore after it was acquired by New Context, Inc. (a Digital Garage company). The company underwent rebranding to Neo in Nov 2012.

Singapore, Singapore, Sg

This was a really short stint when I was serving my 10-week notice with the HR team after resigning from what was then known as Infocomm Development Authority (IDA) of Singapore. I was tasked with, erhem, studying and proposing refinements to IDA's succession planning and talent retention initiatives.

I was a member of the investment team at Walden International Singapore Pte Ltd (WIS), managing Seed Ventures IV Pte Ltd (S4), a new fund organized under the National Research Foundation's Early Stage Venture Capital Fund Scheme with a focus on investing in early stage technology companies in Singapore.This was meant to be my 2-year private-sector rotation under the Singapore Inc. scholarship. I resigned from Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore while I was out on secondment.

(1) Series A/B venture capital-styled co-investments with private sector VCs into Singapore-based infocomm companies out of S$200M developmental fund(2) Portfolio management, reporting, valuation(3a) Formulation and implementation of new policies/promotional tools to enhance engagement with overseas VC-backed startups(3b) Business development & account management to attract overseas venture-backed tech startups to set up R&D/engineering centres in Singapore, so as to jumpstart Singapore's tech ecosystem.

Singapore, Singapore, Sg

Previously known as Infocomm Development Authority (IDA) of Singapore.(1) Formulation and implementation of supply-side and demand-side policies to stimulate growth of infocomm industry in Singapore; (2) Business development and operations in support of Singapore-based infocomm businesses to export their products and services in the Americas and Europe; (3) Startup ecosystem analysis.

Bachelor Of Science - Bs, Electrical, Electronics And Communications Engineering

Msc., Management Science & Engineering

Cima Professional Qualification, Management Accounting

Gce 'A' Level, Math C, F Math, Physics, Chemistry

Gce 'O' Level, English, Higher Chinese, A Math, E Math, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, History, Geography