Sign In

Amra Naidoo

Cofounder & General Partner at Accelerating Asia Ventures | Award-winning VC-accelerator | 80 portfolio companies across Southeast Asia/ South Asia & growing | Invest with us 🚀

Amra Naidoo is a prominent figure in the venture capital landscape of Southeast Asia, serving as the Co-founder and General Partner at Accelerating Asia Ventures, which she established in 2019 alongside Craig Dixon. This initiative marked a significant milestone, as Amra became the first female founding general partner of a venture capital firm in the region.12

Professional Background

Amra has a robust background in social entrepreneurship and venture capital. Prior to founding Accelerating Asia, she played a key role at muru-D, a startup accelerator backed by Telstra, where she focused on community engagement and operations across Southeast Asia.36 Her early career included significant contributions to UN Women, where she led initiatives aimed at empowering women through social entrepreneurship programs like Project Inspire.58

Contributions and Impact

Under Amra's leadership, Accelerating Asia has evolved into one of the top startup accelerators in Asia, with a portfolio valuation exceeding US$600 million. Notably, 50% of their investments are directed towards startups that promote social impact, particularly those led by women.14 She has also implemented initiatives such as a Gender Advisory Committee to foster diversity and inclusion within the organization.16

Current Roles and Initiatives

In addition to her role at Accelerating Asia, Amra serves as the host of the "Doing Good Podcast," where she discusses various aspects of social impact and entrepreneurship.78 She is also involved with Impact Capital as the Southeast Asia Lead and has been recognized for her efforts in promoting gender equity in investment opportunities.56

Amra Naidoo's work exemplifies a commitment to not only advancing venture capital but also ensuring that it serves broader societal goals, particularly in enhancing opportunities for women entrepreneurs in Southeast Asia.

Highlights

Apr 14 · linkedin

2023 was a big year for Accelerating Asia Ventures and our portfolio hit the ground running in getting back to business.

Here are some highlights from 2023:

Global portfolio keeps growing 🌏  Our 34 startups from Fund 1 continued to grow at an astonishing rate: The companies on average earn US$1.09 million in monthly revenue, a multiple of 39x compared to when they first started our 100-day accelerator.

Newbies in the house 🏠  Accelerating Asia Ventures launched Cohort 8 and Cohort 9, which brings the current investments from Fund 2 to 43

1.6% acceptance rate 🤯 You’ve heard it right: it’s harder to get into the Accelerating Asia program than it is to Harvard. We’ve received a whopping 1039 program applications this year from across the globe for Cohort 8 and Cohort 9. Out of the 1039, we brought in the cream of the crop into the Accelerating Asia portfolio with 17 new investments from Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Japan, and Dubai.

Setting a new standard 💫 The entire Accelerating Asia Ventures portfolio continues to see incredible diversity in terms of gender (43% female founded), sector (over 16 different industries represented), and even geography (47% investments in South Asia, 43% in Southeast Asia).

Join us live, online for our first-ever Portfolio Showcase this Tuesday to see a handful our of our fastest-growing portfolio companies pitch live about where they're at now and their plans for growth this year, as well as hear updates on what 2024 has in store for Accelerating Asia Ventures

RSVP here:

Related Questions

What inspired Amra Naidoo to transition from Australia to Singapore?
How has Amra Naidoo's background influenced her approach to venture capital?
What are some notable startups in Accelerating Asia's portfolio?
How does Accelerating Asia support female-led ventures?
What challenges has Amra Naidoo faced as a woman in the venture capital industry?
Amra Naidoo
Amra Naidoo, photo 1
Amra Naidoo, photo 2
Add to my network

Location

Ko Samui, Surat Thani, Thailand