Japanese Financial Institution Launches India and Asia Focused VC Fund The $55 million VC fund will be focused on investing in early stage start-ups in the Indian and Southeast Asia
By Bhavya Kaushal •
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Japan-based consumer finance company, Credit Saison, has announced the launch of its international corporate venture capital (CVC) arm, Saison Capital. The $55 million VC fund will be focused on investing in early stage start-ups in the Indian and Southeast Asia.
According to a statement by the company, Saison Capital will invest in founders building ecosystems that have the potential to distribute financial services to the underbanked, though they also have a mandate to invest in a wide variety of verticals outside fintech.
Credit Saison India, the domestic arm of the same was also in news for acquiring a non-banking financial license (NBFC) a few days ago from the central bank, Reserve Bank of India. Saison Capital plans to invest in about six to eight companies, with a minimum ticket size of $1 million.
Kosuke Mori, Managing Partner at Saison Capital, said on the launch, "The establishment of Saison Capital is Credit Saison's latest commitment to its international expansion and the constant innovation and modernization of its operations and product offering. We can be a long-term growth partner for some of the world's most exciting start-ups, supporting their internationalization and scaling up. We are taking these start-ups to the next level, from seed to Series A, B, and beyond,"
Credit Saison which has invested in companies including the likes of cab aggregator app Grab, fintech platform Zest Money, also announced that the portfolio companies of Saison Capital will benefit from the company's wide-ranging expertise and experience in dozens of business verticals, including payments, consumer credit and asset management.
Chris Sirisereepaph, Partner at Saison Capital, said, "Our unique value proposition is our strong institutional knowledge of the financing space, the investment team's tech backgrounds, and the speed of our conviction. We move quickly and have an independent decision-making process from Credit Saison."
