The investment network fostering inclusive innovation in Southeast Asia.

What is XA and what do they do?

Launched as part of the Google alumni network in 2018, XA’s first offering is the XA Network, an investment network comprising senior leaders from global and regional technology companies, as well as founders of notable companies from across Southeast Asia. Our purpose is to foster inclusive innovation by empowering the tech community in Southeast Asia.

Founders value our members’ distinguished backgrounds as entrepreneurs and senior business builders. Furthermore, our portfolio companies are able to tap into the collective power of deep-rooted networks and expertise across business strategy, product development, fundraising, and much more. XA has invested in a wide variety of promising companies including Lummo (fka BukuKas), Spenmo, Tigerhall, Sampingan, Neuron Mobility, Infradigital, and many more.

How did XA start and what does its name mean?

XA was originally founded by a community of senior executives who were Google alumni across Southeast Asia. As the group evolved, they welcomed other technology alumni. “X” denotes tech firms (X refers to the force multiplier effect that technology is creating across society as in 5X, 10X), $1b+ valuation, and “A” is for alumni. We also welcome founders of technology companies who have created at least $100m in enterprise value.

XA has made 50+ investments in Southeast Asia across different industries such as mobility, edtech, fintech, proptech, SME tech, travel, etc. Our thesis is laser-focused on companies and entrepreneurs solving for or creating a positive impact in Southeast Asia-. We invest from pre-seed, to  Pre-B.

What types of companies does XA typically invest in? Does XA have an investment hypothesis and which startups have you backed?

XA’s purpose is to foster inclusive innovation by empowering the tech community in Southeast Asia. What does it really mean?

Southeast Asia is a fast-growing region. According to the Google-Temasek e-Conomy SEA 2020 report, 40M people across the region connected to the Internet for the first time in 2020, bringing the total number of users to 400M. The Internet sector’s GMV is currently at $100B and is projected to triple by 2025. However, the region is facing many challenges in terms of diversity and inclusion and access to financial services, education, jobs, goods, and services, etc. We believe that the XA Network has built a great platform to empower the tech community to solve Southeast Asia’s most significant challenges by fueling inclusive innovation. In practice, it has an impact on how we are thinking about deploying capital and supporting founders to solve these problems for SEA.