Why Asian sports stars are joining the VC galaxy

Check out our top articles for the week. [Read from your browser]( Top Stories of the Week Welcome to Tech in Asia's free Sunday newsletter! Get full access to our subscribers-only premium content and other insightful analysis on the big and messy topics of Asia’s tech and startup community by [registering here](. Hello {NAME} I’ve never been a competitive person my entire life, which is why I can’t see myself as an athlete. A 100-meter dash? You mean a 100-meter walk, right? I kid, of course. I had the opportunity to interview former Japanese footballer Keisuke Honda during the recent KL20 Summit as part of a feature story on athletes wading into the VC world. I asked him why he stepped into a risky investment class. Usually people of his stature would put their money into real estate or some sports-related stuff, or maybe set up an academy and do private coaching. He told me that he was always exposed to risk as a sportsman, so wearing the VC hat isn’t any different. Playing sports and betting on an investment are two different things. But he is right to point out that his life as a sportsperson made him used to taking risks. The life of a sportsperson is about highs and lows - there’s no middle. You are either at the top of your game or you crash and burn. You spend money, time, and effort for just a single goal. Any financial adviser will tell you that’s a bad investment and you should diversify instead. But there are merits, on certain occasions, where going all-in may be worth it. To be sure, none of these athletes are going all-in as VCs. It’s just one part of their large portfolio. A question posed to me while writing this article was whether founders would purposely undervalue their startups for some of these athletes to show up on companies’ cap tables. It’s a good question to which I have no answers. But what these celebrities bring to the table is a different dynamic to the VC space, especially on this side of the globe. And more are expected to throw their hats in the ring in the chase of landing the next “decacorn.” Perhaps being risk-on in investing is one of many ways for them to continually feel like being in the ring. -- [Emmanuel Samarathisa]( journalist at Tech in Asia  --------------------------------------------------------------- TOP STORIES THIS WEEK 1️. [Why the VC arena is the new playground for Asian sports stars]( Japan's Keisuke Honda is raising US$100 million for his debut fund, while Singapore's Joseph Schooling recently became a VC firm's founding partner. 2. [Sea Group’s financial health in 7 charts]( These charts offer a snapshot of how Sea Group, the company behind Garena and Shopee, is faring. 3. [How VCs can beat currency depreciation]( Venture capital investing in tech startups that disrupt industries in "primed" emerging markets may be the answer to beating currency depreciation. 4. [From bust to boom: Zomato turns the tide]( Ads revenue, the Blinkit acquisition, and data analysis have helped reverse Zomato's fortunes in a few months after its post-IPO crash. 5. [Mapping Indonesia’s leading D2C brands]( Between 2020 and 2024 so far, direct-to-consumer players in the F&B space attracted the most funding, followed by those in the FMCG segment. 6. [Ex-staff sues fintech unicorn Rapyd, alleges $1.1m in unpaid commissions]( The UK-based firm has pushed back, saying its clients made “round-tripping” transactions that invalidated commissions. 7. [50 rising AI startups in Asia]( Which AI startups have a shot at becoming the next big thing? 8. [Grab’s financial health in 11 charts]( These charts offer a snapshot of how Grab is performing. 9. [Mapping the key edtech players in SEA still standing (update)]( The sector is struggling amid the tech winter and the return to offline learning. But optimism remains despite the reduced funding and deal count. 10. [Indonesia’s next hope: Cleantech with a dash of agriculture, waste management]( Which sectors will be the country's next investment hotspots? Tech in Asia looked at funding data and spoke with venture capitalists to find out. --------------------------------------------------------------- GET FRONT-ROW SEATS TO WITNESS THE NEXT BIG TECH  RSVP now to rub elbows with the who’s who of Vietnam’s genAI scene Is generative AI more hype than substance? Join our exclusive roundtable, powered by Google Cloud, and connect with fellow genAI startup leaders and investors to cut through the noise. It’s your chance to dissect real-world case studies, explore investment opportunities, and shape a sustainable AI ecosystem in Vietnam. 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