500 Global SEA Deal Scouts

500 Global's Southeast Asia Deal Scouts program is a regional extension of the firm's global scout network, focused specifically on sourcing early-stage startups across six SEA markets: Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, and Indonesia. The program sits within 500 Global's dedicated Southeast Asia team, which closed $143 million across its largest regional early-stage fund to date, 500 Southeast Asia III (500 SEA III), in September 2023. The SEA team typically invests $250,000 to $500,000 as first checks in founders based in or serving Southeast Asia, targeting pre-seed to Series A companies. The 500 SEA III fund aims to invest in approximately 100 startups across the region. Deal scouts extend this sourcing capacity by identifying promising startups in local ecosystems that may not yet be visible to the core investment team.

The 500 Global SEA Deal Scouts program aims to identify and support early-stage startups in Southeast Asia, leveraging local scouts who have deep networks and knowledge of the regional ecosystems. This approach allows for early investments in promising companies that may not yet be on the radar of traditional investors.

Potential scouts should focus on building strong local networks and understanding the unique challenges and opportunities within their respective markets in Southeast Asia.

Scouts with local market knowledge and relationships are particularly valued due to the linguistic and cultural diversity across the region.

The program operates on an invitation-only basis. Scouts are typically operators, founders, angel investors, and ecosystem builders with deep local networks in one or more of the six target SEA markets.

Participants gain access to 500 Global's SEA portfolio of 300+ companies, the regional team's deal flow and market intelligence, and the firm's global network spanning 77 countries and 2,700+ portfolio companies.

The program is ongoing with a rolling application process and no fixed cohorts.

500 Global's SEA portfolio includes over 300 companies and several unicorns: Grab, Bukalapak, Carousell, Carsome, FinAccel, and eFishery. These successes highlight the program's effectiveness in sourcing and supporting high-potential startups.