Funds supporting asian founders
Raising capital is hard for any founder — but for Asian and Asian American entrepreneurs, the journey often comes with an extra layer of friction: fewer warm intros, less representation among check-writers, and investors who don’t always recognize the markets and products built for Asian communities.
The good news is that a growing number of funds exist specifically to close that gap. Whether you’re raising a pre-seed round or looking for investors who already understand your market, here are some of the funds worth having on your radar.
Funds Built Specifically for Asian and Immigrant Founders
Hyphen Capital Founded by Dave Lu out of the Asian American Founders Circle community he built in Silicon Valley, Hyphen Capital exists to back the next generation of Asian American founders. The fund has invested tens of millions of dollars across dozens of startups, with a strong track record of backing women-led companies, and has supported names like Persona and Prime Roots early on. Hyphen is especially known for the hands-on support and network access that comes with its capital — not just a check, but a rolodex.
Gold House Ventures An early-stage fund connected to the broader Gold House network, Gold House Ventures backs high-potential startups led by multicultural founders, with a particular focus on Asian Pacific entrepreneurs. Beyond capital, portfolio founders gain access to Gold House’s invitation-only community of Asian Pacific operators, founders, and creators.
One Way Ventures Based in Boston, One Way Ventures focuses on seed-stage funding for immigrant founders — a category that includes many Asian founders building in North America. The firm looks for entrepreneurs with the resilience and drive that often comes from navigating a new country, and has built a sizable portfolio of immigrant-led tech companies since 2017.
Funds Active Across Asia and Southeast Asia
For founders building with an eye toward Vietnam, Singapore, or the broader Southeast Asian market, regional funds matter as much as North American ones:
- East Ventures — one of the most active early-stage, sector-agnostic funds in Southeast Asia, having backed more than 170 companies across Indonesia, Singapore, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam.
- BEENEXT — founded by serial entrepreneurs, BEENEXT invests in early-stage tech startups across Southeast Asia, India, and Japan, and is known for pairing capital with hands-on operational experience.
- Antler — a pre-seed-focused program that doesn’t require a co-founder or existing product to apply, useful for solo founders still finding their footing.
Why This Matters for the AFA Community
Access to capital is one of the biggest structural gaps facing Asian founders — and it’s exactly why Asian Founders Alliance exists. Knowing which funds actively want to meet you (rather than starting from a cold outreach) can save months of wasted effort and rejection.
If you’re an AFA member preparing to raise, a few next steps:
- Research each fund’s current thesis and check size before reaching out — priorities shift year to year.
- Ask in the AFA community whether any members have a direct connection to these funds.
- Reach out to AFA leadership — we’re often able to make warm introductions to investors in our network.
We’ll continue updating this list as new funds and programs emerge. If you know of a fund that should be featured here, let us know — we’d love to grow this resource together.
Sources: Hyphen Capital (hyphencap.com), Dave Lu / Hyphen Nation, VC Sheet fund profiles, CB Insights (One Way Ventures), Gold House Ventures (goldhouse.org), Visible.vc Southeast Asia funding guide, Shizune.co Top Startup Investors in Asia.
