Global venture capital firm Antler has appointed fintech veteran Hiro Kiga as partner for Southeast Asia and Japan to strengthen its early-stage investment presence across both markets.
Based in Singapore, Kiga will lead Antler’s strategy in Japan while coordinating with the Southeast Asia team to accelerate day-zero investing, increase founder mobility and drive cross-border collaboration.
Kiga co-founded Wallex, a B2B foreign exchange and cross-border payments platform that became a regional fintech player before its acquisition by Singapore-based M-DAQ in 2022.
He previously spent four years in venture capital at Strive VC (formerly GREE) and Yello Mobile after beginning his career as a software engineer at Macquarie Group.
His track record includes an early Series A investment in Bukalapak, long before the Indonesian e-commerce firm went public.
Antler said Kiga’s appointment coincides with its growing footprint in Japan, where it is running residency programmes to develop founder talent.
The firm added that this expansion complements its work in emerging ecosystems such as Indonesia, Vietnam and Malaysia and supports its goal of building globally focused startups from day one.
“Having experienced the full cycle of building and exiting a startup, I’m excited to return to the investor’s seat with a founder’s lens. I know first-hand how crucial early support and empathy are for founders at day zero. Antler’s mission of being a day zero backer with a truly global platform resonates deeply with me.
I look forward to leveraging my Japan – Southeast Asia experience to back more founders, initiate more capital flows between these markets, and to support the next wave of entrepreneurs in building cross-border, globally ambitious startups.”
said Hiro Kiga, on his appointment as Partner.
Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Singapore, based on image by karandaev via Freepik
