The VC investment landscape is back with focus as we speak to the venture arm of one of Japan’s largest consumer credit companies, Credit Saison. 

Called Saison Capital, the corporate venture arm invests in Pre-Seed to Series B companies with a focus on Southeast Asia and India. 

While the firm is sector agnostic, it likes to work with founders that are building platforms or ecosystems that have the potential to distribute financial services to the underbanked. 

Question is, what expertise does Saison Capital want to provide to startups and how does that influence the companies it invests in?

Meanwhile, data from Pitch Book showed venture capital funding globally almost halved in the first six months of 2023, despite the earlier artificial intelligence frenzy. Are VCs running out of dry powder or are they just merely not investing?

On Under the Radar, The Evening Runway’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian posed these questions to Qin En Looi, Partner, Saison Capital.