This article first appeared in Wealth, The Edge Malaysia Weekly on January 26, 2026 - February 1, 2026

UK-based Simsan Ventures is one of the latest global venture capital firms setting its sights on Malaysia as a strategic base for its Southeast Asian operations, with plans to establish a local office in 2026.

The move follows the firm’s inaugural demo day in Kuala Lumpur last December, featuring pitches from 15 impact- and sustainability-focused start-ups.

The event marks Simsan’s first major push into the Malaysian market and, by extension, Southeast Asia, following a year of relationship-building and market assessment.

“Malaysia has good infrastructure, good ecosystem players and everything we need to build a sustainable start-up ecosystem in Southeast Asia,” Simsan co-founder and general partner for Asia-Pacific Rancho Lee tells Wealth in an interview.

The firm, which operates entities in London, Dubai and Seoul, plans to deploy at least US$10 million (RM40.6 million) across the region in 2026, targeting multiple start-ups across various sectors.

Simsan’s expansion strategy reflects a broader shift among global venture firms, many of which are reassessing Southeast Asia.

The firm joins a growing roster of international players deepening their Malaysian presence. Jeep Kline, Thai-born Silicon Valley investor and founder of Raisewell Ventures, visited Malaysia last November to engage local start-ups and conduct investment due diligence.

Last August, Singapore-based Qualgrow held its first event in Malaysia and announced its intention of making its maiden foray locally.

Yan Lee, founder and managing partner of the Taiwan-based Hive Ventures, which specialises in data and artificial intelligence (AI), has also visited Malaysia and deployed capital in local start-ups.

Under Jelawang Capital’s Regional Fund Managers Initiative (RMI), Taiwan-based AppWorks and Singapore-based Granite Asia have participated in investments in local start-ups.

Lee says one of the principals at Simsan, Chloe Ha, has already relocated to Malaysia and will spearhead the establishment of the local office.

He adds that the company will move towards registering its business with the Securities Commission Malaysia (SC) for venture capital and private equity firms.

Together, Malaysia and Singapore form the best strategic base for regional business expansion, says Lee, with Malaysia offering a developed ecosystem and Singapore providing complementary strengths.

Unlike some venture capital firms that focus mostly on writing cheques, Simsan operates across the entire start-up life cycle, combining traditional investment with incubation, acceleration and open innovation programmes.

Such a model enables the firm to build a “global start-up ecosystem” rather than simply deploying capital, says Lee.

The firm runs two parallel tracks under its programme: one focuses on deep tech and frontier innovation, including AI, fintech and advanced technologies; and the other focuses on sustainability-led ventures.

While the demo day concentrated on sustainability-led ventures, Lee says broader investment interests align with Malaysia’s economic priorities to move up the semiconductor value chain.

“South Korea is very strong in semiconductors; so, I’m very interested in AI and semiconductor start-ups in Malaysia,” he says.

The firm is also actively engaging with AI and robotics start-ups, particularly in the emerging “physical AI” space, which encompasses robotics, autonomous driving, drones and mobility technologies, areas in which South Korea has developed significant expertise.

Beyond Malaysia, Simsan is eyeing demo days and networking events across Singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines, with plans to hold such events annually or more frequently.

“I want to do demo days every year, not only in Malaysia but also in Singapore and other countries. I’m trying to do them more frequently,” Lee says, adding that the next KL event is tentatively scheduled for September.

The firm’s expansion strategy emphasises what Lee calls “relationship capital” — building connections with government institutions, corporations, local start-ups and other venture capitalists (VCs) before pursuing investment opportunities.

“Relationship capital should be invested first. That means building relationships with government institutions, corporations, local start-ups and local VCs. If you do that, business opportunities will follow, and you can create win-win situations,” he explains.

This approach reflects lessons learnt from entering new markets. “Although we are a specialised VC and global accelerator, we don’t know everything about the Malaysian ecosystem. Building strong relationships with key local players is the most important thing,” Lee adds.

While Simsan is prepared to lead investment rounds for promising start-ups, Lee says the firm is likely to prefer co-investment arrangements initially as it continues learning about the local ecosystem.

The firm’s value proposition extends beyond capital. Lee highlights Simsan’s ability to connect founders with trustworthy local partners.

“When entering a new ecosystem, finding trustworthy local partners is very difficult. We help with market research but, more importantly, we connect founders with the right local partners, whether government offices or similar start-ups,” he says.

Lee’s vision extends beyond deal-making to fostering knowledge exchange between Malaysia and more mature start-up ecosystems in South Korea and the UK.

“From the Malaysian perspective, nurturing the local ecosystem is important. To do that, collaboration with more developed start-up ecosystems is crucial. We want to enable knowledge exchange and market expansion between Malaysia and South Korea, and between Malaysia and the UK,” he says.

In the UK, Simsan focuses on sustainability and fintech, though Lee stresses the firm invests only in revenue-generating, profitable companies rather than purely impact-driven ventures.

According to PitchBook, Simsan, founded in 2021, had US$40.25 million in assets under management as at Jan 13 and has made seven investments so far.

The firm’s portfolio includes financial services start-ups such as BoxLadder, Crowdinvest and easyMoney, as well as energy storage company Enercamp and education services provider Baobab Network.

Despite having a dedicated fund for Asian investments, Simsan has yet to deploy capital in Southeast Asia. The demo day held in KL last December is part of its ongoing efforts to engage with local players and assess the market.

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