Venture Capital firm Creative Ventures announced today the launch of its second fund for USD $50 million. The Silicon Valley based VC will use the fund to invest in deep technology startups that address major global issues, focusing on aging populations, labor shortages, and climate change.
Creative Ventures believes that solving real world problems with deep technology will deliver superior financial returns. The firm is currently focused on problems such as:
• Healthcare - With most countries facing a shift in population distribution towards older ages, the demand for quality and cost-effective healthcare will outstrip the ability to provide healthcare solutions;
• Industrial - Industries such as construction and manufacturing are facing significant labor shortages, yet need to increase production efficiency;
• Agricultural - The combination of reduction in crop yield due to climate change and increased demand from a growing world population means the world will need approximately 35% more food and 40% more water in 2040 compared to today.
Visionary investors such as Chanond Ruangkritya and Sittichai Leeswadtrakul from Millcon lead the pack in gaining real access to financial returns and strategic technologies from Silicon Valley. Mr. Ruangkritya is known for taking Ananda PCL to the top of Thailand's real estate sector and launching the first Real Estate Tech Firm with Urban Tech. Mr. Leeswadtrakul is renowned for transforming the local steel industry and making a big move to invest in Thailand's premier construction startup Builk. Joining Creative Venture's investors are individuals and firms keen on diversification and accessing deep technology not available in the region.
Deep technology innovations are defined as disruptive solutions built around unique, protected or hard-to-reproduce technological or scientific advances. Today, we see applications of deep technology in fields including Artificial Intelligence (AI), robotics, computer vision, advanced sensing, energy, and synthetic biology. Companies today are under tremendous pressure to harness today's wealth of technology in order to create value across sectors and markets. This is why Creative Ventures invests in US based startups that have technology that is not readily available in Southeast Asia and provides companies in Southeast Asia with exclusive access to the latest technologies, building a bridge between Silicon Valley and Southeast Asia. "We work with unique founders. Founders that have developed and built their careers in specific industries and are ready to apply their knowledge to solve deep and challenging problems," says Champ Suthipongchai, Managing Partner of Creative Ventures.
Investors in the fund not only enjoy financial returns, but also get access to cutting edge technologies and leads on opportunities in Silicon Valley. Creative Ventures has effectively identified an optimal model to use in setting up meaningful partnerships with deep tech startups around R&D or commercialization, depending on the LP or Corporation's operational and strategic interests and on the startup's maturity.
"Our unfair advantage is a result of our partnerships with both founders of startups and corporates alike," says Partner Alastair Trueger, a second-generation venture capitalist.
Among Creative Venture's investments is Dishcraft, a stealth kitchen robotics startup. Dishcraft is in the midst of a promising pilot with a well known brand. Another investment is in ALICE Technologies, a company building AI software that optimizes construction scheduling. This saves up to 4% of the cost and reduces construction time by 14%, leading to considerable savings for both developers and construction companies. Creative Ventures has brought ALICE's technology to Southeast Asia and forged a partnership with Ananda, the leading Thai developer.