After more than two decades of investing...
I believe we’ve found the next big hidden opportunity:


Most LPs exploring venture capital funds as an investment vehicle are concerned with media sentiment.

"Capital at risk"
"Growth at all costs"
"Long-term"

The numbers don't lie. If well managed, venture investing reaps very attractive ROI versus most other alternatives.

And, you won't even need to find the next unicorn to do that.

Today, sustainable, sticky growth is the holy grail for any investment office looking for longevity with attractive returns.

Some years ago my partner, Murli, and I started Tin Men Capital in pursuit of that.

Our fund's unique focus:
- B2B and Enterprise Tech Startups
- With a strong focus in Southeast Asia
- Who are in Series A stage and beyond

Our thesis:
SouthEast Asia's legacy industries are still largely undigitised.
B2B tech in large TAM > High-gross margins > Sticky recurring revenue > Quicker pathway to profitability

We've already proven that these ideas our sound with measured results from our inaugural fund.

Family offices and institutions that work with us appreciate our ethos in running the fund:

⚙️ DISCIPLINED DEAL-SOURCING : 
Carefully scrutinising every deal for the right valuations, founder mix, and expertise. No exceptions.

⚙️ HIGH-CONVICTION: 
We only invest in a handful of teams that apply. Sounds counterintuitive, but It's seeing above-market returns with below-average failure rates.

⚙️ EXPERIENCED B2B OPERATORS AT THE HELM: 
Murli and I bring collectively more than 40 years of experience in investing and management, having sat on boards and brokered large M&As. Our thoughts have also been featured on TechInAsia, Peak Magazine, and more.

Some of our portfolio companies:

🔵 Hubble (Series B)
Resource management platform for parties in the construction value chain to track and optimise processes

🔵  Zipline (Series A)
Australia's #1 workplace management platform for the aged care and health sectors

🔵  GlobalTix (Series A)
Software and marketplace software for tourism attraction operators and travel product distributors 

We’re always on the lookout for new partners and startups to join us.

If keen to chat, shoot me a DM/email or head over to our website to drop us a line.

Jeremy Tan

I hesitate each time someone asks me for career advice.

Just last week, we had a team lunch to thank our intern who’s finishing up her time at Tin Men Capital.

She asked me,
“What do you think I should do?”
“What would you do if you were me?”

This is NOT the first time I get these questions.
But it still gives me pause.

Because what I hear is someone looking for the answer.
A formula.
A truth to copy and treat as gospel.

That scares me.
Reality is life doesn’t work like that.

Each person's life and path is unique.

↳ Different opportunities and social backgrounds 
↳ Personal loves, dislikes, and motivations 
↳ Life events that happen at different times

Context, timing, and opportunities all differ.
What’s right for one may be completely wrong for another.

Over time, I’ve only found a few things that hold true. 

What I told her:
🔹 Life will throw you curveballs. Play the cards you’re dealt and adapt. 
🔹 Gratitude is the gateway to happiness. 
🔹 Priorities and desires change with time. 
🔹 Pay attention to global shifts. Macro forces often shape personal outcomes. 
🔹 When you take advice, listen for the context behind it.

In the end, being able to choose your own path is a privilege in itself.
The rest is just figuring out how to make it work for you.

I still don’t have perfect advice.
But maybe that’s the point.
No one should.

The best any of us can do is stay curious.
Stay adaptable.

Keep building a life that makes sense to us.

To me, that’s how we end up in fulfilling careers and more importantly a happy life.

Agree?

Talks about #startup, #investing, #fundraising, #familyoffice, and #venturecapital

Tin Men Capital

Backing brilliant B2B founders 🦓 in Southeast Asia | Co-founder at Tin Men Capital | Linkedin Top Voice

Tuan Le

I just got into KL.

The last time we were here together was five years ago,
Right after we led Hubble’s Series A at Tin Men Capital

We flew in to meet a co-investor and closed the round on that trip.

When we headed back to Singapore in Feb 2020,
We didn’t know it would be our last time travelling for a while.

Today, I got to travel with SJ Lin again.
We chose to drive in this time.

It’s cathartic to spend some quality, uninterrupted catching up and dreaming up the future of Hubble.Build.
Five years felt like a lifetime.

A pandemic.
A funding winter.
More ups and downs than we expected.

And I’m thankful for the friendship and partnership we’ve built through all of it.

I’ve learnt a lot from founders like SJ.
I admire the way they stay steady under pressure, even when the environment is tough.

This time, we’re meeting investors and customers.
Wish us luck.

Hello KL, looking forward to building with you!

Singapore was built to avoid failure.
But our progress - our very survival depends on it.

Yet, we still treat failure like a scar.
Here, it’s partly culturally ingrained.

We were raised on the idea that we’re a small island,
With no resources and can’t afford to fail.

That mindset made sense when survival was top priority.

But over time, it manifested into something else.
A quiet fear of getting things wrong.

Across the region, failure is viewed very different.

In Malaysia, for instance.
Many built their businesses without the safety nets we have.

No government backing.
No currency stability.
No guaranteed support.

For them, the only path was forward.
Failure wasn’t shameful.

It was part of the process.

I’ve seen the same pattern with founders too.
The resilient ones study their missteps.
Every failed pilot, missed forecast, or wrong hire becomes data for the next decision.

That rhythm of trial and error builds staying power over time.

We should see it that way.
Failure can be a stepping stone to greater things.

It's proof of learning.
It's a showcase of progress in motion.

Don't shy from failure. Accept it as a part of the journey.

---
🎧 From Unfair Advantage with myco-founder Murli Ravi
(a Tin Men Capital Podcast)

We bring voices from across the ecosystem to understand what drives the region’s B2B growth.

Now streaming on all major podcast platforms: 
🟢 Spotify: https://lnkd.in/gEig_89f 
⚪️ Apple Podcasts: https://lnkd.in/gECJhtSS
🔴 YouTube: https://lnkd.in/g8bfShYA

I’ll be in KL, Malaysia this week - looking to connect with founders/ investors.

Tin Men Capital will host a casual networking drinks session on Wednesday evening. (19th November)

I’ll be sharing some thoughts about the evolving Southeast Asia startup ecosystem with a focus on the big part Malaysia plays in it.

It’ll be a great opportunity to trade insights and stories with other folks in the space to learn and unwind. 

You’ll get to hear from both founders on the ground and investors to get a pulse of where things are heading.

Possibly get inspired on new directions before the year’s out to set 2026 strong.

I expect some really great conversations and a fun evening.

Will be joined by a friend: First Move’s GP - Audra Pakalnyte.

There are limited slots - so I’d recommend applying early.
(Will attach the link in the comments.)

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Founders, don’t trade “nice” for “formidable.”

You can be both.

Mean founders might win once.
Nice founders win every round after.

I’ve been around this ecosystem long enough to see both.

Some founders think you need to squeeze every deal, underpay talent, or push for harsh terms to get ahead.
Some are unnecessarily antagonistic.

And yes, they might capture a little value in the moment.

But over time, it backfires.

In startups, the game is compounding.
🔸Company value ≈ Initial value × (1 + growth rate)^t

Shave a little off your growth rate every time you mistreat a hire, frustrate a partner, or shortchange a customer.
And those “wins” quickly turn into losses.

On the flip side, I’ve seen founders who:
✅ Pay fairly and on time
✅ Fix customer problems without excuses
✅ Treat partners like long-term allies

They build reputations that compound.

Hiring gets easier.
Deals close faster.
Investors lean in.

And in Southeast Asia, backchannels travel faster than revenue.
Your reputation is often the first due diligence that gets done.

The point isn’t to be “soft.”
Or to just to protect your growth rate.
It’s more basic than that.

Really, just don’t be a jerk.

Being decent should be the default.
Being formidable makes it  even more powerful.

That combination wins almost every time.
That’s how you compound.

What goes around comes around. 
Costs nothing to be nice.

Ingrained in Tin Men Capital's mission is to play a key role in building a thriving eco-system.

For SEA and for many generations to come.

It is that north star that fuel's Murli and my conviction and provides light at the darkest moment.

Earlier this week, I had the great pleasure of being invited to a small VC roundtable led by MOS Dinesh Vasu Dash,
together with other Singapore-based VCs.

We were invited to share views on the recommendations being shaped for the Economic Strategy Review.

I hope the candid views of all the VCs attending is useful for the policymakers in attendance.

Stoked that we can play a part in shaping vital policies.

What I appreciated most was how seriously the government is taking this role.
And I hope we’ll see more of these discussions happening even after the recommendations are announced and rolled out.

If we want founders to feel confident building here,
The right policies and financial infrastructure need to be in place, with frequent calibrations.

Whilst we are going through a reset now, we are starting at a higher base and that should be celebrated.

And I’m optimistic.

I believe we’ll get there at a much faster pace, with Singapore well-positioned to lead.

Big thanks to MOS Dinesh, Cindy Khoo, Heng-Tong CHOO, Emily Liew, Alvin Cai for the kind invitation.

And great catching up with friendly faces too:
Jixun Foo, Edgar Hardless, Arrif Ziaudeen, Jeremy Loh PhD Shailendra J Singh, B. Paul Santos and Dickson Loo.

Onwards!

They say Cash is the lifeblood of any startup. There's a good reason why.

As the ecosystem matures, founders have become much more financially aware.

They’re reading their numbers better.
Tracking recurring revenue, churn, ACV, margins.
That progress matters.

But I still meet teams who aren't as aware of cashflow management.

Take this example:

🔸A company doing $10M ARR, growing 100% YoY, with 80% gross margins.
Everything looked solid.

🔸Then the finance lead pulled up their collections report.
Only $2M had been collected at the gross profit level.

🔸Most customers paid every six months, with 90-day terms.
Several invoices were still overdue.

✅The books said healthy growth.
❌The bank account told another story.

This is probably an extreme example, but the point still stands.

Cashflow management may seem as a afterthought as we prioritise booking revenue,
Yet it often decides survival.

-Trading off contract size for faster payments
-Appointing someone accountable for collections
-Negotiating better terms with suppliers

Each move compounds over time.

More predictability.
More breathing room.
More control.

Good cash discipline rarely makes headlines. 
That is… until you run out of money.

But it keeps companies alive long enough to earn them.

Cash is king.
Founders should treat it that way.

For years, we’ve glorified one outcome for startups of any size.

Going public. Listing on a major stock exchange.

I get why this was the case.
It’s what most of us grew up reading about.

The glorious bell-ringing and confetti.
Those splashy headlines.
It felt like the mark of success.

But Southeast Asia doesn’t quite work that way.

Public liquidity lives offshore.
Markets are much more fragmented.
It takes longer to build scale needed for IPO.

Trouble is, when everything revolves around IPOs as the only option,
Other good outcomes get overlooked.

Founders keep building for windows that don’t open.
Funds hold on for longer than they should.
And solid M&A paths get ignored, even when they make perfect sense.

The truth is, M&A has driven a significant part of returns .

Done right, it rewards founders, recycles talent and capital,
And keeps momentum in the ecosystem.

We don’t talk about it enough, because it’s less flashy.
But we’re seeing it start to take off.

What would help now are doable fixes.

Building bridges with acquirers' corp dev team.
Cleaner cap tables.
Shift in local corporate mindset of "I will build it myself"

None of that’s out of reach.

We don’t need to chase Silicon Valley’s version of success.
We can design our own.

With the founders and investors already here,
Building outcomes that actually fit this region.

How do you define a good outcome in SEA today?

Kubegrade

Kubegrade helps enterprises tame Kubernetes sprawl.
We automate upgrades, maintenance, and compliance across clusters, so platform teams stay in control while developers move faster.
Unlike dashboards that only observe issues, Kubegrade turns raw cluster data into actionable pull requests—reducing toil, cutting costs, and giving enterprises a safer, more scalable way to run Kubernetes.

Founder and CEO

Next Big Wave

A podcast for founders, by founders in Southeast Asia

Podcast Host

TendoPay

TendoPay is the leading employee benefits provider in the Philippines
I manage the growth teams including a digital marketing team for our B2C user base and a sales team for our B2B users.

Co-Founder / CCO [Acquired - Tonik Bank]

Buko Ventures

Value-add angel funding for Philippines startup founders.

Investor

DotYeti.com

Investor [Acquired]

Iterative

Venture Partner

500 Startups

I advise startups in SEA on their growth strategy with a focus on building and scaling their sales process ass well a hone in on their digital marketing strategy.

Mentor

Candy Banners

Acquired by Native Touch. 
Candy Banners is a digital production studio that builds awesome online ads.

Co-founder / CEO [Acquired - Native Touch]

Stinson Design

Acquired by Vimont Holdings.
Stinson Design is a presentation design agency that services clients around the world from startups to global brands.

Founder / CEO [Acquired]

Centre Financier International Montréal

Financial Analyst

3x Exit Founder • I help B2B founders in Southeast Asia • Book a free growth consultation with me • Grew last company to $5m+ ARR • 15+ years of growth leadership 🚀

Hey there! I’m a serial entrepreneur with 3 exits under my belt. 

I’m currently working on Kubegrade, a Kubernetes cluster upgrade tool.

Through all my ventures the key to success has always been to bring maximum value to my clients and building long lasting relationships. 

My passion for client success is equally matched with my love for travel and extreme sports. 

You can find me playing chess, riding motorcycles, diving or kitesurfing the beautiful beaches of Southeast Asia.

Tim Grassin

KubeCon ATL just wrapped, and my notebook is full.

Not from vendor pitches. From the conversations that restored my faith in this community.

After years of complexity complaints and burnout stories, something shifted at KubeCon 2025.

The energy was different. Electric, even.

What actually stood out:
The Agentic Revolution Nobody Saw Coming

Twelve months ago, we launched Kubegrade with AI agents managing clusters. People called us crazy. "You can't automate that level of decision-making."

This week? Every third conversation was about agentic workflows. Teams are finally realizing that senior engineers shouldn't be babysitting YAML files.

One platform lead from a Fortune 500: "We went from 3-week upgrade cycles to 3 hours with agents handling the grunt work."

Community Over Competition

Met a competitor's engineering team at the afterparty. Instead of awkward silence, we spent 2 hours sharing horror stories and solutions. Their lead engineer: "Rising tide lifts all boats, right?"

That's the Kubernetes community I fell in love with.

The Validation We Didn't Expect

Being first movers in agentic cluster management felt lonely. We questioned ourselves constantly. Were we too early? Too ambitious?

Walking the expo floor, I counted 12 companies now building agent-based solutions. Not copycats - genuine innovation from teams who get it.

One CTO pulled me aside: "You guys showed us this was possible. We're all following your lead."

That made me smile.

Real Engineers, Real Solutions

The best part? Engineers are done with bandaid fixes. They want fundamental change. Agentic workflows aren't just trendy - they're becoming the standard.

Teams are deploying agents for:
• Automated compatibility checking
• Intelligent resource optimization  
• Predictive failure prevention
• Self-healing clusters

This isn't AI hype. It's engineers taking their weekends back.

The Human Element Remains

Despite all the automation talk, the community spirit was stronger than ever. Late-night debugging sessions turned into impromptu meetups. Vendor booths became collaboration hubs.

Technology evolves, but the Kubernetes community's willingness to help each other? That's the real superpower.

My biggest takeaway:

We're not just building better tools. We're building a movement.

The shift to agentic workflows isn't about replacing engineers. It's about unleashing them to do what they do best - innovate.

Seeing the entire community embrace what we pioneered? That's worth more than any booth or keynote.

To everyone who stopped by to share their agentic journey - thank you. You reminded me why we started Kubegrade.

The future of Kubernetes isn't just automated. It's collaborative, innovative, and more human than ever.

I also enjoyed being able to work and hang out with my co-founder Caleb Fornari whom I had not seen in person since we embarked on this Kubegrade journey!

#KubeCon #Kubernetes #CNCF

Kubernetes without the complexity. Developer visibility, platform guardrails. Works with EKS, AKS, GKS, Rancher and more.

Anyone heading to #KubeCon Atlanta this week?

Would love to grab coffee and chat Kubernetes horror stories (or success stories if you have those).

I'll be there Tuesday through Thursday, mostly hanging around in Building B.

Hit me up if you want to connect in person — always fun putting faces to LinkedIn profiles.

Who else is making the trip? 👇

KubeCon ATL update: Our sweaters are apparently too good.

Multiple people have stopped me asking where to get our Kubegrade swag. Problem is, we don't have a booth this year.

But I hate saying no to engineers who appreciate good merch.

So here's the deal:

Find me wandering around the exhibition center

OR

Comment "swag" below and connect with me here.

I'll ship you one of hoodies directly. No booth needed.

Yes, I'm literally taking swag requests on LinkedIn and shipping from our Singapore office. My co-founder thinks I'm insane.

But honestly? Meeting engineers who get excited about developer tools is worth the shipping costs.

Plus, our hoodies are ridiculously comfortable. Ask anyone who's grabbed one.

If you're at KubeCon, come say hi. I'm the guy frantically taking notes on every Kubernetes horror story I hear.

If you're not here, drop "swag" below. First 50 get priority shipping.

Who's ready for some actually comfortable conference merch? 👇

#kubecon

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