Catcha Group to invest US$50-100m in SEA companies

PETALING JAYA: Catcha Group, an international investment firm, plans to invest between US$50-100 million in selected companies in Southeast Asia over the next three to five years.
Catcha yesterday formally launched Catcha Ventures, a division focused on minority investments in high growth new media, technology and mobile companies in the region.
Catcha Ventures' intends to build its investment portfolio in line with Catcha Group's investment strategy of investing in proven digital business models in emerging markets. The division has already begun to make investments.
The group said that whilst venture capital and angel investments in start-up companies has increased throughout the region, growth-stage funding has been largely overlooked.
As a result, Catcha Ventures has been founded to address a lack of funding for business that have matured from a start-up and entered their "growth phase".
"Over the last 15 years we have created a number of highly successful digital companies in the Asean region. We are excited to bring our experience and knowledge to bear in working with the next generation of disruptive entrepreneurs to help them create amazing digital businesses," said Group CEO of Catcha Group Patrick Grove in a statement yesterday.
Since 2007, Catcha Group has taken four of its portfolio companies from start up through to initial public offering and still controls all four public companies today. This includes iProperty Group, which recently attracted a US$100 million investment from Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation in return for a 17% stake.
It said that Catcha Ventures will deploy a unique mentorship program, underpinned by Catcha Group's network of seasoned digital CEOs and executives, allowing entrepreneurs to leverage off and learn from Catcha Group's management leaders.
"We have enjoyed enormous benefits from knowledge sharing between our companies and will deploy the exact mentorship and investee community management model across our Catcha Ventures portfolio companies.
"We will pair each investee company with a senior mentor and advisor from within our group to help them navigate challenges as their business grows. Chances are, for any digital business encountering growth related issues in South East Asia, a company within our network has already successfully resolved that same challenge. Funding is one thing, but this experience and access to our network of executives and advisers is both invaluable and unique," Grove said.