Jeremy Tan is the co-founder of Tin Men Capital. The venture capital firm recently announced the first close of Fund II, which it will use to continue to back B2B tech firms operating out of Southeast Asia.

👋🏼 How would you explain your job to someone outside tech?

We steward the resources of investors who back our focus on B2B tech startups and direct it towards funding and partnering with promising founders to grow and scale their firms.

🧐 What's something about you or your job that would surprise us?

I grow herbs in my garden and, at one point, reared crabs, prawns and mussels too.

🏆 What has been the biggest highlight of your career so far?

Leaving the comfort and security of corporate life to set up Tin Men Capital. It took a lot of inner reflection and courage to overcome the fear of failure to pursue this less-trodden path.

I'm grateful for the Tin Men Capital team that has been working with me to:

i) play a part in the development of innovation which I strongly believe is the next leg of growth for this region

ii) back and help promising founders achieve their ambitions

iii) create a firm with a strong ethos of transparency and integrity that believes in first principles thinking.

🔍 What's a startup trend or space you're watching this year?‍

Tin Men Capital has always focused on B2B tech startups and will continue to do so.

Startups and their investors have tended to focus on flashier parts of the economy in the past, so there has been under-investment in startups catering to the needs of traditional businesses. Our investments in B2B tech firms paid off as traditional industries underwent rapid digitalization during COVID.

These legacy industries are also seeing new generation leaders take over the reins and are actively seeking ways to modernize their operations. They tend to have a lot of assets on their balance sheet. A slight % increase in return on assets (ROA) via the use of technology can be worth a lot in $ terms.

These trends will continue in the region and around the world. Even in the current challenging funding climate, we believe that B2B enterprise tech startups with positive unit economics and capital efficiency will continue to grow. I'm excited to uncover and back the founders operating in this space.

💼 What advice would you give someone starting out in your industry?

Always fall back to first principles. Don't be easily persuaded by popular beliefs and trends.

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🗣 What's one thing you can keep talking about for hours?

The parallels between venture capital and parenting. The gamut of emotions involved, the process of figuring out the uniqueness of each startup/child, and how it ends up teaching me more about myself.

🎥 What's your favorite movie/TV show?

The Shawshank Redemption. One of my favorite quotes: "I guess it comes down to a simple choice. Get busy living or get busy dying."

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🍨 What's your go-to ice cream flavor?‍

White Chrysanthemum from Birds of Paradise