Jielun Ong is Senior Director for Ventures, APAC at Plug and Play. Their portfolio includes Bluesheets, Brankas, NextBlock and more.

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

We give money to small, high-growth tech companies and pray that they become billion-dollar companies in 10 years' time.

Also, do a lot of match-making between said companies and large corporates!

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

About Plug and Play, we started off being the "Wework" in Silicon Valley before it was notorious. That was actually how we started investing as our founder took the rent from Paypal and reinvested in them.

Another fun fact: our first investment office is housed in a Persian rug shop owned by our founder, Saeed Amidi.

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

I honestly think the biggest highlight of my career is yet to come. But I'd say getting into venture capital and arriving at where I am now, where I get to interact with inspirational founders on a daily basis and be part of this crazy roller coaster journey with them, is a highlight itself.

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

It would have to be Web3. Despite the bear market, Web3 and blockchain technology's fundamentals remained unchanged that it is still a revolutionary technology, and even during this winter, there's still so much activity happening in that space.

One can imagine the excitement when the bull market begins. Other than Web3, we are also keen on digitizing MSMEs, financial inclusion, future of work and sustainability topics like carbon reduction, circular economy etc.

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

The VC industry is a very relationship-driven industry. So my advice would be to put yourself out there and network, network, network. Building relationships within the space and getting to know more people helps a lot, no matter if you're a startup founder looking to fundraise or you're an investor looking for dealflow.

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

Being an introvert, I don't think I would be able to talk about the same topic for hours. But if I were to choose, then it would be technologies and investments and how putting both together will result in game-changing possibilities.

🎥 What's your favorite movie/TV show?

Game of Thrones minus the last episode

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

Pistachio never disappoints!