What do Malaysian startups Kiddocare, du-it, Senang Insurance, and Qwork have in common? Aside from being on BFM’s Open For Business, they all have Artem Ventures as an investor.

After 1 year of funding startups in Malaysia, the venture capital firm has invested in 12 local companies, including the 4 mentioned earlier, and it looks like they’ve got more aggressive plans ahead with the stated aim of investing in another over 10 new companies by Q2 2024. Powering this is a RM45 million fund in partnership with pan-Asian life insurer FWD called TIM Ventures which was announced back in December 2022.

On this edition of Enterprise Explores, we dive into the motivations, investment strategy, and ambitions of Artem Ventures, as well as insights gained from their journey so far, with Managing Partners Ng Sai Kit and Low Zhen Hui. We also get into what they look for in founders and startups, including red flags, how closely they work with their portfolio companies, and their plans ahead.