• Sunil Mishra, Partner, Adams Street Partners
• Geetali Kumar, Head of Venture Capital and Disruptive Technology Investments, East Asia & Pacific, IFC
• Willson Cuaca, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, East Ventures
• Conrad Tsang, Founder and Chairman, Strategic Year Holdings Limited
• Joji Thomas Philip, Founder & Editor-in-Chief, DealStreetAsia [Moderator]

Southeast Asia’s venture capital market is at an inflection point. Fundraising has plunged to multi-year lows, exits remain scarce, and governance lapses like eFishery have eroded LP confidence. Investor caution, a prolonged funding winter, and pressure to return capital are forcing VCs to rethink strategies amid a fragmented market and persistent growth-stage funding gaps. Yet the region’s fundamentals – rising digital adoption, favourable demographics, neutral geopolitical positioning, and supportive policy tailwinds – continue to attract long-term allocators seeking diversification. This panel gathers leading LPs and GPs to debate what it will take to restore trust, deliver returns, and unlock Southeast Asia’s next phase of venture growth: Can smaller, sharper funds thrive where mega-funds have stumbled, and will secondary markets, AI-led innovation, and local capital finally tip the scales?