Protégé Ventures, established in 2017, operates as Southeast Asia's first and Singapore's only student-run venture capital fund. The organization is managed entirely by students and operates under the aegis of Singapore Management University's Institute of Innovation & Entrepreneurship. Its mandate is to provide funding, mentorship, and network access to student founders of early-stage technology startups.
The fund's investment strategy focuses on pre-seed and seed stages, with its second vehicle (Fund II) capitalized at SGD 500,000. It typically writes checks in the range of SGD 25,000 to SGD 50,000. Its portfolio demonstrates an industry-agnostic approach, with investments spanning sectors including AI, Agri-tech, Consumer products, and Food & beverage. To date, the fund has made 12 investments; its portfolio companies have collectively raised over SGD 35 million from institutional investors.
A core function of Protégé Ventures is as a training platform. It has equipped over 320 students with hands-on venture capital experience. The model combines direct investment activity with a structured educational program, aiming to develop the next generation of venture capital professionals and founders within the regional ecosystem.
