Testimonials
Every investor dreams of a homerun investment, and every entrepreneur dreams of an investor like Vickers.
Keys to success for a startup are:
- Decision-making: Both Dr Elkhalil Binebine and Dr Finian Tan are more than comfortable taking on long-term initiatives, and thereby, allow the team maximum flexibility with their options.
- Execution: Vickers, both in terms of the individuals and as a fund, have a balanced approach to execution, with a healthy sense of urgency, yet not rushed with arbitrary deadlines towards a quick exit.
- Fundraising: Dr Elkhalil, as well as Dr Finian, are generous to their portfolio companies with their networks and relationships, to a fault.
- Team: Vickers lives by the number one rule of entrepreneurship – “ you bet on the jockey, not the horse.” Their support for management is genuine and unwavering at all times.
- Passion: They share the passion of the founders, yet they bring a level of realism that only a true founder would (and more importantly, should) appreciate.
In short, every startup should be so lucky to have a fund like Vickers, and people like Dr Elkhalil and Dr Finian, in their corner.
Osman Kibar, PhD
Founder and CEO of Samumed
Vickers has invested in MatchMove across 3 of their Funds since 2009, and we have benefited immensely and in many ways since then.
First, the brand value of Vickers – it never fails to impress our customers, other investors and even regulators, that a well-known fund like Vickers has placed trust and capital in MatchMove. They are well known and respected in many of our markets, as both a firm and also individually, especially Dr. Finian Tan and Dr. Jeff Chi, who command tremendous respect in their own rights. By having Finian as Chairman of the Board, and having both he and Jeff as Directors, establishes credibility very quickly with potential and current business partners, and even current staff and new hires.
Second, their powerful network – over the years, Finian, Jeff and indeed the wider Vickers team have constantly curated and driven valuable introductions to us, for both investment and business purposes. Our recent fund raising was expedited primarily because of their introductions and support.
Third, their deep domain expertise – whether it’s at Board meetings or regular updates, they have always been forthcoming with useful guidance that it appropriate for our stage of growth. They know when and what to contribute as active investors, not only at a Board level but also operationally.
And finally, their strong emotional quotient (EQ) – they recognize that startups are tough, and beyond capital, expertise and know-how, founding teams also need coaching and mentoring as we deal with inevitable challenges on the path to growth. Whether it’s at social events, formal meetings or casual conversations, they always show unwavering support to me and my team for our efforts and our journey. At times of difficulty they always step up and offer any possible support they can, either as individuals or as a team.
This combined approach permeates across the entire Vickers team, and so we often feel we are working in concert and in partnership with Vickers, rather than only working for them as shareholders.
It’s this combination of brand, network, expertise and EQ that truly sets them apart from other investors, and hence is the reason why I always recommend other startups contact Vickers. I have met and interacted with many VCs around the world. We are truly fortunate to have found Vickers so early in our journey. Without a doubt, we would not be where we are today without Vickers.
Shailesh Naik
Founder and CEO of Matchmove
Vickers Venture is more than an investor. They are a business partner and literally have become a member of the core team.
While many VCs often say that they offer more than money, sadly most do very little beyond funding a company.
Vickers talks the talk and walks the walk. They have incredible extensive networks of relationships and willingly open all these up to the companies in their portfolio. They guide, advice and counsel when the need arises and most importantly help give clarity in the myriad areas of growing world-class companies; like team composition, go to market strategies, introductions to both potential clients as well as strategic sources of funding should the need arise. This is because they know the space, they have been there and done it before and they been overwhelmingly successful at it!
Joo Seng Wong
Founder/CEO of Spark Systems,
Co-founder of M-DAQ
I am very grateful from the heart – without Finian’s decision to invest in and support Baidu, the company may not have achieved the level of success.
Eric Xu
Baidu Co-Founder