iGlobe Partners

iGlobe Partners Research

Overview

iGlobe Partners is one of Asia's most established and globally oriented venture capital firms, founded in 1999 in Silicon Valley by Soo Boon Koh—Singapore's first female venture capitalist. The firm relocated its headquarters to Singapore in 2009 and has since built a remarkable track record of backing deep tech, biotech, and enterprise technology companies across Asia, the United States, and Europe. With 5 active funds, approximately US$400M raised and raising, and over 100 portfolio investments, iGlobe has established itself as a top-quartile performer with 7 unicorns across its portfolio.

Investment Thesis

iGlobe Partners' mission is to "unearth, invest and grow startups into global leaders." The firm targets game-changing innovations at the frontier of technology with a long-term orientation toward building sustainable and impactful global enterprises. Their philosophy emphasizes deep partnerships with founders—providing not just capital but mentoring, experience, and operational expertise to help companies scale from their initial markets to global leadership positions.

The firm focuses on four primary technology verticals:

1. Photonics & Semiconductors – Advanced materials, chip design, photonic systems
2. AI & Applications – Enterprise AI, generative video, smart cities
3. Quantum Computing – Quantum networking and computation
4. Biotech & Healthtech – Synthetic biology, genomics, therapeutics, clinical AI

Within these verticals, they have particular depth in: synthetic biology, financial technology, smart city infrastructure, and semiconductor design IP.

Stage Focus

iGlobe invests across a wide range of stages, from early seed rounds through growth-stage rounds. The portfolio demonstrates investments from pre-revenue biotech startups (Accession Therapeutics, Eclipsebio) through large Series C rounds (AIsphere/PixVerse $300M, 2026). Their most active entry stage appears to be Seed through Series A, with reserves for follow-on through growth rounds in top performers.

Check Size

Check size is not publicly disclosed. Based on the diversity and scale of the portfolio (100+ companies, ~$400M AUM), typical initial check sizes are estimated in the range of $1M–$10M, with larger follow-on investments in breakout companies. The Accredify Series A ($7M led in 2023) and Novelship Series B ($9.5M in 2023) provide reference data points.

Lead Tendency

iGlobe leads select rounds in their conviction areas. Notable lead investments include the Accredify Series A (April 2023). In many cases, particularly for US-based companies, they participate as a strategic international co-investor alongside lead US firms.

Recent Activity

The firm has been highly active through 2024–2026 with significant portfolio exits and new investments:

2026:

• March 2026: PixVerse (AIsphere) raises $300M Series C — a major generative AI video breakthrough
• March 2026: Applied Angstrom Technology opens new R&D facility in Singapore
• March 2026: Accession Therapeutics awarded €7.5M Horizon Europe grant
• January 2026: Eclipsebio acquires Terrain Bio, expanding RNA therapeutics platform

2025:

• October 2025: Orbital Therapeutics acquired by Bristol-Myers Squibb (CNBC coverage)
• May 2025: Enosemi acquired by AMD (TechCrunch coverage)
• January 2025: The Great Room (via Industrious acquisition) at $800M valuation

2024:

• December 2024: Aviva Links acquired by NXP Semiconductors

2023:

• September 2023: Novelship raises US$9.5M Series B
• April 2023: Accredify raises US$7M Series A (led by iGlobe)

Portfolio Highlights

iGlobe's portfolio is remarkable for its breadth across geographies and depth in deep tech:

Unicorns & Major Exits:

• Unity Software (NYSE: U) — game engine giant, IPO 2020
• NerdWallet (NASDAQ: NRDS) — personal finance platform, IPO 2021
• Matterport (NASDAQ: MTTR) — 3D spatial data, SPAC 2021
• Ginkgo Bioworks (NYSE: DNA) — synthetic biology, SPAC 2021
• Twist Bioscience (NASDAQ: TWST) — synthetic DNA, IPO 2018
• Hippo (NYSE: HIPO) — insurtech, IPO 2021
• 3PAR — enterprise storage, acquired by Hewlett Packard Enterprise

Strategic Acquisitions:

• Enosemi → AMD (2025, chip IP)
• Orbital Therapeutics → Bristol-Myers Squibb (2025, RNA therapeutics)
• C2i Genomics → Veracyte (genomics AI)
• Celestry → Cadence Design Systems (semiconductor design)
• Aviva Links → NXP Semiconductors (2024)
• Kilopass → Synopsys (semiconductor IP)
• SiliconBlue Technologies → Lattice Semiconductor
• Aicent → Syniverse (telecom)
• Fortemedia → Diodes Incorporated (audio AI)
• IntruGuard Devices → Fortinet (cybersecurity)
• The Great Room → Industrious (co-working, $800M valuation, 2025)
• Hoolah → ShopBack (BNPL fintech)

Active Private Portfolio:

• AIsphere/PixVerse — generative AI video ($300M Series C, 2026)
• Eclipsebio — RNA therapeutics platform
• Aliro Quantum — quantum networking
• Applied Angstrom Technology — advanced semiconductor manufacturing (Singapore)
• Accredify — digital credentials verification (Singapore)
• Docquity — healthcare professional network (Southeast Asia)
• Five Sigma — AI-powered claims management
• Tonik — digital banking (Philippines)
• Inscripta — synthetic biology
• Inkbit — industrial 3D printing
• MindFi — workplace mental health (SEA)
• Novelship — authentic sneakers marketplace (Singapore)
• SWAT Mobility — AI fleet routing

Team

Soo Boon Koh — Founder & Managing Partner: Singapore's first female venture capitalist, founded iGlobe in Silicon Valley in 1999. Over 25 years of VC experience across US and Asia. Known for identifying paradigm-shifting technologies early.

Philip Yeo — Chairman: Former Chairman of A*STAR (Singapore's Agency for Science, Technology and Research) and Economic Development Board. Distinguished career in Singapore's public sector driving industrial and technology development.

Joyce Ng — General Partner: Leads investment and portfolio management. Deep expertise in life sciences and digital health investments.

Edmond Wong — Partner: Focuses on deep tech and semiconductor investments. Based in Singapore with pan-Asia coverage.

Jeff Lin — Partner: Technology-focused partner with particular expertise in enterprise software and AI applications.

Decision Process

iGlobe operates as a partnership with multiple GPs involved in investment decisions. Given the seniority of the team and the global scope of their portfolio, significant investments likely involve partnership consensus. They are an appointed EntrePass Partner under Singapore's Startup SG initiative, supporting foreign founders establishing venture-backed startups in Singapore.

Geographic Focus

iGlobe invests globally with particular concentration in:

• Singapore & Southeast Asia — HQ, active in regional digital economy
• United States — Strong legacy portfolio from Silicon Valley roots
• Europe — Selective biotech and deep tech investments
• Greater China — Limited, selective investments (Starmaker/Kunlun)

Founder Preferences

The firm targets technically deep founding teams with global ambitions. They particularly value:

• Scientists and engineers building in frontier technologies (quantum, biotech, semiconductors)
• Singapore-based founders building globally (EntrePass program)
• Founders with defensible IP and clear paths to platform-level impact
• International founders seeking an Asia-connected investor with US network access

Co-Investor Relationships

Based on portfolio overlap, iGlobe frequently co-invests with top-tier US VCs (for US-based portfolio) and regional Singapore/SEA VCs for local portfolio companies. They maintain an "extensive and continually expanding global network of venture partners, advisors and co-investors."