Resolution Ventures Research
Investment Thesis
Resolution Ventures is a Singapore-based venture capital firm, founded in 2021, that backs "founders with international ambitions" tackling financial inclusion and financial infrastructure gaps across Southeast Asia. The firm's core belief is that Southeast Asia's demographic tailwinds, rising internet penetration, and accelerating e-commerce and digitalization create a generational opportunity for fintech companies that solve immediate, localized problems in a way that can eventually be exported to other emerging markets. The team pairs seed-stage capital with the "relationships and infrastructure of an institutional asset management firm," reflecting the founding team's hedge fund and private equity backgrounds.
Sector Focus
Resolution Ventures invests exclusively in Fintech, with a strong emphasis on:
- Earned wage access and worker financial wellness (Gimo, Wagely)
- Peer-to-peer and rotating savings lending (Oraan)
- Working capital and inventory financing for SMEs (Stemly, Dropee)
- Cross-border and enterprise payments (iPiD, Mayar, GliderPay)
- Agricultural and trade finance (PasarMIKRO)
- Wealth management and financial education (Stag)
The firm's mandate began squarely in Southeast Asia but has since extended selectively outside the region (e.g., GliderPay in Australia, Oraan in Pakistan), always anchored to the same financial-inclusion thesis.
Stage Focus
Resolution Ventures targets pre-seed and seed-stage companies, with capacity to follow on through Series A. The firm's debut vehicle, Resolution Fintech Fund I, was explicitly structured around backing companies at their earliest institutional round and supporting them through subsequent growth rounds.
Check Size
Exact check sizes are not publicly disclosed. Given a $20M fund deployed across roughly 10-12 portfolio companies at pre-seed/seed, initial checks are likely in the low-to-mid six figures, with reserves for follow-on participation. This should be treated as a low-confidence estimate pending direct confirmation.
Lead Tendency
Evidence is mixed. In at least one disclosed round (Dropee's $7M raise), Resolution Ventures was named as a co-investing participant alongside Vynn Capital rather than the round lead. Public announcements otherwise emphasize the firm's own portfolio companies without clarifying lead status, so lead tendency is best classified as unknown/syndicate-oriented rather than confirmed lead investor.
Recent Activity
Resolution Fintech Fund I announced a first close of $20M in May 2022, with four companies (Oraan, Stemly, Dropee, Gimo) already in the portfolio at that point. The fund announced its final close in July 2023, expanding to seven-plus disclosed investments including iPiD, Mayar, PasarMIKRO, and Stag. The portfolio has continued to mature: Wagely, one of Resolution's earned-wage-access bets, secured a US$23M growth round in March 2024 (reported as the largest EWA raise in Southeast Asia at the time), a strong signal of portfolio momentum even though Resolution's participation in that specific follow-on round is not confirmed.
Portfolio Highlights
- Wagely (Indonesia) - earned wage access; raised $23M in March 2024, the largest EWA round in Southeast Asia to date.
- Dropee (Malaysia) - B2B FMCG ordering and e-invoicing platform; raised $7M (equity + debt) with Vynn Capital.
- PasarMIKRO (Indonesia) - agricultural trade finance marketplace; raised $2.5M.
- Oraan (Pakistan) - female-led ROSCA/P2P lending platform; raised $3M to expand financial inclusion for Pakistani women.
- Stemly (Singapore) - AI-driven working capital and inventory optimization; raised $2.5M.
- iPiD (Singapore) - cross-border payment identity infrastructure; raised $3.3M.
- Gimo (Vietnam) - earned wage access for factory and gig workers; raised $1.9M.
Team
- Sam Gibb, Managing Partner - A decade across hedge funds, private equity, and venture capital. Previously led Endeavour Ventures (Southeast Asia seed fund); prior roles as assistant portfolio manager at Symphony Financial Partners, valuation lead at Quvat Management (Indonesian PE), and portfolio manager at Milford Asset Management. CFA Charterholder; Bachelor of Management Studies and Bachelor of Laws, University of Waikato.
- Veiverne Yuen, Investment Committee Member / Partner, Blauwpark Partners - Co-founder of tryb, a Singapore fintech-focused VC. Previously Vice President at GIC (Government of Singapore Investment Corporation), founding member of its Integrated Strategies Group covering large structured financial-services and technology deals, and worked across GIC's Private Equity Group globally.
- Wouter Kneepkens, Investment Committee Member / Partner, Blauwpark Partners - Runs Blauwpark's proprietary fintech fund; board member at a European financial services firm; former tech startup founder, activist hedge fund investor, and investment banker at UBS and Barclays. Notable personal angel bets include Coinbase (reported 2,513x return) and Instacart.
Decision Process
Resolution Ventures operates with a formal investment committee, evidenced by Veiverne Yuen and Wouter Kneepkens both being explicitly titled "Investment Committee Member" alongside their primary roles at Blauwpark Partners. This structure, combined with Sam Gibb's day-to-day management as Managing Partner, points to an investment-committee-driven decision process rather than a solo-GP model.
Founder Preferences
The firm's public materials emphasize founders "with international ambitions" solving acute, localized financial-infrastructure problems that have a credible path to regional or global export. Several portfolio bets (Oraan, Gimo, Wagely) target underserved worker and consumer populations, suggesting a preference for founders building mission-driven financial inclusion products rather than pure fintech-for-the-affluent plays.
Geographic Focus
Primarily Southeast Asia (Singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia), with selective expansion into South Asia (Pakistan) and Australia. The firm is headquartered in Singapore (Parkview Square, 600 Northbridge Road).