Antler, a Singapore-based early-stage venture capital firm, has announced the appointment of Hiro Kiga as Partner of Southeast Asia and Japan, based in Singapore.

This appointment reinforces Antler’s expansion in Asia and its commitment to bridging the startup ecosystems of Japan and Southeast Asia, the firm said in a statement on Thursday.

Hiro will spearhead Antler’s early-stage investment strategy in Japan while working closely with the Southeast Asia team to accelerate day zero investing in both regions, increase founder mobility, and catalyze more cross-border startups.

He brings a unique blend of entrepreneurial and venture capital experience to Antler’s leadership.

He co-founded WALLEX, a business to business (B2B) foreign exchange (FX) and cross-border payments platform, in 2016 and scaled it into a regional fintech player. WALLEX was acquired by Singapore fintech firm M-DAQ in 2022.

Prior to his founder journey, Hiro spent four years in venture capital, including at Strive VC (formally known as GREE) and Yello Mobile, after starting his career as a software engineer at Macquarie Group.

This engineering background and investment tenure gave him early exposure to the Southeast Asian tech ecosystems across Singapore and Indonesia – invested in one of Indonesia’s largest e-commerce companies Bukalapak in their Series A round, long before the startup became a unicorn and went public in 2021.

Fluent in Japanese and Indonesian, Hiro has often acted as a bridge between Southeast Asia and Japan’s startup communities, exemplifying the cross-cultural fluency and founder empathy that Antler values.

“Having experienced the full cycle of building and exiting a startup, I’m excited to return to the investor’s seat with a founder’s lens,” said Hiro Kiga, on his appointment as Partner.

“I know first-hand how crucial early support and empathy are for founders at day zero. Antler’s mission of being a day zero backer with a truly global platform resonates deeply with me,

“I look forward to leveraging my Japan – Southeast Asia experience to back more founders, initiate more capital flows between these markets, and to support the next wave of entrepreneurs in building cross-border, globally ambitious startups,” he added.

Jussi Salovaara, Co-founder and Managing Partner (Asia) at Antler, welcomed Hiro’s arrival as a strategic boost to Antler’s regional ambitions.

“Hiro’s journey as a founder and his multi-market experience gives us the power to strengthen our founder-first ethos at Antler,” said Jussi.

“Being a Japanese that has immersed in Southeast Asia’s startup ecosystems, combined with his passion for tech-driven solutions, aligns perfectly with our mission to back exceptional founders from day zero on a global scale,

“As we double down in Japan and continue to accelerate early-stage investing across Southeast Asia, we are thrilled to have Hiro on board. I am confident that his leadership will be instrumental in connecting these ecosystems and helping more early-stage founders realize their vision,” he added.

This appointment comes as Antler continues to broaden its footprint in Asia’s emerging startup hubs.

With Japan’s startup scene gathering momentum, Antler said it is similarly ramping up its on-the-ground presence in Tokyo and nurturing founder talent there through its residency programs.

By bringing on a leader who embodies both Japanese and Southeast Asian perspectives, Antler said it aims to enable more founders in these markets to build truly global companies from day one – just as it has done in other nascent ecosystems like Indonesia, Vietnam and Malaysia.

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