What Cradle Seed Ventures does

Cradle Seed Ventures (CSV) is the venture capital arm and wholly-owned subsidiary of Cradle Fund Sdn Bhd, a Malaysian government agency backed by the Ministry of Finance. Incorporated in Labuan, Malaysia, and headquartered in Kuala Lumpur, CSV was launched in 2015 with an initial fund (CSVF-1) of RM40 million (approximately US$10.25 million) and operates a mandate to invest in early-stage technology startups at pre-Series A, Series A, and Series B stages, with typical check sizes ranging from US$300,000 to US$3 million. Its stated focus verticals are internet and mobile technology, software and enterprise solutions, and hardware and engineering, though portfolio evidence shows additional exposure to fintech, logistics, healthtech, and digital marketplaces.

CSV's go-to-market combines direct investment with a deliberate co-investment strategy alongside regional venture capital firms — including 500 Startups, Vertex Ventures, Gobi Partners, FirstFloor Capital, and Captii Ventures — to syndicate deals, access broader deal flow, and support portfolio companies' regional expansion. The firm's stated allocation is approximately 70% local Malaysian investments and 30% overseas, with disclosed portfolio operating geographies spanning Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, and the Philippines. Revenue mechanics are characteristic of a fund manager: management fees on committed capital, augmented by future carried interest from successful portfolio exits; the firm was in the process of raising a second fund (CSV II) targeting a size exceeding RM40 million as of 2018.

The portfolio includes ten or more named companies such as Involve Asia, Supahands, StoreHub, TheLorry, ServisHero, Avana, 3ciety, PouchNATION, MoneyMatch, and HealthMetrics. Operating with a small team (1-10 employees), CSV has undergone three CEO transitions since founding (Aziz Hussein, Dzuleira Abu Bakar from August 2016, and Juliana Jan as Acting CEO from April 2019), reflecting both organizational evolution and the integration of the firm within its parent's broader Malaysian startup-ecosystem mandate.

Name

Cradle Seed Ventures

Legal name

Cradle Seed Ventures Pte Ltd

Website

https://csv.com.my

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Cradle Seed Ventures is the Kuala Lumpur-based venture capital arm of Malaysian government agency Cradle Fund Sdn Bhd, investing pre-Series A through Series B equity (US$300K-US$3M+) into early-stage Southeast Asian technology startups, typically via co-investment with regional VCs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Venture Capital

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (52394), Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Other Financial Investment Activities (5239), Miscellaneous Financial Investment Activities (523999)

SIC

Security Brokers, Dealers & Flotation Companies (6211), Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Early-Stage Venture Capital (Series A/B) (FSANAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Early-Stage Venture Capital (Pre-Seed/Seed) (FSANAAAA)

Keywords

• Venture capital funding
• Early stage investing
• Startup equity financing
• Growth capital
• Pre-series A investment

Headquarters

HQ city

Kuala Lumpur

HQ country

Malaysia

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. VC Returns and Management Fees: Returns generated from successful exits of portfolio companies, plus management fees from fund operations. Fund size started at RM40 million with targets to grow to RM100 million through private sector investor contributions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Cradle Seed Ventures is a Malaysian government-linked venture capital firm that invests equity capital from its fund vehicles (CSVF-1 and CSV II) into early-stage technology startups in Malaysia and Southeast Asia. Typical investments range from US$300,000 to US$500,000 at pre-Series A, US$500,000 to US$3 million at Series A, and US$3 million onwards at Series B, targeting internet/mobile, software/enterprise, hardware/engineering, fintech, e-commerce, and digital marketplace verticals. The firm sources and supports deals both directly and through co-investment syndicates with regional VC partners.

Product overview

Cradle Seed Ventures is a venture capital firm and the investment arm of Cradle Fund Sdn Bhd, a Malaysian government agency. The firm operates two venture capital funds (CSVF-1 and CSV II) that provide equity investment to early-stage technology startups in Malaysia and Southeast Asia. Their investment strategy focuses on pre-Series A through Series B stages, typically investing between RM1 million and RM3 million per company. The firm has built a portfolio of 10+ investments across technology sectors including e-commerce technology, digital marketplace, mobile/internet, and fintech.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cradle Seed Ventures Fund 1 (CSVF-1) Early-stage venture capital fund that invests equity capital into Malaysian and Southeast Asian technology startups at pre-Series A (US$300,000–US$500,000), Series A (US$500,000–US$3 million), and Series B (US$3 million onwards) stages, targeting internet/mobile, software/enterprise, hardware/engineering, e-commerce, digital marketplace, and fintech verticals.
• Cradle Seed Ventures Fund II (CSV II) Successor venture capital fund to CSVF-1, intended to be larger than the initial RM40 million fund, continuing early-stage investments in technology startups at pre-Series A through Series B stages.

Quantifiable outcome

• 10+ portfolio companies invested
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (Matrade)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment trade development agency partnered with Avana (CSV portfolio) to increase SME exports via e-commerce under the eTrade Programme, targeting 2,000 export-ready merchants.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Wavemaker Partners: SEA and US-focused early-stage VC investing in tech startups at seed through Series A. Comparable in stage focus, ticket size, and regional tech mandate, though with deeper US presence.
• Vertex Ventures: Singapore-based VC (Temasek subsidiary) that led StoreHub's US$5.1M Series A with CSV participation. While larger in scale, operates a comparable Series A/B early-growth investment model focused on SEA tech.
• Captii Ventures: Singapore-based early-stage VC that co-invested with CSV in both PouchNATION and Avana. Operates similar pre-seed/seed ticket sizes and Southeast Asia tech focus.
• Gobi Partners: Pan-Asian early-stage VC firm that led Avana's pre-Series A with CSV participation. Focuses on early-stage tech investments across SEA and China, making it a directly comparable early-stage regional VC with overlapping deal flow.
• 500 Startups: Global early-stage VC and accelerator that co-invested with CSV in Involve Asia. Operates similar pre-seed and seed-stage investment model targeting tech startups globally, including significant SEA presence — directly comparable business model and stage focus.
• Golden Gate Ventures: Singapore-based early-stage VC that led ServisHero's US$2.7M pre-Series A round alongside CSV. Specializes in pre-seed and seed-stage SEA tech investments with similar ticket sizes and geographic focus.
• FirstFloor Capital: Malaysia-focused early-stage VC that led TheLorry's US$5.85M Series B round alongside CSV. Directly comparable in geographic focus (Malaysia) and stage (early-stage tech).

Broad incumbents

• East Ventures: One of SEA's largest and most active early-stage VCs with broad portfolio across Indonesia, Singapore, and other SEA markets. Comparable in early-stage tech focus and ticket size but operates at materially larger scale and geographic breadth than CSV.
• MAVCAP (Malaysia Venture Capital Management): Malaysia's largest government-linked VC firm, managed by Khazanah Nasional. Directly comparable as a domestic Malaysian government-backed VC operating at similar early-stage tech focus, but with significantly larger AUM and longer track record. Previous employer of CSV's former CEO Dzuleira Abu Bakar.

Regional players

• Axiata Digital Innovation Fund (ADIF): Corporate venture arm of Axiata Group (telecom) that participated in TheLorry's Series B round alongside CSV. Comparable as a regional early-stage tech investor with strategic sector focus, though operating as a CVC with telecom industry priorities rather than pure financial returns.

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments13 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cradle Seed Ventures