How This Corporate VC Invests in 30+ Startups: $200K–$2M Checks (Asia) скачать в хорошем качестве

How This Corporate VC Invests in 30+ Startups: $200K–$2M Checks (Asia)

In this conversation, I sit down with Andy Cheng to break down how corporate balance-sheet investing really works, why some corporates invest directly in their own customers, and how capital, cloud, and partnerships are used to extend startup runway. Andy Cheng leads investment strategy at GrandTech Cloud Services, a publicly listed cloud company in Taiwan and a Managed Service Partner (MSP) for AWS and Google Cloud. GrandTech focuses on startup customers rather than enterprises, combining cloud infrastructure, balance-sheet capital, and ecosystem access as a single offering. The company has invested in 30+ startups in Taiwan, 5–10 across Southeast Asia, and one in Japan, primarily at the pre-A to pre-C stage, and also allocates capital to 4–5 GPs to expand deal flow and customer connections. Unlike traditional VCs, GrandTech intentionally invests in existing or future customers, sometimes accepting higher valuations when the long-term relationship, revenue, and strategic alignment compensate for lower financial returns. Timestamps 00:00 - Summarization 00:46 - Introduction 01:57 - What is GrandTech Cloud Services CVC? 05:47 - Portfolio Size, Stages & Deal Flow 10:57 - What is their geographic area of interest? 13:48 - The Zero to One moment of Andy's career 15:33 - Why is Andy Cheng in the VC field? 17:20 - Can someone be both Founder (Operator) and VC? 19:22 - Why Corporations Also Invest in GPs 21:23 - Founder–Investor Alignment: Strategy vs Human Reality 25:59 - What is the balance between strategic alignment return vs the equity return ratio in the firm 29:07 - Buying Customers Through Investment 32:57 - Why Founders Must Prioritize Strategic Alignment When Fundraising 41:05 - Andy’s View on the Japan–Korea–Taiwan Startup Corridor 47:15 - Questions from the Audience 57:38 - Final Wrap-up Message. ▼This channel is about the human side of entrepreneurship: Subscribe for more:    / @erdinc.ekinci   Follow Me: LinkedIn：  / erdincekinci   My blog: www.erdincekinci.com Openfor.co：https://openfor.co Co-capital: https://www.co-capital.co I help founders build, validate, and scale impactful startups globally. VC at Co-Capital, Co-founder of Openfor.co, and Managing Director at Founder Institute Startup Accelerator Japan, Korea, Taiwan 13+ years entrepreneur working across the US, Europe, and Asia on go-to-market, partnerships, fundraising, and international expansion. Building founder ecosystems, backing ambitious teams, and turning ideas into real traction.