K2 Global Raises $183 Million Venture Fund

SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwired - Feb 23, 2017) - Venture capital firm K2 Global (www.k2globalvc.com) today announced the addition of $183 million in committed capital to support its vision of bridging Asia and Silicon Valley to create impact on a global scale. Based in Silicon Valley and Singapore, K2 Global invests in technology companies in the Internet and software sectors that are capable of creating new markets and that approach age-old problems with groundbreaking solutions.

K2 Global works with entrepreneurs in the mobile, e-commerce, fintech, AR/VR, artificial intelligence, autonomous vehicles, and machine learning realms. K2 Global has invested $58M in over ten companies to-date, including prominent U.S. venture-backed companies such as Magic Leap, Spotify, Uber as well as start-ups like Paktor, referred to as the Tinder of Asia.

A recent K2 Global investment, Paytm, recently crossed 150 million in user base and its daily transactions average seven million since November. Paytm is expanding globally, aims to launch in 16 countries and recently announced its partnership with Alipay (owned by Alibaba Group).

K2 Global is uniquely positioned to create in-roads for U.S. tech companies to break into Asian markets, while identifying and elevating promising Asian tech start-ups that will make an impact on the world stage. Founded in 2015 by Minal Hasan and Ozi Amanat, K2 Global fills the missing link between two dominating geographic markets. The firm's combined professional experience, expertise across multiple industries, on-the-ground agility, strategic insights and deep-rooted network connections, provide a competitive advantage to portfolio companies looking to accelerate worldwide expansion.

"Start-ups need to think globally from day one if they want to succeed on a large scale," said Minal Hasan, founder and general partner of K2 Global. "Traditionally, venture capital has been a hyper-local business, but tech has truly gone global. We are seeing a universal convergence of ideas, markets, economies, and technologies, resulting in companies expanding into international markets much more rapidly than before due to the explosion of Internet and mobile technology. K2 Global's unique mix of expertise and deep understanding of key global markets enables our team to punch above our weight and win deals over larger and more prominent VC firms."

Without an investment and operation team on the ground in Asia, where the business sector continues to be heavily relationship-driven, tech companies struggle to build the necessary connections with commercial, manufacturing, strategic, investment, media, and government partners. K2 Global has a single investment team across Asia and the U.S. providing access for all portfolio companies to a well-established network of valuable business contacts, thereby giving them a truly global perspective.

K2's community of investors and advisors include institutions and multi-billion dollar family offices and individuals from a wide variety of backgrounds, including real estate, manufacturing, healthcare, media, technology, and government, thereby providing a deep bench of expertise for portfolio companies to draw value.

Prior to founding K2 Global, Hasan is a Silicon Valley native who spent her career in the tech world. She worked in computer programming and product marketing at start-ups, followed by a brief stint in journalism and served as outside counsel to premier tech start-ups like Uber, Square, and Medium. She has actively advised and angel invested in multiple start-ups to date as well.

As K2 Global expands, it seeks to work with "third wave" entrepreneurs that challenge incumbents in the biggest industries in the world by forming a wide range of alliances, including government regulators, to achieve K2's mission of creating impact at scale.

"We work hard to be the preferred investment partner for premier technology companies that will have a lasting impact," said Hasan. "I have seen the inner workings of so many successful, and some failed, tech start-ups from nearly every angle -- engineering, marketing, investing, and law. I was tired of sitting on the sidelines. The tech industry is my tribe. I wanted to be an entrepreneur and actively help other entrepreneurs by leveraging my experience and resources. We look forward to an increasingly interconnected world in which innovation is fostered by a worldwide community and we're prepared to lead that charge."

For more information about K2 Global, visit: www.k2globalvc.com.

About K2 Global
K2 Global is a venture capital firm creating impact at scale. Founded in 2015, K2 Global has offices in Silicon Valley and Singapore. For more information, visit www.k2globalvc.com.