China’s PepperHi raised Angel funding from Wisee Capital to accelerate cross-border expansion
Wisee Capital led an angel round funding round for PepperHi Global Ventures, a China-based venture studio that focuses on cross-border innovation and market expansion and serves as a strategic link between China and the global market. TusHoldings Seeds Fund and Kairous Capital also participated.
With headquarters in Shenzhen and offices in Beijing, Shanghai, the Greater Bay Area, and Kuala Lumpur, the funds will support the local market access team and operational expansions across five Southeast Asian countries, including Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, and Vietnam.
According to a statement, this investment represents a strategic milestone that reflects the understanding of regional institutional investors in the goal of globalizing local businesses and establishing solid partnerships to use pooled resources for successful market expansion.
PepperHi helps businesses navigate regulatory environments, establish strategic partnerships, and gain market traction throughout Southeast Asia and beyond. The company focuses on both attracting inbound opportunities from global innovators and facilitating outbound growth for Chinese enterprises.
PepperHi offers a strong platform for international partnerships through its strong ties to both government and business leaders, enabling businesses to grow and innovate globally.
Two successful women and a group of advisors with a wealth of knowledge in S&T services, government relations, capital markets, industrial park operations, VCPEs, and a prestigious clientele founded the company in January 2024.
Previously, Wil Chan, the CEO and co-founder, oversaw tech incubators in Southeast Asia under TusHoldings, a state-owned company connected to Tsinghua University that promoted Science & Technology Services on a broad scale.
Co-founder Starlett Pan brings industry connections and strategic depth to this endeavor as a senior capital markets lawyer, active investor, and partner in multiple institutional investment firms.
Even among high-performing businesses, the success rate for local businesses looking to expand internationally is still less than 20%. Regulatory compliance issues, limited local partnerships, and resource allocation issues account for more than 70% of these failed endeavors.
Inspired by pepper, which was once prized as “black gold” on the Silk Road, PepperHi continues the tradition by introducing that spirit of exploration, collaboration, and trade to the contemporary international marketplace.
Businesses operating at the intersections of the markets in China and Southeast Asia are the main focus of the scope. This could include businesses that started in one area and moved to the other, businesses that have or are looking for access to capital across borders, or businesses that have sizable operations or supply chains across borders.
PepperHi focuses on accelerating high-tech, high-value, and high-impact scaleups that we both believe in and support with everything from partnerships, fundraising, strategy and advisory, as well as with outsourced operations in areas such as business development, human resources and sourcing.
