In Episode #118 of Geeks of the Valley, we sat down with Qin En Looi, Partner at Saison Capital. Backed by Credit Saison (Tokyo-listed, ~US$30B AUM), Saison has 100+ direct investments and 15+ fund investments across Asia and LATAM.
We unpack why operator experience produces better investor how Qin En’s time scaling Glints shaped his emphasis on distribution, sales, and practical due diligence. The conversation dives deep into embedded finance. Saison’s playbook for pairing venture equity with tailored debt to de-risk lending-backed businesses, and the market signals that matter for India, Southeast Asia, Brazil and LATAM from eKYC and payment rails to regulatory openness. We close with a pragmatic look at web3 and digital assets: institutional tailwinds, realistic timelines, and how blockchain could become the new rails for moving money at internet speed.
About Saison Capital: Saison Capital is an early-stage venture fund (pre-seed to Series B) focused on emerging markets, backing founders across fintech, commerce and web3. Backed by Credit Saison (Tokyo-listed, ~US$30B AUM), the team combines operating experience with flexible capital solutions—100+ direct investments and active fund-of-funds activity across Asia and LATAM—to help startups scale faster and more sustainably.
About Qin En Looi: Qin En leads Saison’s early-stage direct investments across fintech, commerce and web3, and he jumpstarted Credit Saison’s digital-asset strategy. He co-founded ONCHAIN (Asia’s first real-world-asset conference) and sits on the boards of Southeast Asian fintechs including Helicap and SkorLife. Prior to VC, Qin En was Co-Founder and COO of Glints, Southeast Asia’s largest talent ecosystem (Series D), and has been recognised on Forbes 30 Under 30 and Entrepreneurs 27 Under 27.