Adrian Hia (颜贻杨)
Partner at Kairous Capital, Executive Committee Member (Treasurer) at the Malaysian Venture Capital & Private Equity Association (MVCA)
Cross-border expansion strategies between China and Southeast Asia, maturation of Southeast Asian tech ecosystem, promoting Malaysia as investment hub
Intro
I'm Adrian Hia, a Partner at Kairous Capital and Executive Committee Member at the Malaysian Venture Capital & Private Equity Association. I've built my career at Kairous Capital over the past eight years, progressing from Senior Associate to Partner while focusing on cross-border investments across Asia. My work centers on helping startups expand between China and Southeast Asia, with a particular passion for promoting Malaysia as a strategic investment hub. I believe in disciplined investing across market cycles, backing resilient founders with strong fundamentals, and building ecosystems through constructive collaboration rather than zero-sum competition. I'm actively looking for investment opportunities in scalable Southeast Asian brands and cross-border tech plays, while also working to raise Malaysia's profile as a destination for high-value economic development.
Networking
What I can offer
- ›Connector and gateway for foreign companies into Southeast Asian market via Malaysia
- ›Expertise in cross-border deal execution and operational scaling
- ›Value creation for portfolio companies
- ›Access to Kairous Capital's investment network and hiring pipeline
What I'm looking for
- ›Investment opportunities in scalable SEA brands and cross-border tech plays
- ›Raising Malaysia's profile as investment destination
- ›Fostering stronger regional governance standards
Best fit for
Focus
Current interests
Core competencies
Background
Career
Started as Senior Associate at Kairous Capital in 2015, progressed to Investment Manager in 2018, Investment Director in 2019, and became Partner in 2022
Education
Cambridge A-Levels at Taylor's College, Law degree at University of Liverpool, ICAEW Business and Finance Professional qualification, passed Asset Management Association of China Private Equity Investment Fund exam (2018), passed Hong Kong Securities and Investment Institute Licensing Examination (2020)
Achievements
- ›Recognized on Forbes 30 Under 30 and Tatler Asia's Most Influential list
- ›Completed over 20 investments across Asia with multiple exits
- ›As Partner: Portfolio exit includes Intrepid (top 12 largest SEA tech exit), listed SPAC on NASDAQ that acquired Wellous Group (USD 270m)
- ›As Investment Director: Generated 3x growth for JomParking in one year, helped SkinRun become profitable in 6 months with 15x revenue growth in 12 months
- ›As Senior Associate: Made Kairous Capital first company in Malaysia to secure both Private Equity Management Corporation status and Type 9 Asset Management License
- ›Co-lead author of 'Practical Guide on Venture Capital and Private Equity in Malaysia' with Malaysia Securities Commission
Opinions
- Cross-border expansion is a necessity, not an option for ambitious Malaysian/SEA startups
- For management, value alignment comes first, aptitude second, and skillset third
- Advocates for discipline across market cycles and criticizes chasing valuations that 'don't make financial sense'
- A 'bad' term sheet is more about failed expectation management than necessarily unfair clauses
- Emphasizes constructive feedback and mutual respect over gossip to build a better tech ecosystem
- Has personal agenda for Economic Empowerment & Nation Building for Malaysia
Personality
Communication style
Confident, direct, and professionally enthusiastic with motivational language
Formality — 7/10
Vocabulary