Wavesparks Ventures
Backed before the world is watching.
$10K first cheques for technology and AI founders aged 25 and below across Asia.
Wavesparks Ventures backs founders we have seen in motion - not only once the pitch is polished and the fundraising round has begun.
You do not need to be incorporated to begin a relationship with us. Your company must be incorporated before receiving investment.
Each company we back receives a first cheque, a dedicated Investor-Mentor and the support of a wider circle of experienced founders, operators and investors.
The goal: help you turn early potential into the proof for your first institutional round.
Our belief
We do not lower the bar for young founders. We meet them earlier.
Founders are often told to return when they have more traction, more experience or a cleaner story.
But the earliest stage is precisely when the right capital, judgement and encouragement can make the greatest difference.
Wavesparks works with founders while the product is still rough, the first users are difficult to find and the direction is still taking shape. Through our programmes, build sprints and founder communities, we see what a pitch deck cannot show us:
Wavesparks Ventures turns that earned relationship into a first cheque.
What founders receive
The first cheque should buy evidence, not appearance.
$10K will not build the entire company. It should help make one important thing true: a working product, a meaningful pilot, repeat usage, a clearer customer wedge, a technical milestone or stronger evidence that the company deserves its next round.
Together, we identify the proof point that matters most.
A $10K first cheque
Early capital to build, test and learn - not to spend months preparing to fundraise.
It may help you ship the next version, run customer experiments, secure an early pilot or demonstrate that your product solves a problem people genuinely care about.
A dedicated Investor-Mentor
Every company is paired with one consistent Investor-Mentor who understands the context behind the updates.
They help you think through priorities, challenge your assumptions and prepare for the decisions ahead.
A wider circle behind you
Your Investor-Mentor is supported by the Wavesparks Investor-Mentor Circle: experienced founders, operators and investors who can contribute perspective across product, customers, go-to-market, hiring, finance and fundraising.
The Investor-Mentor model
Your first cheque should come with someone who stays.
Early founders rarely need another person telling them what a successful company is supposed to look like.
They need someone who understands what they are building, remembers the decisions that led them there and can help them see the next move more clearly.
Your dedicated Investor-Mentor is that consistent person.
They are not there to run your company. You remain the founder making the decisions. Their role is to challenge your thinking, help you recognise blind spots and pull in the right people from the wider circle when another perspective would be useful.
One Investor-Mentor who knows your context.
Ten more within reach when you need them.
The people behind the capital are also the people supporting the founders.
Who we back
Industry-open. Technology-core.
We do not have a preferred vertical.
We are looking for ambitious, commercially scalable companies in which technology or AI is fundamental to the product, its delivery or its long-term defensibility - not simply added as a feature or marketing label.
Led by young founders
The company is actively led by a founder aged 25 or below.
Building from Asia
You are based in Asia and building for customers in Asia or anywhere in the world.
Technology at the core
You are building a technology or AI company, not merely using technology to operate a conventional service business.
Early is welcome
You may be pre-incorporation, pre-revenue or still building your first usable product.
We do not expect polish. We do expect evidence that you have begun and commitment to see it through.
Commercial and scalable
You are building a company designed to generate revenue and grow beyond a one-off project or service engagement.
Incorporated before investment
You can meet us, build with us and begin the investment conversation before forming a company.
An eligible company must be incorporated before an investment can be completed.
What this is not for
Not every meaningful project should become a venture-backed company.
Wavesparks Ventures does not invest through this initiative in charities, community projects or social enterprises.
A company may absolutely create positive social or environmental impact. But it must also have a commercial, scalable technology business model capable of supporting venture-style growth.
This distinction is not a judgement on which work matters more.
It is simply a decision about what this particular capital is designed to support.
Relationship first
A pitch tells us what you want to build. Time together tells us how you build.
We invest relationship first.
That means we prioritise founders we have already worked with, observed or come to know through:
We want to know you, and understand how you speak with customers, work with your team, absorb feedback, make trade-offs and continue when the answer is not obvious. It is not one-way. It also gives you the opportunity to build familiarity with us and decide whether there is genuine fit.
That being said, relationship first does not mean insider-only. No single Wavesparks programme is compulsory.
It just means we do not pretend that one application form and a 20-minute pitch are enough.
How it works
From first interaction to first cheque.
Meet us
Join a Wavesparks programme or event, connect with us through one of our partner communities, or simply apply here.
Show the work
Show what you have built, users you have spoken to. Test an assumption. Share what happened, what surprised you and what changed.
We are more interested in your rate of learning than a perfectly linear story.
Build mutual conviction
When there appears to be a strong fit, we spend more time understanding the founders, commitment, product, market, technology and commercial potential.
You should be assessing us too.
Complete the investment process
Selected companies complete the necessary diligence, approvals and definitive investment documents.
Founders who have not yet incorporated must do so before receiving investment.
Build towards the next round
Together with your Investor-Mentor, you identify the proof points the first cheque should unlock and work towards a stronger position for your first institutional round.
What progress might look like
Your next proof point will be specific to your company.
For one founder, it may be launching the first product customers actually would pay to use.
For another, it may be converting early interest into paid pilots.
It could mean demonstrating repeat usage, validating a difficult technical capability, identifying a much sharper customer wedge or proving that a particular go-to-market motion can work.
The first cheque is not there to make the company look bigger.
It is there to make the opportunity more real.
Investor-Mentor Circle
Backed by people who remember what the beginning felt like.
The Wavesparks Investor-Mentor Circle brings together founders, operators and investors who believe the best way to discover the next generation of founders is to work with them before everyone else arrives.
They contribute more than capital.
They bring judgement, pattern recognition, hard-earned experience, honest feedback and a willingness to open the right door when they can.
Investor-Mentor profile
Our Investor-Mentors are founders, operators and investors, united by a common desire to support the next gen.
Circle member profile
We'll share more over time!
Frequently asked questions
Questions founders usually ask first.
Is the $10K a grant?
No. It is an investment made through a SAFE, which is an agreement that may convert into equity according to its terms.
Do I need to agree on a company valuation now?
We do not conduct a priced equity round at this stage. The SAFE defines how the investment may convert in a later financing.
All conversion mechanics and investment terms are governed by the final executed documents.
Do I need to be incorporated before approaching Wavesparks Ventures?
No. You may meet us and begin building the relationship before incorporation.
You must have an eligible incorporated company before an investment can be completed.
Do I need a finished product or revenue?
No.
You may be pre-product or pre-revenue, but you should be able to show evidence of action: something built, tested, learned, changed or validated.
Do I have to join a Wavesparks programme?
No single programme is mandatory.
However, Wavesparks Ventures is deliberately relationship-led. In most cases, we expect to spend time getting to know you through the Wavesparks ecosystem, a trusted partner or a credible referral before making an investment decision.
Does joining a Wavesparks programme guarantee investment?
No.
Programme participation, mentoring and community involvement do not guarantee investment or preferential investment terms.
Can founders outside Singapore receive investment?
We consider founders based across Asia, subject to legal eligibility, incorporation requirements, diligence and our ability to invest in the relevant jurisdiction.
Do you back social enterprises?
Not through this initiative.
Wavesparks Ventures is designed for commercially scalable technology and AI companies. Positive impact is welcome, but the company must have a venture-scale commercial model.
What happens after receiving the cheque?
You will work with a dedicated Investor-Mentor towards an agreed set of proof points.
Support may cover product, customer validation, go-to-market, leadership, hiring and preparation for a future institutional round. Investment, introductions and follow-on financing are never guaranteed.
Final call to action
Meet us before you pitch us.
Come to a session.
Build something with us.
Show us the work, not only the story.
Let the relationship begin before the fundraising does.
Investment is selective and subject to eligibility, due diligence, approval, definitive documentation and availability of capital.