BORN
1951

INDUCTED
2022

CATEGORY
Business and Enterprise

THE HONOURED INDUCTEES TO THE SINGAPORE WOMEN’S HALL OF FAME

KOH SOO BOON

Founder of Singapore’s first female-led venture capital firm

Koh Soo Boon had two career options when she returned to Singapore in 1973 with a Mathematics degree from King’s College London – work on statistics in the public sector or go into banking. She chose banking because DBS Bank made her an interesting offer. It was a choice that set her on the path to becoming the first Singaporean woman to break into the boys’ club that is Silicon Valley.

Soo Boon spent 12 years at DBS, starting out as a trader in the dealing room before becoming a project analyst, a role that taught her how to assess business plans across different sectors. She moved on to various other positions, including head of international department, supervising eight overseas branches’ lending portfolio, and the operations of international loan syndication.

In 1986, Soo Boon quit her job at DBS to accompany her husband who had been posted to San Francisco. She settled into the role of homemaker briefly before taking on the role in 1987 of California representative for Singapore Technologies Group (STG). The job involved overseeing the technology transfer of Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing (CSM), whose US business partner was Don Valentine, the legendary venture capitalist from Sequoia Capital

In 1988, Soo Boon started STG’s corporate venture arm, Vertex Management Inc. in Silicon Valley. She had to start from scratch as she had no contacts in the venture capital business or among start-ups. She filled her days with back-to-back meetings, unabashedly asking lots of questions of everyone she met.

Over the next 11 years, Soo Boon held senior management positions in Vertex, establishing its operations both in California and in London while investing in many US fabless semiconductor companies, including Lattice Semiconductor, QuickLogic, and QuickTurn, as well as France-based Gemplus and Germany-based SCM Microsystems.

In 1999, she decided to branch out on her own and set up iGlobe Partners, Singapore’s first female-founded venture capital firm. Primarily investing in the early to mid-growth stages of technology companies in Singapore and abroad, iGlobe has consistently achieved top-quartile fund returns. Prominent portfolio companies include Unity Software, Matterport, Hippo Holdings, NerdWallet, Twist Bioscience, and Ginkgo Bioworks

When deciding whether to invest in a start-up, Soo Boon looks for certain qualities in the founders. As she said in an interview: “What helps me decide is the founders themselves, their character and passion. If they just want to make money, they will skirt discussing the key issues. I want to see their commitment in what they’re building. I want to be able to trust them.”

Once she commits to a company, she stays committed. An early pick was navigation start-up Telenav Inc. Soo Boon made the investment in 2000, just before the dot-com crash and the 9/11 terror attacks sent markets on a downward spiral. Instead of pulling out of Telenav, she collaborated with the founders to stabilise the business and brought in a new investor. Nine years later, Telenav went public – making millionaires of 20 employees and giving iGlobe a six-fold return on its investment.

Soo Boon, who learnt the importance of financial independence from her mother, is keen to see more women decision makers in companies. While more women are making it into the top jobs, the numbers are still low, both in Singapore and globally. In the VC ecosystem, she said, women make up just 10% of start-up founders and 2% to 5% of VC founders globally.

“As the founder of iGlobe, a personal agenda is to use this platform to give women the same opportunities as men in the VC industry where it has always been dominated by men. In this sector, men and women each have their strengths,” she said.

“Women are generally known to be more nurturing and willing to listen. This helps us in supporting and connecting with entrepreneurs. When women are able to translate their innate ability in nurturing family and children to the workplace, they have huge potential to build great things in the corporate world too.”

Soo Boon was chairwoman of the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce & Industry’s Career Women Group from 2009 to 2019. She sits on the board of a host of companies that iGlobe has invested in and is a member of the Singapore Chapter of Women Corporate Directors and the International Women Forum. She currently serves as a fellow at the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS).

KOH SOO BOON

Founder of Singapore’s first female-led venture capital firm

BORN 1951  INDUCTED 2022
CATEGORY Business and Enterprise

Koh Soo Boon had two career options when she returned to Singapore in 1973 with a Mathematics degree from King’s College London – work on statistics in the public sector or go into banking. She chose banking because DBS Bank made her an interesting offer. It was a choice that set her on the path to becoming the first Singaporean woman to break into the boys’ club that is Silicon Valley.

Soo Boon spent 12 years at DBS, starting out as a trader in the dealing room before becoming a project analyst, a role that taught her how to assess business plans across different sectors. She moved on to various other positions, including head of international department, supervising eight overseas branches’ lending portfolio, and the operations of international loan syndication.

In 1986, Soo Boon quit her job at DBS to accompany her husband who had been posted to San Francisco. She settled into the role of homemaker briefly before taking on the role in 1987 of California representative for Singapore Technologies Group (STG). The job involved overseeing the technology transfer of Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing (CSM), whose US business partner was Don Valentine, the legendary venture capitalist from Sequoia Capital

In 1988, Soo Boon started STG’s corporate venture arm, Vertex Management Inc. in Silicon Valley. She had to start from scratch as she had no contacts in the venture capital business or among start-ups. She filled her days with back-to-back meetings, unabashedly asking lots of questions of everyone she met.

Over the next 11 years, Soo Boon held senior management positions in Vertex, establishing its operations both in California and in London while investing in many US fabless semiconductor companies, including Lattice Semiconductor, QuickLogic, and QuickTurn, as well as France-based Gemplus and Germany-based SCM Microsystems.

In 1999, she decided to branch out on her own and set up iGlobe Partners, Singapore’s first female-founded venture capital firm. Primarily investing in the early to mid-growth stages of technology companies in Singapore and abroad, iGlobe has consistently achieved top-quartile fund returns. Prominent portfolio companies include Unity Software, Matterport, Hippo Holdings, NerdWallet, Twist Bioscience, and Ginkgo Bioworks

When deciding whether to invest in a start-up, Soo Boon looks for certain qualities in the founders. As she said in an interview: “What helps me decide is the founders themselves, their character and passion. If they just want to make money, they will skirt discussing the key issues. I want to see their commitment in what they’re building. I want to be able to trust them.”

Once she commits to a company, she stays committed. An early pick was navigation start-up Telenav Inc. Soo Boon made the investment in 2000, just before the dot-com crash and the 9/11 terror attacks sent markets on a downward spiral. Instead of pulling out of Telenav, she collaborated with the founders to stabilise the business and brought in a new investor. Nine years later, Telenav went public – making millionaires of 20 employees and giving iGlobe a six-fold return on its investment.

Soo Boon, who learnt the importance of financial independence from her mother, is keen to see more women decision makers in companies. While more women are making it into the top jobs, the numbers are still low, both in Singapore and globally. In the VC ecosystem, she said, women make up just 10% of start-up founders and 2% to 5% of VC founders globally.

“As the founder of iGlobe, a personal agenda is to use this platform to give women the same opportunities as men in the VC industry where it has always been dominated by men. In this sector, men and women each have their strengths,” she said.

“Women are generally known to be more nurturing and willing to listen. This helps us in supporting and connecting with entrepreneurs. When women are able to translate their innate ability in nurturing family and children to the workplace, they have huge potential to build great things in the corporate world too.”

Soo Boon was chairwoman of the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce & Industry’s Career Women Group from 2009 to 2019. She sits on the board of a host of companies that iGlobe has invested in and is a member of the Singapore Chapter of Women Corporate Directors and the International Women Forum. She currently serves as a fellow at the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS).

“When women are able to translate their innate ability in nurturing family and children to the workplace, they have huge potential to build great things in the corporate world too.”
“Betting on the right horse takes a longer time and you need patience and perseverance. Think about giving it to your grandchildren because an investment is for generations.”

“In a start-up, you can make 200 to 2,000 people rich because they own equity and will share in the profits when there is an acquisition or public listing. That is why after so many years, I’m still excited about this industry.”

Profile last updated: 8th March 2022