The Malaysianist

The Malaysianist

Southeast

When a VC's F1 party draws investor ire

Golden Gate’s bash sends the wrong signal, some say.

Oct 14, 2025
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I’m going to kick off Southeast with a VC-related story. And then the Philippines makes a debut where I unpack a billion-dollar flood-mitigation scandal.

Southeast is a weekly strand in The Malaysianist exploring money and power at a regional level.

Anything and anyone is fair game, from VCs to politically exposed people to state-owned institutions.

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During the first week of October, Singapore-based venture firm Golden Gate Ventures (GGV) organised an invite-only F1 Founders Rally.

It was a three-day networking programme timed to the Singapore Grand Prix, bringing together founders, investors and corporate leaders, with sessions including a limited-partner/investor track (LPs are the fund’s own investors) and race-weekend gatherings.

Some investors in GGV’s funds were unimpressed, questioning the firm’s priorities and saying the optics were poor.

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