DONG NGUYEN XUAN · ANGEL INVESTOR · VIC PARTNERS
Close to twenty years building and scaling digital consumer businesses in Vietnam and Southeast Asia, across every seat from operating staff to board member. Today I work alongside founders with three resources: capital, operating experience and network.
Dong Nguyen Xuan
Serial Entrepreneur · Angel Investor
The founder's viewwhat is holding growth back.
The investor's viewhow durable is this result.
The operator's viewhow much change can the organisation absorb.
My strongest asset is not a single skill. It is the ability to assess a company from three perspectives at once.
Founders focus on the immediate problem and often overlook structural risk. Investors question the quality of the numbers and whether they will repeat over the next three years. Operators assess how much strain the organisation can take. Having worked in all three roles, I ask all three questions in the same assessment.
I believe an early-stage investor is only truly effective while still operating. That is why I continue to build companies alongside my investment activity.
01
Corporate development at Funtap, Vietnam's leading mobile game publisher: investing in, acquiring and venture building game studios. Alongside this, board advisor at Coolmate, Ecomobi and selected portfolio companies.
For game studios →02
Investing personal capital, or connecting founders with suitable angels, at the idea stage or ahead of commercial launch. The value extends beyond capital: opening distribution channels, partner introductions, key hires and preparation for the first institutional round.
Stage 1: Angel →03
Institutional capital through VIC Partners: larger cheques, tighter structure, full due diligence and an investment committee.
Stage 2: Fund →Effective collaboration depends on the right people, the right timing and the right stage of the company. I work with founders across three stages.
Pre-seed, seed
A company at the earliest stage: a clear idea and a team that has just formed. I invest directly or connect founders with suitable angels, consider co-investing, and support the company until it has traction.
Seed to Series A
A validated model that needs capital and network to scale. Invested through VIC Partners.
An operating company
Founders who need counsel on strategy, fundraising, M&A and governance. Capacity is very limited.
A company only scales once its founder does.
Capital is the smallest part of what an early-stage investor contributes. Distribution, network and key hires decide the outcome.
History does not repeat, but human behaviour does. Most startup problems have a precedent to compare against.
Play long games with people who think long term.
Men's D2C apparel · Early investor and advisor
An early-stage investment. The company is now backed by Vertex Ventures, GSR Ventures, Do Ventures and other institutional investors. A defining case for my thesis on Vietnamese D2C.
coolmate.me →Performance marketing, Southeast Asia · Co-founder
A performance marketing and affiliate platform with teams in five markets. The lesson: cross-border expansion is a people and systems problem before it is a product problem.
ecomobi.com →Coffee · Investor
A coffee brand built on one principle: perfect the product for yourself, grow within a loyal customer base, then consider scale. Consistent with my investment philosophy.
ghecoffee.vn →Financial education for children · Founder
A financial education product for children, started from a need at home and now used by teachers in the classroom.
ruva.vn →Further investments will be announced when appropriate.
If you are building a digital consumer business in Vietnam or Southeast Asia, send your deck. I read every submission and respond within five working days.