The Straits Times

Investor education vital to attracting more high-growth tech companies to SGX

Investor education vital to attracting more high-growth tech companies to SGX

  • April 21, 2017
  • min read

The Straits Times

Investor education vital to attracting more high-growth tech companies to SGX

More can be done to make it more attractive for high-growth tech firms to list on the Singapore bourse, including educating retail investors about such companies, said Singapore Venture Capital and Private Equity Association (SVCA) chairman Jeffrey Chi. Dr Chi was speaking at the launch of the Southeast Asia Private Equity Report on Friday (Apr 21). The report, released annually by management consultancy Bain & Company and SVCA, tracks private equity and venture capital deal flow in the region. "The institutional investor base understands investing in high-growth tech companies which might not be profitable yet," said Mr Suvir Varma, who leads Bain's private equity practice in Asia-Pacific. "But many South-east Asian (public) markets are heavily retail investor-oriented. The average retail investor might not understand the concept of strong revenue growth but continuous negative earnings. "Retail investors in the region are cash oriented, they want dividends and returns."