Cocoon Capital

19/05/2026

For years, “follow the money” was the rule in finance. Now the question is: where is smart capital actually willing to stay?

Last week, the financial industry gathered in Singapore for the first-ever Finance Magnates
APAC Summit 2026 at the Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibition Centre. The room was filled with brokers, banks, hedge funds, wealth managers, fintech operators, and investors all trying to answer the same thing: what does building a durable business look like in this market cycle?

Our Partner, Zong Xi Sia, joined one of the panels to share his perspective. These were some of his key takeaways:

•⁠ ⁠𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗱. Zong shared perspectives on the evolving fundraising landscape in the region, including the challenges both founders and funds are navigating today, speaking about the shift in investor focus from GMV-led growth to stronger fundamentals like gross margin, EBITDA, and long-term sustainability. He shared how this is something Cocoon has focused on from the start with our founders, supporting them to build businesses that are fundable for the right reasons.

•⁠ ⁠𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗲𝘅𝗶𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝗮𝗿 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸. He also discussed how Cocoon works with founders from day one to build with the end in mind, focusing not just on growth, but also on corporate governance, resilient business models, strong management teams, and the ability to scale across borders in preparation for long-term outcomes and eventual exits.

Thank you to Finance Magnates for bringing this conversation to APAC. The more spaces like this that exist for honest conversations between founders, operators, and investors, the stronger the ecosystem becomes for everyone.

14/05/2026

Not all customers are created equal - some validate hype while others validate survival.

And if your growth suddenly plateaued, you probably built for the 1% who love anything NEW - the newest tech and gadgets, not the 99% who have a problem that YOUR product helps to solve. And the second is what causes stickiness.

Early traction and product-market fit are not the same thing. Early adopters will follow you, rave about you, and SEEM devoted. Until the next shiny thing shows up. Then they're gone, just like that. Think about those who bought the first iPhone, tried Google Glasses, and signed up for every new app the day it launched.

Real product-market fit happens when you start winning the “boring” customers:
•⁠ ⁠The technophobes (we have a video about this! see our reels for more on this)
•⁠ ⁠The skeptics
•⁠ ⁠The busy decision-makers who don't have time for tools that don't work

They're not excited by features nor are they impressed by integrations. They just want their problem solved without creating ten new ones

But if you win them over, then they are LOYAL, stable, slow churn, with high lifetime value.

Tag a founder who needs to hear this today.

07/05/2026

Cocoon Capital Mentoring Hours is back in Jakarta!

Get 25 minutes of undivided attention from our Managing Partner, Michael Blakey. It’s a great opportunity for any DeepTech or SaaS founder to ask Michael, a seasoned investor with 25 years of investing experience and having seen over 10,000 pitches, about refining your business model, optimising your product strategy, and mastering your next fundraising round.

Limited spots. Register here: https://cocooncap.typeform.com/to/UhfvX3JR

Michael Blakey on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mblakey/

07/05/2026

Al This. Al That.

And in all that noise, one thing gets missed: The biggest opportunities aren't in the loudest tech cycles. They're in the mainstream. Not the early adopters. Not the hype loop. The customers who move slower, trust harder, and stay longer.

Every cycle plays out the same way: new tech emerges, capital floods in, founders pivot, narratives spike, then reset. But returns don't come from being early to noise. They come from being right about adoption.

Michael Blakey shares more on why being a technophobe becomes an unfair advantage, and how it forces him to focus on mainstream adoption, not early hype: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/mblakey_why-being-a-technophobe-is-one-of-my-unfair-share-7457792902933606402-Iaeo?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAABfIPZcBR4oxDCyDwd3x0-WekO10OrSRtLU

04/05/2026

We are incredibly proud to see our portfolio company, Bioactivx, hit such major milestone beyond raising capital: submitting their Bioactiv®️ Matrix to the Health Sciences Authority (HSA).

With positive first-in-human studies and a robust IP foundation, they are setting a new standard in animal-free wound care. We are excited to support their journey as they move closer to bringing this life-changing technology to clinicians and patients worldwide.

Read more:

Another small but big step forward. We’re pleased to share that Bioactiv®️ Matrix has been successfully submitted to the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) for regulatory approval. For a deep tech company, milestones like this matter as they represent the transition from years of research, develop...

04/05/2026

A lot of founders are waiting for the VC check to arrive… but often the real issue isn’t timing, it’s that the story hasn’t yet translated into how investors actually make decisions.

Most founders deeply understand their customers, but when it comes to how VCs actually think and make decisions, that knowledge drops to a 2 or 3 out of 10. That gap is exactly why great companies fail to close rounds while average ones raise millions.

So what are VCs really looking for?

Michael Blakey breaks that down and how to build a narrative that wins: https://lnkd.in/gSYr-88R

30/04/2026

7 years. 200,000+ fleet units. 500+ clients. One unstoppable team. 🚀

Congratulations to our portfolio company, Transtrack, on its 7th anniversary! 🎉,

What started as a bold idea to digitalise fleet operations in Indonesia has grown into one of Southeast Asia's largest and most recognised fleet management platforms, and we couldn't be prouder to have backed them from the early stages.

TransTRACK has built a full-suite Fleet Operation Optimiser and Supply Chain Integrator that helps companies across logistics, mining, FMCG, plantation, and beyond to reduce costs by up to 30% and boost productivity by up to 40%. From real-time GPS tracking to AI-driven driver monitoring, transportation management, and even a Halal Logistics Platform.

Recognised by Berg Insight as one of Southeast Asia's largest fleet management providers for two consecutive years, and expanding in countries like Singapore, Malaysia, and Australia.

To founder and CEO Anggia Meisesari, the entire leadership team, and every member of : here's to going . 🚀

The best is still ahead. Keep moving forward. 💪

30/04/2026

Johor is quickly becoming more than just a neighbor to Singapore; it’s evolving into a critical engine for the region’s industrial future.

Held early this April, our Partner Zong Xi SIA joined the Advanced Innovation & Manufacturing Asia Summit 2026 panel discussion, Unlocking Capital Raising Opportunities for Deep Tech Innovators & Manufacturing Scale-ups to Fuel Growth, Competitiveness & Global Expansion. This is a topic close to our hearts at Cocoon Capital.

The summit brought together manufacturing leaders, innovators, policymakers, and investors across Asia to tackle one of the region's most pressing questions: how do we build industrial ecosystems that are agile, intelligent, and sustainable?

Thank you to the AIM Asia Summit team for convening such a timely gathering, and to everyone who joined the discussions, speed networking, and connections made.

28/04/2026

Having no one in a role is often better than having the wrong person in it.

Bad hires don't just underperform, they quietly drag everyone around them. In a startup, there's nowhere to hide, and the damage happens faster than most founders expect. Michael Blakey shares what he's learned the hard way about hiring mistakes and why acting decisively matters more than you think.

Read it here: https://lnkd.in/gW7FP8m3

22/04/2026

From Bangladesh to the regional stage of Asia! 🌍

We're proud to see Hasib Rahman, Co-founder and COO of Shomvob, receive the official recognition for Shomvob’s inclusion in the Forbes Asia 100 to Watch 2025.

Shomvob’s real impact is measured by the millions of digital identities they’ve created for workers across Bangladesh. In doing so, they’ve created a more inclusive ecosystem where skill, not circumstance, dictates a worker's future. Shomvob ensures that even marginalised groups are given an equal seat at the table of economic opportunity.

Shomvob has the kind of transformative impact we look for at Cocoon Capital. To the entire team at Shomvob, we are honored to be part of your journey and glad you are part of our portfolio!

21/04/2026

A strong step forward for one of our portfolio companies, Buymed to partner with Asia's leading integrated healthcare solutions company, Zuellig Pharma - Asia’s leading integrated healthcare solutions company that has over a century of expertise expanding access to healthcare through deep partnerships across the ecosystem.

We’re proud to support Buymed as they continue building a smarter, faster, and more accessible pharmaceutical supply chain for the region through partnerships like this.

Read more about this partnership below.

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/buymedasia_together-different-strengths-activity-7445719242966130688--4yA?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_android&rcm=ACoAABfIPZcBR4oxDCyDwd3x0-WekO10OrSRtLU