Making the First Move (in consumer). Meet First Move, an early-stage VC fund focused on consumer businesses in Southeast Asia.

• First Move was launched in 2023 by Fave founder Joel Neoh and Fave’s ex-Head of BNPL Audra Pakalnyte.

But don’t let the firm’s age fool you. They already invested in 10 startups in their first year!

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👀 What’s the deal?

• They invest up to $100k using a standard YC SAFE with a post-money cap of up to $3M.
• Early stage. Typically idea, pre-product, pre-seed, or pre-revenue stage.
• Value-add. Beyond funding, they help startups with their unique needs to grow, like finding co-founders, product strategy, or leveraging their network for partnerships or fundraising.

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👋🏼 Meet the 10 companies

Collektr. (Malaysia) They’re a marketplace for collectibles in Southeast Asia that allows live bidding.

Evo Commerce. (Singapore) They build D2C health, beauty, and personal care brands.

Koppiku. (Malaysia) They offer premium coffee and drinks at affordable prices.

MalaysianPAYGAP. (Malaysia) Best known for their Instagram account, they’re an initiative that raises awareness about the pay gap and unequal career opportunities.

Scentses + Co. (Malaysia) They’re Malaysia’s first designer fragrance subscription service.

The Giggly Company. (Indonesia) They’re building the future of consumer brands and experiences today, starting with Giggly Coco, a coconut water brand.

Tjufoo. (Indonesia) They’re an Indonesian startup that aggregates and grows Indonesian D2C brands.

Decube. (Singapore) They’re a data trust platform for the Gen AI era. They allow you to make your data more reliable, manageable and secure, so you can make better business decisions.

Save Day. (Vietnam) They let you save any content on the internet, like images, Youtube videos, PDFs, podcasts, and more. Search through it, summarize it, and share it too!

3cat. (Malaysia) They’re a secondhand electronics platform that allows you to trade in, repair, and buy used Apple devices.