OurCrowd appoints former HSBC MD to lead Asia expansion

• Since 2013, OurCrowd has raised over US$500 million for over 130 startups and 14 funds
• Wee had served as managing director at HSBC and CEO of HSBC Securities Singapore

OURCROWD, an equity crowdfunding platform, on Nov 14 announced the appointment of Roland Wee (pic, right) as managing director of the company’s Asia operations.

Wee will serve as a key addition to its senior leadership team to spearhead its continued growth and success in the region.

Prior to joining OurCrowd, Wee served as managing director at HSBC and CEO of HSBC Securities Singapore.

“Financial innovation is taking place at a breathtaking pace. I firmly believe that the platform Jon Medved and team have built at OurCrowd will have a huge impact by broadening investor access to the exciting private market for innovative companies. I am honoured that they have allowed me to be part of the team to continue turning this dream into a reality for all of us,” says Wee.

Since launching in 2013, OurCrowd has raised over US$500 million (RM2.1 billion) for over 130 startups and 14 funds from thousands of active investors on its global platform.

The Israel-based firm has formally launched strategic partnerships in the past 18 months with financial institutions including United Overseas Bank in Singapore, Shanghai Commercial Savings Bank in Taiwan, Citic Pacific in Hong Kong, Reliance Private Client in India, and National Australia Bank, who offer OurCrowd’s opportunities and bespoke investment products to their retail and private wealth clients.

“Once again, our 2017 results have taken the industry by surprise, as we continue to exceed expectations and achieve unprecedented milestones,” said OurCrowd CEO Jon Medved. “Our proven ability to scale and our future outlook has never been stronger, and attracting top tier talent such as Roland sets us up for even greater outcomes in the coming stage of our evolution. We are thrilled to welcome Roland to our strong senior management group and look forward to forging a powerful future for OurCrowd in Asia.”

Wee brings 20 years of experience in financial markets, with a broad background in various capacities – as an analyst in the technology sector, as a fund manager, and most recently in HSBC management roles over the past 12 years.

In his latest capacity, Wee directed a team of sales people, traders, and dealers, while working closely with a research team based in Singapore.

Together, they put forward investment ideas for institutional fund managers, executed the trades in the global equity markets and also arranged large IPOs and equity placements.

“Roland brings a unique combination of experience, insight, creative energy, and vision to our team,” said OurCrowd Asia managing partner Denes Ban.

“While we are extremely proud of the rapid rate of growth we have achieved this past year in Singapore, Asean, and throughout the region, we also recognise the tremendous untapped opportunity across Asia and around the world for our unique model, synthesising the best of venture capital with a broad-based platform for all accredited investors. I am confident that Roland is the ideal leader to help us realise this enormous potential in 2018 and beyond.”