Vanessa Ho learned the value of time and discipline long before she ever learned about investments or cash flow. Her father’s strong work ethic, discipline, and purpose shaped her journey as an entrepreneur, side-hustler, employee and investor.
At 12, she was already earning her own pocket money by helping out at her aunt’s beverage store. By 16, she started hosting and DJ-ing in Singapore’s fast-evolving media scene.
Her hard work from a young age and glamourous gigs in her teens did not define her worldviews, though. It was the brutal nature of her failed startup journey – despite the late nights, endless toils and wholehearted efforts she poured into the business.
Launching a fashion subscription startup when she turned 18, Vanessa had front row seats to watching how a hardworking, determined and talented team can still fail less than two years later. Instead of derailing off the startup path, the experience gave her a crash course in the realities of business building.
During our conversation, she reflected on how the “failure taught me how hard it really is to build something, and why founders need more than just money to succeed — they need support, belief, and access.”
A fierce sense of independence pushed Vanessa to support herself through university, with her part-time gigs. After graduation, she started looking for a place to rent with her friend. “Working and being financially-independent was huge part of my personal identity”, she admitted. “Although, I must say that now I am more cognizant that there is more to life than just our work”.
Vanessa recently became obsessed with golf and skydiving. While she enjoys the adrenaline rush out of these hobbies, she confesses that it is the social element of these sports, i.e. the friends she has made, that keeps her going back.
Today, Vanessa continues to wear multiple hats: recently landing a dream job in Singapore fintech forum and advisory firm, GFTN, being a recognised host and talent in her side-hustle, and co-founder of Fintech Nation, an angel investing firm and community.
To-date, Fintech Nation has assessed more than 500 early stage startups across Southeast Asia, and invested in about 25 of them. Fintech Nation doesn’t just put capital on the table though. With Vanessa’s multi-faceted background in startup, media and events, she brings a deep understanding of consumer behaviour, a knack for building communities, and a drive to enable others.
Whether she’s organising founder mixers or designing a go-to-market strategy, Vanessa is all-in, in all her three roles. And, at 26, she’s only just getting started.
Speaking to Vanessa about her entrepreneurial ups and downs, she opened up about what she’s learned from her failures, what she looks for in a winning startup team today, and why she believes investing is not just for the wealthy or well-connected — but for everyone, by taking it one step at a time.
Read Also: Why Investing In The STI Is Like Watching The English Premier League (EPL)
Dinesh: When discussing investments, most people naturally think about stocks and other financial instruments. It must be very different for you at Fintech Nation – where you analyse startups to potentially invest in.
How do you decide which startups will make it? Are there common characteristics that you see in a startup that’s destined for success?
Vanessa: Fintech Nation invests in early-stage startups, even as early as pre-product for founders with a good track record.
There are a few common traits we look out for:
- Founders and their background: Are they the best people to solve the problems because of their experience and network?
- Is this growing market? Beyond the market size, we also look at whether it’s a blue ocean opportunity in a sector that the company is in.
- What are the exit opportunities? At the end of the day, investors only make money when our shares in the company are liquidated, which can either happen via secondary buy-outs, M&As, or an IPO. In Southeast Asia, it is likely the M&A route, which means from day 1, we look at whether a startup can be a potential acquisition for corporates or private equity firms.
More recently, we also launched a private credit fund with Validus, an SME financing platform in Southeast Asia. With this Joint Venture fund, we hope to narrow the credit gap among regional SMEs in a challenging environment.
Dinesh: Fintech Nation has invested in 25 startups and assessed over 500 since you started in 2020.
Even after all your efforts to analyse, assess and guide these startups, I’m sure there have been some that failed. What’s been your biggest learning points from a failed investment?
Vanessa: My first ever angel investment was in a news app and I invested without much research, but instead trusted the lead of a fellow investor. The business burned through the cash and very quickly fizzled out.
The biggest lesson is to do my own research, no matter how much we trust another investor’s assessment and point of view. Always know what we are getting into: understand the business model, read about the market landscape, test the product.
It’s really not so different when people tell you about the next big stock or cryptocurrency to invest in.
Dinesh: In your experience, what is the biggest difference between investing in a startup as an early-stage Fintech investor, compared to investing as an individual trying to reach a personal financial goal?
Vanessa: The biggest difference is our time horizon. As an early-stage investor, we need to have patience as we may only see the returns in 7 to 10 years’ time.
As an early-stage investor, we also have to be prepared to have a large risk appetite. Since I already have this exposure, in my personal investments, I take on less risk by investing in more secure and diversified asset classes.
As individuals, we would have short-, medium- and long-term financial goals. For example, if someone is planning to buy a house or start a family in a year’s time, investing in more liquid asset classes might be better than assets like bonds with long maturity or equities that carry higher risks.
Dinesh: It’s not just money that we can invest. In fact, you can argue that our most precious assets are our time and energy – that we can invest in causes we are passionate about.
What are some non-financial investments that you’re most proud to have made?
Vanessa: I’ve invested a lot of time and energy, and sometimes my own money, to organise networking dinners and mixers. Whether as an individual or as part of Fintech Nation, I will invite founders, investors, people from the tech industry, to join and mingle socially.
This has given me the network and the insights that are invaluable in so many things I do now in my personal and professional life.
A mentor once told me that “business opportunities are started one year in advance.” I take it to mean, sow the seeds and meet people as early as possible, and the outcomes will unfold in years to come.
Dinesh: Most of us have day jobs that don’t involve assessing startups and the business environment, monitoring the financial markets or news cycles to make investments.
What is one advice you have for people who want to start investing?
Vanessa: Start small, but get started now. There are so many fintech platforms that can get you started as small as $1, and investing has become much more democratised now, thanks to online brokerage and wealth management platforms.
Also, read the news, learn from the Internet, and know enough so that we can be discerning whether we are speaking with our financial advisors, bankers, or friends.
Passion, Grit And Hustle Can Fuel And Sustain Financial Growth
Speaking to Vanessa Ho was hugely inspiring. At just 26, she can claim successes and failures that outnumber many others who are much older than her.
Her story is a powerful reminder that passion, hard work, and personal ambition can take us far – especially when paired with a deep sense of purpose. Her journey through helping at her aunt’s drinks shop, behind the DJ booth and on the stage, entrepreneurship, angel investing and organising global events with MAS backed GFTN shows how every experience, even failure, can fuel future successes.
But beyond chasing goals or building careers, Vanessa also demonstrates the importance of thinking long-term.
Whether you’re a full-time professional, a creative media personality, entrepreneur, or somewhere in between, investing – both financially and in yourself – is crucial in the long-term. It’s not just about wealth, but about building options, security, and the freedom to pursue what truly matters.
As Vanessa puts it, you don’t have to start big, you just have to start.
And, you can start at our upcoming Everyday Investor event on 19 July 2025, Saturday, from 10am to 3pm, at the SGX Auditorium. At our events, we invite Everyday Investors to speak about their investing journey, and aside from the DollarsAndSense team, you can hear from:
Loo Cheng Chuan, founder of the 1M65 movement, will be speaking on “Are You A Fair-Weathered Investor?”
Dawn Cher, better known as SGBudgetBabe, will be launching her first book at the event! She will be talking about “How To Take Back Control Of Your Money”
Bringing the topic closer to home, we can also hear Former professional footballers, who will share their experiences about “Beyond the Game: Financial Lessons From Being A Professional Athlete”
Registration for this event is $5, and you can look forward to lunch, refreshments, a goodie bag packed with treats, and a shot at winning exciting prizes – either at our interactive booths or in our lucky draw.
EveryDayInvestor (join the movement here on Telegram!) is an initiative by DollarsAndSense to make investing a daily habit.
Read the other articles in our #everydayinvestor series:
From Fear To Financial Freedom: How Chloe Lin Took Control Of Her Money And Life
Patience Over Profits: Hazelle Soon Shares Why It Pays To Think Long-Term As An #EveryDayInvestor
Why Jeraldine Phneah Believes That Every Millennial Needs To Care About Their Investment Journey
How This Full-Time University Student Finds Time To Study, Work, Invest & Go To The Gym Regularly
Meet Gavin Tan, A 21-Year-Old NSF Who Has Invested In More Than 20 Stocks Since Starting His Investment JourneyFrom Overseas Travel To Overseas Stocks:
Yasmine Khater Shares How She Went From Living A YOLO Lifestyle To Becoming A Confident Investor
Advertiser Message
