Gerrard Lai, vice-president, strategic investment division at MUFG Innovation Partners, is one of our top 50 Rising Stars in corporate venturing for 2025.
Gerrard Lai joined the corporate VC arm of Japanese financial services firm Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG) in early 2021.
He took up his current position in June 2024, where he oversees Southeast Asian markets.
“In Southeast Asia, an increase in embedded financing and banking trend – underpinned by improved digital infrastructure – will allow easier access to financial services for the wider population segment,” he says.
“The jury is still out on blockchain applications for financial inclusion and cross-border payments, but I would love to see how development in this sector pans out in terms of cost reduction and efficacy.”
“It is important to treat startups and founders with a collaborative mindset, not as vendors”
While CVC groups are naturally tied to the interests of the parent corporate, the innovative technologies from startups are ultimately what corporates are looking to tap into. “It is important to keep that in mind and treat startups and founders with a collaborative mindset, not as vendors,” he says.
“CVC teams work with many stakeholders, beyond startup founders and LPs,” says Lai, adding that stakeholder management, establishing strong relationships and rapport with business units of the parent corporate are key to driving collaboration discussions.
“Doing the appropriate sums and writing a beautiful investment memo can help push through an investment opportunity,” he says. “While those are important, people relationship makes the real difference in driving collaboration projects.”
Founded in 2019, MUFG Innovation Partners targets fintech and financial services-related companies at early to growth stages globally. It manages $650m across MUIP Funds 1, 2 and 3 and the Indonesia-focused MUIP Garuda Fund, and supports the India-orientated MUFG Ganesha Fund.
The unit has a team of 30 and supports 50 portfolio companies in Japan, the US, Southeast Asia, India and other emerging markets.
See the full list of Rising Stars 2025 here.
