JAM Ventures was founded with a simple belief: that the best companies are built when smart people, bold ideas, and the right capital come together at the right time.
Over the years, we've partnered with entrepreneurs and investors at the intersection of media, advertising, and technology — helping startups scale, advising on market entry, and connecting the dots across Asia Pacific and beyond.
We believe in the power of enabling. Enabling entrepreneurs to build. Enabling investors to find the best opportunities. Enabling great companies to be born.
Founder in Residence
Ken Mandel
With over 25 years of experience in the digital industry, Ken Mandel is a seasoned leader and innovator in advertising, media, and technology businesses across the Asia Pacific region. He is currently the Regional Managing Director and Head of GrabAds & Enterprise at Grab, the leading super app in Southeast Asia that connects millions of users with a range of services from transport and food delivery to payments and financial services.
As the head of GrabAds & Enterprise, he oversees the overall Ads & Enterprise P&Ls and strategic direction of the fast-growing teams that provides innovative and effective advertising solutions to brands and merchants on Grab's platform. He leverages his expertise in O2O, data insights, retail media, and super app advertising to create value for Grab's users, partners, and stakeholders.
He is also passionate about mentoring and investing in bright entrepreneurs and digital start-ups through his personal vehicle, JAM Ventures. Additionally, he serves as an advisor and board member for several leading technology companies, such as Braze and BandLab Technologies.
Advisors & Affiliations
We work with a network of experienced advisors and are affiliated with leading industry organizations.
David Gowdey
Managing Partner, Jungle Ventures
Leads one of Southeast Asia's largest independent VC firms ($1B+ AUM). Former international M&A lead at Yahoo! for 12 years and Asia internet lead at TPG Growth. Track record includes exits to Tencent, Intuit, and Naspers.
Built Vietnam's first tech unicorn valued at $2.2B, spanning gaming, Zalo messaging (74M+ MAU), and fintech. Co-founded Nomade.fr, one of France's first internet IPOs. A 20-year Vietnam veteran now building at the frontier of AI.
Founded AdRelevance (acquired by Nielsen) and M:Metrics (acquired by comScore). One of the only executives to have held senior roles at all four major digital measurement platforms: comScore, Media Metrix, Nielsen//NetRatings, and Hitwise.
25-year Asia venture veteran with 350+ early-stage investments. Venture Partner at SOSV ($1.5B AUM), founded Chinaccelerator and MOX. Former founding MD of SingTel Innov8 and top-ranked TMT analyst at Deutsche Bank.
US-trained corporate attorney and Bangkok-based early-stage investor backing Southeast Asian entrepreneurs. Former Partner at Baker McKenzie with deep expertise in cross-border M&A across Asia-Pacific. Based in Bangkok for over 15 years.
Veteran HR and talent strategist — former HR Director SEA at Yahoo!, Head of HR SEAP at Nokia, and VP HR APAC at Pitney Bowes. Co-founded ASD Technology in West Africa, growing it into a Top 10 private business in Burkina Faso. Advises startups across 40+ countries.
