Chris Birrell, MBA, is Managing Partner at Func Ventures, specializing in early-stage API software startups across Southeast Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. With a Computer Science background, he has over 25 years of experience as Head of APAC for Silicon Valley tech firms that were either acquired (Symantec, ABB, IBM) or listed (NYSE: ETWO), generating over US$6B in returns. Chris has held various C-level and SVP roles, was involved in over 20 due-diligence acquisitions, and was at the forefront of the SaaS movement in the early 2000s. Chris is also a co-director of the Founders Institute Malaysia chapter, the world's leading pre-seed startup accelerator, and the Kuala Lumpur chapter leader of VNTR, the world’s largest investor community. He is an active board member and strategic advisor to startups across the Asia-Pacific region.