Top VCs reveal how they evaluate deals at Endeavor’s Reverse Pitch 2026

• Investors say resilience, execution and capital efficiency matter as much as growth
• Early relationships and founder quality emerge as key factors in securing investment

Endeavor Malaysia returned with Reverse Pitch 2026, bringing together more than 130 entrepreneurs and investors for candid discussions with leading venture capitalists and institutional investors on how funding decisions are made in today’s more selective investment environment.

Representing regional firms including Creador, Gobi Partners, Asia Partners, Vynn Capital and Khazanah Nasional Berhad, investors shared how macroeconomic uncertainty, artificial intelligence and changing market dynamics are reshaping the way startups are evaluated, with greater emphasis now placed on resilience, capital efficiency and execution.

“Our goal with Reverse Pitch was to level the playing field and demystify the funding landscape. By bringing together everyone from early-stage VCs to major regional institutional investors in one room, we gave entrepreneurs direct insight into how investors think,” said Shan Li Tay, managing director of Endeavor Malaysia.

“More importantly, it created a space where founders could challenge the status quo, ask difficult questions and build the meaningful relationships that drive our ecosystem forward.”

A key theme throughout the session was adaptability. As AI reshapes how companies build and scale, investors said founders must demonstrate more than ambitious growth projections. Leadership, resilience, capital efficiency and the ability to execute consistently have become equally important considerations when evaluating investment opportunities.

That scrutiny is also reshaping how deals are evaluated. Investors are looking beyond financial models to assess an entrepreneur’s leadership, track record and ability to execute over the long term.

“Endeavor’s Reverse Pitch is refreshing because it flips the usual dynamic and gives founders direct insight into how investors think,” said Syafiq Aqmar, investment director at Gobi Partners.

“It also gives us an opportunity to share how we support companies from 0-to-1 and 1-to-10, across both early and growth stages.”

The discussion also highlighted the importance of engaging investors well before launching a fundraising round. Building relationships early allows founders and investors to establish trust, align strategically and create a more productive fundraising process.

“Founders need to start building investor relationships well before a raise. Early trust and alignment can make the fundraising process less pressured and more productive,” said Melissa Ng, investment manager at Qualgro Partners.

During the interactive Q&A, investors also addressed the psychological realities of fundraising, reminding entrepreneurs that rejection is an inevitable part of the process. Rather than seeking universal validation, founders were encouraged to remain conviction-led and focus on finding investors whose values and long-term vision align with their own.

Now in its second edition, Endeavor’s Reverse Pitch continues to foster more transparent and informed conversations between founders and investors, helping entrepreneurs better understand how today’s investors evaluate opportunities while strengthening Malaysia’s startup ecosystem.