October 20, 2020, Singapore – ABC World Asia, an Asia-focused private equity fund dedicated to impact investing, announced today its participation in the Series B funding round for Australian plant-based meat startup v2food. Other investors participating in this round include Altitude Partners, China Renaissance, Esenagro, Horizons Ventures, Marinya Capital, Main Sequence Ventures, Novel Investments and Temasek.
Founded in 2019 as a partnership between Australia’s national science agency CSIRO, Main Sequence Ventures and Competitive Foods Australia, v2food’s goal is to create a ‘version two’ of meat. The Company uses protein extracted from legumes to create ‘mince’ that looks, tastes and cooks like quality meat. Made entirely with simple, natural ingredients without genetic modifications, v2food’s plant-based meats provide consumers with convenient, tasty and, best of all, cost-equivalent alternatives.
This round of funding raises v2food’s total funds to US$80 million, which will enable the company to expand its team and production facility in Wodonga, Australia, as well as launch its products globally into new markets including Asia, and bring its affordable meat alternatives to more consumers worldwide.
“Animal agriculture requires a significant amount of water and land, and is a leading cause of greenhouse gas emissions. To accelerate a consumer transition to a more plant-rich diet and help reduce reliance on unsustainable food production, we believe our role as an impact investment fund is to support industry-leading innovators like v2food, who seek to produce plant-based meats with a lower environmental footprint and at a price that is accessible to the mass consumer market,” said David Heng, Founder and CEO, ABC World Asia.
“This will have a positive impact in our fight against climate change.”
“ABC World Asia’s investment into v2food further validates our mission of producing sustainable plant-based meat products to feed a growing population. We look forward to working with ABC World Asia to accelerate the growth of delicious plant-based meat into the region and make a real difference to the sustainability of the planet”, said Nick Hazell, Founder and CEO, v2food.
Believing that investment and sustainability are not mutually exclusive, ABC World Asia looks to support companies that are committed to generating a positive, measurable social or environmental impact.
As part of its plans for expansion, v2food is currently exploring distribution and retail partnerships with supermarkets and quick service restaurant outlets in Singapore, Thailand, and China. v2food’s products are currently available at Woolworths and Drakes supermarkets across Australia, quick service restaurant outlets such as Hungry Jack’s in Australia & Burger King in New Zealand, as well as meal kit services Marley Spoon and Dinnerly.
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About ABC World Asia
Headquartered in Singapore, ABC World Asia is a private equity fund dedicated to impact investing. Impact investing encompasses the intention to generate positive, measurable social or environmental impact, alongside a compelling risk-adjusted return.
The fund’s investment strategy aligns with Temasek’s ABC Framework for an Active Economy, a Beautiful Society and a Clean Earth, building on the ideals of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals.
ABC World Asia will focus on themes including – financial and digital inclusion; better health and education; climate and water solutions; sustainable food and agriculture; and smart and liveable cities.
For more information, please visit www.abcworld.com.sg
About v2food
v2food is a new, innovative Australian company committed to making delicious food that is good for you and good for the planet. Developed with over 100 years of CSIRO food & science research and with powerful collaborations within the food industry, v2food will play a pivotal role in changing the way we feed the growing global population sustainably. Recognising that there is a need for a version 2 of the food system, v2food is developing a range of plant-based meat products that taste great for all consumers.
Mr Goh Yew Lin is Chief Executive Officer of G. K. Goh Holdings Pte Ltd, an investment company with substantial assets in aged care in Australia and Singapore, alongside venture capital and private equity. He is Chairman of Xora Innovation, a Temasek-owned venture builder, and a Director of Temasek Trust. He was Chairman of Seviora Holdings, Temasek’s asset management arm, until September 2025, and served as a non-executive Director of Temasek Holdings from 2005 to 2018.
Mr Goh is also a board member of A*STAR (the Agency for Science, Technology and Research) and Chairman of the Governing Board of Duke-NUS Medical School. He holds a degree from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.
As Chief Executive Officer of Temasek Trust Asset Management (TTAM), Mr David Heng oversees two investment platforms: ABC Impact, an Asia-focused growth impact private equity firm with over S$1 billion (US$900 million) in assets under management, and Temasek Trust Capital, a purpose-aligned investment platform managing a diversified portfolio in support of Temasek Trust’s long-term philanthropic objectives.
With over 30 years in the investment industry, Mr Heng spent 14 years in senior leadership roles at Temasek, including Head of Real Estate, Head of Japan & Korea, Joint Head of Consumer, and Joint Head of China, prior to which he was with Deutsche Bank AG. He serves as an Independent Director of Sea Limited (NYSE: SE) and is a board member of the Centre for Impact Investing and Practices (CIIP). Mr Heng is an IBF Fellow (Asset Management). He holds an MBA from the University of Hull and a Bachelor of Engineering from the University of Canterbury.
Mr Desmond Kuek is Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of Temasek Trust, the philanthropic arm of Temasek, a role he has held since January 2023. He was previously Divisional Vice Chairman, Global Wealth Management at UBS AG (2019 to 2022), where he headed Sustainable Finance for Asia Pacific, and President and Group CEO of SMRT Corporation (2012 to 2018). Earlier in his career he served nearly three decades in the Singapore public service and Singapore Armed Forces, including as Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, Chief of Defence Force, and Chief of Army.
Ms Chan Wai Ching is Chief Corporate Officer of Temasek International and a member of its Strategy, Portfolio and Risk Committee and Senior Management Committee. She heads Temasek’s Organisation & People function and is a Director of Temasek Trust. She joined the board of Seviora Holdings, Temasek’s asset management group, in September 2025. Ms Chan joined Temasek in June 2006, following an extensive human resources career at Fullerton Financial Holdings, Citibank, Singapore Technologies, United Overseas Bank and Overseas Union Bank. She holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the National University of Singapore and completed the Advanced Management Programme at Harvard Business School in 2012.
Ms Margaret Lui is an experienced investment professional in direct investments, asset management and private equity. She was Chief Executive Officer of Azalea Investment Management, a wholly owned subsidiary of Temasek, from its founding in 2015 until her retirement on 31 March 2025; under her leadership, Azalea grew to manage around US$11 billion in assets and developed its two flagship platforms, the Astrea Private Equity Bonds and the Altrium PE Funds. She remains an Adviser to Azalea and sits on the Investment Committees of its Altrium funds.
Ms Lui spent 40 years with the Temasek group from 1985, including as Senior Managing Director and, prior to Azalea, as Chief Operating Officer of two of Temasek’s affiliate investment management companies. She also serves on the Board of Trustees of the Singapore Institute of Technology, as an independent non-executive director of Lendlease, as Chair of PSA International’s Marine Services Supervisory Committee, and as a member of the Singapore Exchange’s Listing Advisory Committee.
As Chief Executive Officer of Temasek Trust Asset Management (TTAM), Mr David Heng oversees two investment platforms: ABC Impact, an Asia-focused growth impact private equity firm with over S$1 billion (US$900 million) in assets under management, and Temasek Trust Capital, a purpose-aligned investment platform managing a diversified portfolio in support of Temasek Trust’s long-term philanthropic objectives.
With over 30 years in the investment industry, Mr Heng spent 14 years in senior leadership roles at Temasek, including Head of Real Estate, Head of Japan & Korea, Joint Head of Consumer, and Joint Head of China, prior to which he was with Deutsche Bank AG. He serves as an Independent Director of Sea Limited (NYSE: SE) and is a board member of the Centre for Impact Investing and Practices (CIIP). Mr Heng is an IBF Fellow (Asset Management). He holds an MBA from the University of Hull and a Bachelor of Engineering from the University of Canterbury.
Mr Tan Shao Ming leads a diverse team of impact-oriented investment professionals in building a portfolio that generates impact alongside compelling, market-rate risk-adjusted returns across Asia.
He brings over 20 years of institutional investing experience across a range of styles and strategies. At Temasek, he worked on acquiring controlling and minority positions in Asian banks in the aftermath of the 1997 Asian financial crisis. He later focused on special situations and structured credit at Citadel Investment Group in Hong Kong, covering China, Taiwan and Southeast Asia, and led Southeast Asian mid-market investing at Citi Private Equity.
Mr Tan is a Chartered Financial Analyst. He holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Chemical), First Class Honours, and a Master of Engineering (Chemical) from the National University of Singapore.
As Chief Impact Officer, Ms Sugandhi Matta leads ABC Impact’s approach to assessing, measuring and driving impact outcomes across its portfolio, and also invests for the firm across South and Southeast Asia. She brings over 20 years of investing experience in the region, having previously been Director of Investment at LeapFrog Investments, a billion-dollar impact fund focused on financial inclusion, and before that focused on Southeast Asian mid-market private equity at Actis. She began her investing career as a member of Temasek Holdings’ Financial Services team.
Ms Matta sits on the boards of several portfolio companies across India and the UK, and has also held board directorships in Thailand and Indonesia. She holds an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore, and a Bachelor of Engineering from Maharaja Sayaji Rao University, Baroda.
Mr Eugene Huang was previously Managing Director, Investments at Temasek, where over a 12-year tenure based in Singapore, Beijing and Shenzhen he invested and exited over US$5 billion of capital globally across industries such as software, e-commerce, social media, education and consumer. He was most recently responsible for Temasek’s technology and consumer investments in China and head of its Shenzhen office.
Mr Huang began his career as an investment banker with Merrill Lynch & Co. (now Bank of America) in New York and Hong Kong. He graduated summa cum laude from New York University’s Stern School of Business.
Ms Charina Chan is Chief People Officer of ABC Impact, a role she holds concurrently with Chief People Officer of Temasek Foundation Ltd and Head of Organisation, Human Resources and Administration at Temasek Trust Ltd. She was previously part of Temasek International’s Organisation & People team, where she led the Non-Executive Talent portfolio, covering board governance and the management of an extended talent network for Temasek and its portfolio companies. Earlier in her career she worked at Fullerton Financial Holdings, a wholly owned subsidiary of Temasek Holdings.
Ms Chan holds an MBA from Imperial College London and a Bachelor of Science from the National University of Singapore.
Mr Koh Boon San is responsible for finance, risk, compliance and operations at ABC Impact. He brings more than 20 years of experience across fund management, finance and the corporate sector.
Before joining ABC Impact, Mr Koh headed the business management team at HSBC Securities Services, covering trustee, fund administration and custody services, and spent 10 years at Fullerton Fund Management heading various finance, risk and compliance functions. He began his career at Pricewaterhouse before joining Temasek Holdings’ finance department.
Mr Koh holds a Bachelor in Accounting (Second Class Honours, Upper Division) from Nanyang Technological University and is a member of the Institute of Singapore Chartered Accountants.
Mr Jeffrey Fang leads Investor Relations at ABC Impact, responsible for capital raising, investor engagement and external communications across global markets.
Earlier in his career, Mr Fang held roles across corporate development, operations and financial communications. He was Director of Strategic and Public Affairs at Temasek, managing global M&A communications, media relations, and crisis and issues management. He subsequently built a portfolio as an angel investor and venture operator, alongside his own advisory practice, before joining Temasek Trust Asset Management.
Mr Fang serves on the boards of Kim Dental, the Home Nursing Foundation, and several venture-backed companies. He holds an MA in International Relations and Affairs from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and a BA in Mass Communication from RMIT University.