Ro Charlz

Ro Charlz is a Singapore-based venture investor and self-described "technology evangelist." He is currently a Partner (listed as a Founding Partner) at Maiora Ventures, an Asia-based venture firm focused on the AI technology stack. Before Maiora, he spent roughly four years (2017–2021) as a Vice President at Vickers Venture Partners, one of Asia's most decorated tech-focused VC firms, whose team has been associated with several tech unicorns and a large amount of cumulative value creation. At Vickers he worked across investment and investor-relations functions covering a broad set of sectors including blockchain, robotics, AI, IoT, mobility, automotive tech, automation, cybersecurity, e-commerce and consumer technology.

His path into venture is unusual: he spent over a decade in professional motorsports and as a consultant to the automotive industry, advising several of the world's largest automakers on technology development, and he also has experience in the energy sector. This engineering- and product-heavy background informs an investment style oriented toward measurable, defensible technology rather than trend-driven consumer plays. Alongside his fund roles he has been an active angel investor and startup advisor.

He holds an ESSEC-Mannheim Executive MBA (2018–2019) from Mannheim Business School. He has also served as an advisor to Kambria, a blockchain-based open-innovation platform for robotics and AI, where he focused on opening doors to stakeholders across Asia and identifying Southeast Asian partners.

At Maiora Ventures he is part of a small partnership alongside Patrick Wheen and Jason Block. The firm reports roughly $400M AUM across four vehicles — a generalist early/mid-stage fund, a concentrated mid/late-stage AI fund, a Y Combinator–focused early-stage fund, and a special-situations vehicle — and a portfolio spanning the full AI stack from silicon and compute to models and vertical software.

• Measurable, defensible technology. In his own words: *"the perfect venture investment is where we can measure the tech and assess its magnitudes better than what currently exists"* — assessing defensibility and adoption potential before backing a company.
• Team above all. *"The hardline fact in early-stage investing is really about the team."* He favors founders who navigate obstacles strategically (rather than simply persisting), who recognize their own weaknesses, and who surround themselves with complementary talent.
• B2B and deep tech over hype. During his Vickers years he emphasized B2B strategies and deep tech where unit economics can be evaluated early and the customer's problem is well understood — over trend-driven consumer plays.
• Platform bets on macro shifts. He described favoring "picks-and-shovels" platform technologies that serve an entire industry rather than a single competitor (e.g., backing an EV component maker to ride the electric-vehicle wave without taking single-automaker risk).
• At Maiora, an AI-stack mandate. The firm concentrates on "high-impact technologies and category-defining companies," from silicon and compute infrastructure through models to vertical AI software, backing exceptional founders at the earliest stages and maintaining conviction through growth.