Alta Exchange

Alta, formerly known as Fundnel, is a prominent digital securities exchange in Southeast Asia, specializing in alternative investments. It serves as a comprehensive marketplace, combining securities trading, fund management, and exchange solutions within a single platform. Investors can utilize Alta to access and trade a diverse array of alternative assets, spanning early to late-stage private companies, private equity and venture capital funds, asset-backed securities linked to luxury assets, and real estate.

One of Alta's distinguishing features is its utilization of blockchain technology, enabling the tokenization, digital custody, and trading of alternative assets. This innovation helps address the challenges associated with high investment costs and illiquidity typically associated with private markets. By facilitating trading in smaller, fractionalized blocks, Alta enhances liquidity in the private markets, making it more accessible and efficient for investors.

Alta, previously known as Fundnel, boasts a compelling company history marked by innovation and growth in Southeast Asia's alternative asset investment landscape. Founded in Singapore, the company embarked on its journey with a mission to transform the way investors access and engage with alternative assets.

The origins of Alta can be traced back to its establishment as Fundnel in 2015. In its early years, the company focused on pioneering equity crowdfunding in Singapore and Malaysia, enabling startups and SMEs to secure vital capital through a digital platform. This initial venture laid the foundation for their later expansion into the digital securities exchange and alternative asset space.

In 2017, Fundnel took a significant step forward by obtaining a Capital Markets Services License from the Monetary Authority of Singapore. This license marked a pivotal moment in their evolution, as it allowed them to operate as a licensed securities exchange, facilitating the trading and distribution of a wide range of alternative assets, including private equity and venture capital investments.

Since its establishment, the marketplace has completed more than 1,000 transactions – including those for SpaceX, Grab, and Gojek – worth US$600 million. A pivotal turning point came when Fundnel made its first blockchain acquisition in Hg Exchange, a Singapore-based private securities platform run by finance veterans and backed by cryptocurrency exchange Binance and rebranded itself as Alta, signaling its strategic shift towards blockchain technology and digital securities. 

This transformation reflects Alta's commitment to leveraging cutting-edge technology to enhance the accessibility, liquidity, and efficiency of alternative asset markets in Southeast Asia. “With the new acquisition and expansion of our business, we were keen to find a brand name that encompasses the breadth of our offerings, while also capturing the essence of our vision for private markets” Kelvin Lee, Alta co-founder and CEO, told Tatler Asia.

In recent news, Singapore-headquartered global investment firm Lighthouse Canton has partnered  with Alta on its new venture debt strategy. The partnership provides Alta's investors access to the rising venture debt asset class. "We are certain the pace of venture capital activities will actively grow with tremendous opportunities, which will only continue to increase its demand", said Kelvin Lee, Alta's Co-founder and CEO. "At Alta, we are devoted to creating access for our global community of over 1 million investors to innovative opportunities and pave the way for firms like Lighthouse Canton to connect with  strategic investors that best suit them."

Today, Alta stands as Southeast Asia's largest licensed digital marketplace for alternative assets, providing a seamless and integrated ecosystem that brings together private capital markets, fund management, custodial services, and blockchain-powered exchange solutions, all under one roof. The company won the Fintech - Alternative Investments Award at the SBR Technology Excellence Awards 2023.

Alta envisions itself as the premier destination in Southeast Asia for alternative asset investment, fostering a sustainable marketplace that seamlessly integrates a comprehensive range of services within its blockchain-powered exchange. Their aim is to curate diverse and attractive investment opportunities in alternative assets, thereby nurturing a virtuous cycle of private capital growth, while offering investors a seamless and efficient ecosystem for their investment needs.

Alta, formerly known as Fundnel, offers a comprehensive suite of products and services designed to revolutionize alternative asset investments in Southeast Asia. Their primary product is a digital securities exchange that provides investors with direct access to carefully curated alternative assets that encompass early to late-stage private companies, private equity and venture capital funds, asset-backed securities linked to luxury assets, and real estate, among others.

What sets Alta apart is its status as a licensed integrated marketplace, seamlessly combining multiple financial services under one platform. This integrated approach includes the trading and distribution of securities, fund management solutions, and an innovative blockchain-powered exchange. Alta's blockchain technology supports tokenization, digital custody, and trading of alternative assets, making it easier for investors to engage in these markets.