From managing a total of $200m, to shrugging off doubters in pursuit of his lofty ambitions, Robust founder Kanin Asvaplungprohm (‘Asva’) continues to prove his worth.
Asva’s Early Days
Innately curious and driven, Asva has been a stellar pupil from a young age. Hailing from Bangkok, he moved to the US at the green age of 18. Asva first attended the University of California, San Diego where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Management Science. He went on to obtain his Master’s Degree in Financial Analysis from the University of San Francisco, where he graduated summa cum laude.
Asva was a Principal at Dynafolio, a small-cap private equity firm focused on turning around distressed companies. He would often roll up his sleeves and manage day-to-day operations to streamline processes. Such was the case in 2019 when Dynafolio flipped an education franchise, generating an average per annum return of 25%.
Early in his career, Asva worked at Bangkok Bank and Econ One Research. He went on to spearhead risk management for Marwin Technologies, a premier provider of meteorological and environmental solutions in Southeast Asia. Prior to founding Robust, Asva was a Venture Partner at Oyster Ventures, a fintech-focused fund.
Asva’s background endowed him with the regulatory know-how, financial prowess and thorough understanding of what it takes to sustainably scale businesses, setting him apart from other emerging fund managers.
Back to His Roots
Through his international background which straddles both Southeast Asia and North America, Asva was molded by his exposure to multiple worldviews. As a ‘third-culture kid’, Asva is well positioned to understand the idiosyncrasies of undercapitalized and underfunded markets.
Asva hails from a line of distinguished entrepreneurs—one could say it is in his blood. His grandfather, Pichit, was an earnest, hardworking immigrant who bootstrapped his way to success. His father, Prachaks, followed suit, helping to instill a strong work ethic and shaped Asva into the leader he is today. Asva added, “My family has given me a masterclass in creating tangible value. I am applying our ethos to new frontier technologies on the global stage via Robust.”
The Birth of Robust
Borne out of Asva’s desire to back visionaries in their pursuit of technological advancement, Robust is an early-stage industry agnostic venture capital fund that straddles Southeast Asia and North America. Robust invests early with the intent to follow-on through a company’s lifecycle.
“As a venture capitalist, My goal is to forge long-term partnerships with smart people solving complex problems.” Asva added. “What sets me apart is my ability to foresee market trends, identify winning teams, and add tangible value.”
Although only a year old, Robust has already started making waves. Asva has secured commitments from high-profile investors and forged bonds with behemoths of industry. Through hard work and determination, Asva has anointed himself as one of the few solo capitalists to successfully raise a cross-border fund. His goal is to grow Robust into a household name, and he’s on track.
You can follow Kanin Asva through the links below:
Instagram: @GemKanin
Twitter: @GemKanin
Website: https://www.robust.vc/
Crunchbase: @KaninAsva