Exclusive | CEO of Singapore venture capital firm Vertex Ventures shares secret of spotting next big thing over breakfast at Trump-Kim hotel

It was 7.20am in mid-October in Singapore and already steamy and hot. The air was still despite the Capella resort sitting on a hillock overlooking one of world’s busiest shipping lanes.

Not that Chua Kee Lock noticed. Or if he did, he did not seem to mind as he appeared dressed for the weather in a navy polo tee and trousers.

At half-past seven, he wrapped up his previous meeting and settled at another table on the (non air-conditioned) restaurant patio for an interview over breakfast with the South China Morning Post about Vertex Venture Holdings, the Singapore-headquartered venture capital firm that he leads as president and chief executive.

Over the course of the next hour, the 57-year-old answered questions about the firm’s investment philosophy and strategy, and compared venture capital investing to the art of fortune telling.

“Nobody has all the answers and we value healthy deliberation,” he said, over a bowl of laksa (spicy noodle soup) and guava juice. “It’s just like tongshu (a Chinese divination guide and almanac), we look into the fortunes [of the market] and follow certain guiding principles while adjusting how we invest over time”.

“It’s pattern recognition and that is the hardest part of the venture capital business”.