Metchawin Thanyakarn leaves 'special' Bain full of gratitude

After kickstarting his career at Bain & Company in Asia, Metchawin (Beam) Thanyakarn has left the strategy consultancy to join venture capital group Sequoia Capital.

Based in Singapore, Thanyakarn will be part of Sequoia Capital’s Asia-focused investment team. Headquartered in the US, Sequoia Capital is one of the globe’s leading venture capital and private equity firms – according to its own accounts, companies backed by the financial investor account for more than 20% of NASDAQ's total value. 

In Asia, the group is particularly active in seed stage, early stage, and growth stage fundings in Singapore, Malyasia and India, however, the firm does not disclose its local portfolio companies.

Thanyakarn brings nearly four years of experience from Bain & Company to the firm. During the period, he gained experience in private equity (multiple commercial due diligences), retail (customer strategy for shopping malls and corporate strategy and Covid-19response for grocery retailers), consumer products (insurgent brand strategy for dairy products, brand portfolio strategy for household products, and manufacturing excellence for high-end fashion jewellery), telecommunications (product portfolio strategy), and agribusiness (commercial excellence for pork, poultry, fish and shrimp feed brands).

He worked from Bain’s offices in Bangkok, Singapore, Manila and Tokyo, and in the US, Boston & New York. “What a ride it has been at Bain after 15 projects Bain has truly shaped me in so many ways and I will always be indebted to this special firm for all of the amazing experiences and opportunities that I’ve had!”

Bain & Company is regarded by clients and consultants as one of the globe’s top strategy consulting firms. The consultancy – known for its deep expertise in the venture capital and private equity industry – operates with fifteen offices in Asia Pacific. 

Thanyakarn joins Sequoia Capital at a time of promising ambitions. Last month, the Silicon Valley based firm raised a total of $1.35 billion for two new funds that will invest across India and Southeast Asia.

According to a recent report from KPMG, Asia is one of the most resilient markets for venture capital investments during the Covid-19 pandemic. While deal volumes in the US and Europe dropped to 7-year lows, deal activity in Asia somewhat stabilised. But caution remains among investors, as they place targets under more scrutiny and conduct more elaborate due diligence on start-up and scale-up fundamentals. 

Having broken the news on LinkedIn himself, Thanyakarn has been overwhelmed with congratulatory messages, receiving over 600 likes and comments on his post. Peter Slagt, a partner at Bain, said “Congratulations Beam, we will miss you. Lots of success and joy in your next assignment!” 

Meanwhile, Tammie Siew, a former consultant at Bain’s arch rival Boston Consulting Group, took the time to welcome him to the firm “Welcome and see you soon :)”. Siew joined Sequoia Capital at the start of 2018, with among others three years of BCG experience under her belt.

“Super excited to move to Singapore to start the next professional chapter in my career,” said Thanyakarn.