James Chan

James is founder and CEO of ION Mobility, a hard-tech electric mobility technology and lifestyle brand company focused on Indonesia and Southeast Asia. ION's products combine advanced hardware and software technology with human-centred design to deliver smart electric motorcycles and charging and energy storage solutions. The company raised over US$25.5 million in funding from angels, venture funds and TVS Motor since 2020 and launched its inaugural “Mobius” M1-S electric motorcycle for Indonesia in Nov 2022.
James has sat across all 3 sides of the table over the past 17 years; first as a public servant with the Singapore Government, then subsequently as a venture capitalist and angel investor; noteworthy seed investments include Viki, HelloSign, Formlabs, Animoca Brands, PlayCo, Carro, Parcel Perform and GetGo. James then switched hats to become a venture builder and serial entrepreneur at Silicon Straits, GreyOrange and Wecash before founding ION Mobility amidst the pandemic. James has invested and operated in diverse industries spanning the likes of B2B and B2C internet, gaming, 3D printing, robotics, fintech and consumer lending, blockchain and most recently electric mobility – in and about the start-up ecosystems of Southeast and East Asia.
A recipient of the EDB Singapore Inc. scholarship in 2002, James holds a Bachelor of Science (Double Major) in Electrical & Computer Engineering and Engineering & Public Policy from Carnegie Mellon University (Class of 2005), and a Master of Science in Management Science and Engineering from Stanford University (Class of 2006).