JM

Jason M. Cronen

Managing Partner at Garden District Ventures

Bangkok Metropolitan Area

Overview

Work Experience

  • Managing Partner

    2020 - Current

    Established in 2020, Garden District Ventures is a consumer-focused investment firm backing fearless founders and challenger brands in emerging, middle-income markets across Southeast Asia and beyond.

  • Investor

    2018

    Investing in a personal capacity since 2013, I've backed innovative founders and disruptive startups across various deal structures and stages (angel deals, syndicates, directs, and later-stage secondaries). Four of these companies eventually went on to IPO, two were acquired by competitors, and several more died on the vine. My active portfolio includes investments in 40+ companies including Freightos, Instacart, Beyond Meat, Zoomcar, Alto Pharmacy, Nuvocargo, Moneco, Gotham Greens, Vuori, Sufresca, HomeLight, Levels, BabyQuip, and others. As technology reshapes entire industries globally, as an investor I tend to focus on high-impact startups oriented around ‘Food, Families, Freight, and Finance.’

  • Mentor

    2023

    Mentoring startups in a remote-first environment, I support their strategy, offer firsthand experience, and guide their growth. Since 2006, Techstars has worked with startups across a range of verticals, from aerospace to finance, logistics, and retail, connecting them to a network of successful mentors and partners.

  • Startup Mentor

    2021

    Seedstars is a global organisation with a mission to impact people's lives in emerging markets through technology and entrepreneurship.

  • Investor/ Co-Founder

    2020

    Brew Vietnam invests in beverage brands including craft beer, coffee, and premium handcrafted soft drinks in one of Southeast Asia's most dynamic economies. We focus on product and brand development, consumer trend analysis, and developing retail placement and D2C distribution.

  • Corporate Member

    2019

    The Conference Board, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit business membership and research group organization. It counts over 1,000 public and private corporations and other organizations as members, encompassing 60 countries.

  • Advisor

    2022 - 2023

    Nnure is a fintech company that is democratising access to finance through our next-generation credit card and easy-to-use smartphone app. We are building digital consumer finance products and delivering them to your fingertips anywhere, anytime.

  • Consultant, Special Projects

    2020 - 2023

    Fayard Aviation is a leading provider in startup commercial aviation and air services. Our team includes airline industry experts, global travel professionals, and veteran consultants with the goal of helping entrepreneurs, corporations, and other entities establish new commercial airline services as quickly and cost-efficiently as possible.

  • New Orleans Chapter Leader

    2017 - 2020

    Travel Massive is the world's biggest tourism industry community, connecting over 80,000 members in 150+ chapters around the globe.

  • Director of Corporate Partnerships

    2016 - 2019

    For visitors to New Orleans, Joieful brings together the largest marketplace of easy-to-buy New Orleans experiences curated by locals, allowing guests to see the authentic New Orleans inside and outside of the traditional tourism lens. Joieful booking technology powers the concierge desks at many of the leading hotels in New Orleans, both online and with 24/7 live support, and reaches nearly 1.5 million New Orleans visitors per year from pre-arrival to departure. With hundreds of thoughtfully curated adventures ranging from dining to jazz music, corporate team building to health and wellness, Joieful empowers users to create, experience, and share the best of the Crescent City.

  • Consultant, Membership and Strategic Partnerships

    2018 - 2019

    The Greater New Orleans Hotel & Lodging Association is a membership-based, not-for-profit private association that has represented the interests of the hotel and lodging industry in New Orleans since 1924.

Relevant Websites