VESL

Pay-per-invoice trade credit insurance and financing platform for Southeast Asian SMEs

Specialty Solutions Startup Seed

Overview

VESL is a trade finance and trade credit insurance platform for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Southeast Asia. The company connects SMEs, trade lenders, and insurers within a single marketplace to facilitate invoice financing backed by trade credit insurance. VESL targets the trade finance gap faced by smaller businesses that struggle to qualify for conventional financing, with initial focus on the Philippine market.

The platform's core innovation is a pay-per-invoice model for trade credit insurance, allowing SMEs to purchase coverage on individual transactions rather than committing to annual policies. Borrowers submit invoices through the platform, which evaluates creditworthiness and matches transactions with lenders and insurers. This approach reduces the upfront cost of trade credit insurance and makes coverage accessible for small-value trades that would not justify a traditional annual policy.

VESL was founded by an all-women team and graduated from the Startupbootcamp Fintech accelerator in Singapore in 2017 -- the only Philippine startup in that cohort. The company raised a seed round of over USD 420,000 from Startupbootcamp, Stellar Capital Partners, and FinTech Innovation Lab, with backing from family offices in the Philippines, Singapore, and Hong Kong. VESL won the She Loves Tech Philippines 2019 grand prize and established a partnership with Lockton to expand trade credit insurance in the Philippine market.

Products & Services

Trade Finance Platform

VESL's core platform enables SMEs to submit invoices for financing backed by trade credit insurance. The system evaluates invoice creditworthiness, matches borrowers with lenders, and arranges insurance coverage through vetted provider partners.

Key Features

Per-invoice trade credit insurance (no annual commitment required)
Integrated marketplace connecting borrowers, lenders, and insurers
Automated creditworthiness verification for invoice-level underwriting

Target Users: SMEs seeking invoice financing, trade lenders, trade credit insurers

Per-Transaction Trade Credit Insurance

VESL pioneered a bite-size insurance model where businesses purchase trade credit coverage only for the specific invoices they choose to insure, enabling access for smaller transactions and businesses that cannot absorb the cost of annual policies.