Former Mars Commerce Exec Launches AI Venture Studio in Asia
Former Mars Commerce exec Sally Tobin launches AiPX Ventures, an AI-native studio targeting fragmented Asian industries. Venture studios achieve 30-40% Series A success vs 10-20% for traditional VC...
Sally Tobin, former managing director of Mars United Commerce ANZ, has launched AiPX Ventures, an AI-native venture studio targeting fragmented industries across Asia. Tobin brings over 20 years of experience in commerce marketing and technology, having built and exited multiple businesses with combined enterprise valuations exceeding US$900 million.
The announcement marks a shift from traditional venture capital models. AiPX Ventures works directly with founders from the earliest stages, providing hands-on support to identify opportunities, design platforms, build minimum viable products, and bring products to market.
Operational Support Model Sets Studios Apart
Unlike traditional venture capital firms that provide capital and board-level guidance, AiPX operates as a co-founder. The studio focuses on industries constrained by outdated technology infrastructure, where AI-native platforms can streamline workflows and optimize operations.
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"The hardest problems aren't the ideas. They're the systems that sit behind them," Tobin stated. "With AiPX, we're taking what we've learned from building and exiting multiple businesses and applying it to support founders creating the next generation of AI-native platforms that solve genuine industry bottlenecks."
Venture studios achieve 30% to 40% success rates to Series A funding compared to 10% to 20% for traditional VC-backed startups. The model provides US$100,000 to US$500,000 in initial capital with three to six month launch timelines, compared to 12 to 18 months for traditional startups.
Gary Head, former general manager of across multiple platforms at Mars United Commerce, has joined as chief product officer. With 15 years of experience in advertising and product design, Head led award-winning campaigns and spearheaded the global rebrand to Mars United Commerce before its 2024 acquisition by Publicis Groupe.
"It's incredibly exciting to be back working with Sally to help founders turn ambitious ideas into real, scalable products," Head said.
Asia's Growing Venture Studio Ecosystem
AiPX's launch reflects broader momentum in Southeast Asia's venture studio sector. Singapore has emerged as the region's hub, driven by regulatory stability, access to 650 million Southeast Asian consumers, and government incentives from Enterprise Singapore and the Economic Development Board.
Corporate studio collaborations are accelerating, with over 60% of Asian corporates engaging in external innovation partnerships as of 2023. Companies increasingly prefer venture studios over in-house innovation labs for faster return on investment.
The timing aligns with Southeast Asia's cautious investment climate. The region raised US$9 billion in disclosed capital in 2024, but low-value deals under US$10 million comprised 67% of first-half 2024 transactions. This environment favors capital-efficient models like venture studios.
AI dominates funding pipelines in 2025 due to generative technology and machine learning applications, positioning AI-native venture studios to capitalize on cross-industry automation demand.
Four Platforms in Development Pipeline
AiPX is developing four AI-native platforms centered on workflow systems and integrated partner marketplaces. The first targets the trades and construction industry with a planned mid-2026 release. A second platform focuses on marketing operations.
Venture studios typically retain 50% to 80% initial ownership, compared to 15% to 30% for traditional VCs post-investment. This reflects their co-founder role and hands-on operational involvement. Studios create 3.4 to 14 times more equity value through operational involvement compared to VCs' financial-only contributions.
At Mars United, Tobin led expansion into retail media, e-commerce, and marketing technology across Asia Pacific through strategic acquisitions before Publicis Groupe's 2024 acquisition. This regional scaling experience now informs AiPX's approach to building AI-native platforms for fragmented markets.
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