# Douglas Abrams

> Douglas Abrams is the Singapore-based founder and CEO of Expara, combining early-stage venture investment with entrepreneurship education. After 14 years managing technology at J.P. Morgan, he moved to Singapore in 2000, began teaching at NUS in 2001 and founded Expara in 2003. His work spans venture funds, accelerator programs and teaching across Southeast Asia.

- **Role:** Founder and CEO at Expara
- **Organizations:** Expara, National University of Singapore Business School, Sasin School of Management, Nebula Institute, Parallax Capital Management, Extream Ventures, RMIT University Vietnam (former visiting role), Business Angel Network of Southeast Asia (former director and chairman), J.P. Morgan (former employer), Media Development Authority of Singapore (former board member)
- **Education:** BA in Communications, Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania, MBA, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
- **Known for:** Built Expara as a venture investment and entrepreneurship education business founded in 2003., Launched and invested through five venture capital funds in Southeast Asia since 2007, according to his biography., Maintained entrepreneurship teaching roles across Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

## Career timeline

- **1991-1997** — Vice President and Manager of Investment Banking Technology at J.P. Morgan.
- **1997-1999** — Global Markets Head of Internet Marketing at J.P. Morgan.
- **1999** — First visit to Asia on a J.P. Morgan business trip to Singapore; decided to relocate.
- **2000** — Moved to Singapore; founding partner of Parallax Capital Management.
- **2001** — Began teaching at NUS Business School.
- **2002-2018** — Director of BANSEA; also served as chairman and deputy co-chairman.
- **2003** — Founded Expara.
- **2007** — Launched Expara IDM Ventures; personal biography dates Sasin visiting teaching role to this year.
- **2008** — Launched Extream Ventures.
- **2009-2010** — Served on the Media Development Authority of Singapore board.
- **2011** — Launched Expara Ventures Thailand.
- **2012** — Launched Expara IDM Ventures II.
- **2013** — Launched Expara Ventures Malaysia.
- **2016-2019** — Visiting Professor in Entrepreneurship and Venture Capital at RMIT in Vietnam.

## Achievements

- Built Expara as a venture investment and entrepreneurship education business founded in 2003.
- Launched and invested through five venture capital funds in Southeast Asia since 2007, according to his biography.
- Maintained entrepreneurship teaching roles across Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
- Former chairman of BANSEA and former board member of Singapore’s Media Development Authority.

## Latest updates

- **2025-04** — Published “Let’s Fail,” an essay arguing for trial and error in scalable entrepreneurship.
- **2025-02** — Published “Fear and Failure,” connecting career choices with willingness to attempt difficult things.
- **2024-12** — Published the third essay in his Risk and Return series, examining lottery tickets, roulette and expected value.

## Links

- Website: https://www.douglasabrams.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/douglasabrams/
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/douglaskabrams
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/douglas.abrams

---

Profile page: https://yespress.io/douglas-abrams
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-26