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One of China’s most famous angel investors and a prolific speaker, Xu Xiaoping (b.1960) is the managing partner of ZhenFund, a TMT-focused seed fund he founded with close friend and business partner Wang Qiang, in collaboration with Sequoia Capital China, in 2011. Xu began investing in 2006, after the New Oriental Education & Technology Group he co-founded became the first Chinese education company to list on NYSE. Trained as a professional musician, Xu plays the piano, violin, and oboe, and composes music as a hobby. He is also the author of more than 10 books. He studied at the Beijing Central Conservatory of Music and holds a master's in Music from the University of Saskatchewan.
One of China’s most famous angel investors and a prolific speaker, Xu Xiaoping (b.1960) is the managing partner of ZhenFund, a TMT-focused seed fund he founded with close friend and business partner Wang Qiang, in collaboration with Sequoia Capital China, in 2011. Xu began investing in 2006, after the New Oriental Education & Technology Group he co-founded became the first Chinese education company to list on NYSE. Trained as a professional musician, Xu plays the piano, violin, and oboe, and composes music as a hobby. He is also the author of more than 10 books. He studied at the Beijing Central Conservatory of Music and holds a master's in Music from the University of Saskatchewan.
Creandum invests in early-stage technology firms in the consumer internet, software and hardware sectors. The firm has grown from having 10 startups in its portfolio and an advisory team scattered across Sweden in 2007, to being headquartered in Stockholm with offices in Berlin, San Francisco and Guernsey and a total five funds raised worth over €700m. It's most recent fund raised €265m in 2019 and will ofcus on European startups. The company was the lead investor in more than a third of its almost 150 investments to date and was Spotify's first institutional investor. The most recent investments include in Spanish HR SaaS Factorial's €15m Series A round and in German tax assistant app Taxfix's US$65m Series C round.
Creandum invests in early-stage technology firms in the consumer internet, software and hardware sectors. The firm has grown from having 10 startups in its portfolio and an advisory team scattered across Sweden in 2007, to being headquartered in Stockholm with offices in Berlin, San Francisco and Guernsey and a total five funds raised worth over €700m. It's most recent fund raised €265m in 2019 and will ofcus on European startups. The company was the lead investor in more than a third of its almost 150 investments to date and was Spotify's first institutional investor. The most recent investments include in Spanish HR SaaS Factorial's €15m Series A round and in German tax assistant app Taxfix's US$65m Series C round.
Founded in 2009, Andreessen Horowitz is based in Menlo Park in California. The numeronym is the first and last letter of the firm’s brand with the characters count in-between. Starting with initial capital of $300m, the VC quickly raised a second venture fund of $650m in 2010 and another worth $1.5bn in 2014. In 2019, a new office was set up in San Francisco.Founded by Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz, the firm has invested in tech pioneers like Skype, Facebook, Groupon and Twitter. Andreessen is the software engineer who pioneered web browser Mosaic and co-founded Netscape. In 1995, Horowitz joined Andreessen as product manager at Netscape that was sold to AOL for $4.2bn in 2016. He also co-founded Opsware (Loudcloud), an automation software company that was sold to Hewlett Packard for $1.6bn in 2007.
Founded in 2009, Andreessen Horowitz is based in Menlo Park in California. The numeronym is the first and last letter of the firm’s brand with the characters count in-between. Starting with initial capital of $300m, the VC quickly raised a second venture fund of $650m in 2010 and another worth $1.5bn in 2014. In 2019, a new office was set up in San Francisco.Founded by Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz, the firm has invested in tech pioneers like Skype, Facebook, Groupon and Twitter. Andreessen is the software engineer who pioneered web browser Mosaic and co-founded Netscape. In 1995, Horowitz joined Andreessen as product manager at Netscape that was sold to AOL for $4.2bn in 2016. He also co-founded Opsware (Loudcloud), an automation software company that was sold to Hewlett Packard for $1.6bn in 2007.
Ribbit Capital is a Silicon Valley VC that focuses on fintech-related startups. Founded in 2012, Ribbit Capital posits that the financial services industry has largely remained unchanged despite the developments in technology in the past decade. The company’s “mantra” states that it is a believer in consumers and businesses moving to mobile, and this will lead to major changes in how financial services are provided in the future.The company has invested in a wide range of fintech startups and technologies, including stock trading app Robinhood, cryptocurrency exchange platform Coinbase, and Revolut, one of the earliest “challenger banks” that primarily serves retail customers through digital, app-based services. In March 2021, US retail giant Walmart announced a partnership with Ribbit Capital to develop fintech products. Ribbit Capital made its first investment in the Southeast Asia region in that same month, when it led a $65m Series A extension into Indonesian investment platform Ajaib.
Ribbit Capital is a Silicon Valley VC that focuses on fintech-related startups. Founded in 2012, Ribbit Capital posits that the financial services industry has largely remained unchanged despite the developments in technology in the past decade. The company’s “mantra” states that it is a believer in consumers and businesses moving to mobile, and this will lead to major changes in how financial services are provided in the future.The company has invested in a wide range of fintech startups and technologies, including stock trading app Robinhood, cryptocurrency exchange platform Coinbase, and Revolut, one of the earliest “challenger banks” that primarily serves retail customers through digital, app-based services. In March 2021, US retail giant Walmart announced a partnership with Ribbit Capital to develop fintech products. Ribbit Capital made its first investment in the Southeast Asia region in that same month, when it led a $65m Series A extension into Indonesian investment platform Ajaib.
Lever VC was founded in 2018 by Nick Cooney, an early investor of Beyond Meat and Memphis Meats. He is also the co-founder of Good Food Institute. Lever has currently invested in 14 startups from the US, Europe, Asia and Latin America.Focused on investments in early-stage alternative protein companies, the firm announced the first close of its Lever VC Fund I in August 2020, with its fourth close at $46m in April 2021. The final close will be completed by June 2021. Investors in the fund include NFL and NBA athletes, British nobility, food businesses, alt-protein companies and family offices as limited partners.In June 2020, Lever launched a $28m joint investment fund and accelerator to invest in Chinese plant-based and cell-cultivated meat and dairy companies. The Lever China Alternative Protein Fund will invest RMB 40m in alt-protein companies in mainland China over the next four years.
Lever VC was founded in 2018 by Nick Cooney, an early investor of Beyond Meat and Memphis Meats. He is also the co-founder of Good Food Institute. Lever has currently invested in 14 startups from the US, Europe, Asia and Latin America.Focused on investments in early-stage alternative protein companies, the firm announced the first close of its Lever VC Fund I in August 2020, with its fourth close at $46m in April 2021. The final close will be completed by June 2021. Investors in the fund include NFL and NBA athletes, British nobility, food businesses, alt-protein companies and family offices as limited partners.In June 2020, Lever launched a $28m joint investment fund and accelerator to invest in Chinese plant-based and cell-cultivated meat and dairy companies. The Lever China Alternative Protein Fund will invest RMB 40m in alt-protein companies in mainland China over the next four years.
German-born Andreas “Andy” Bechtolsheim is chairman and co-founder of Arista Networks and was a co-founder at Sun Microsystems, which was acquired by Oracle in 2010 for $7.4bn. His main interest is in productivity software across market segments, as well as cybersecurity. He is also a billionaire investor, with much of his wealth coming from being the first angel investor in Google. Since then, he has been an occasional investor in startups, with his most recent disclosed investments occurring in 2020 when he invested in two companies. He has also participated in the $22m Series A round of US email security company Material Security and in the $21m Series A round of AI customer service platform Cresta.
German-born Andreas “Andy” Bechtolsheim is chairman and co-founder of Arista Networks and was a co-founder at Sun Microsystems, which was acquired by Oracle in 2010 for $7.4bn. His main interest is in productivity software across market segments, as well as cybersecurity. He is also a billionaire investor, with much of his wealth coming from being the first angel investor in Google. Since then, he has been an occasional investor in startups, with his most recent disclosed investments occurring in 2020 when he invested in two companies. He has also participated in the $22m Series A round of US email security company Material Security and in the $21m Series A round of AI customer service platform Cresta.
Owen van Natta was formerly COO of Facebook and CEO of MySpace, and also previously held senior positions in Amazon and Zynga. He is an angel investor, founder of 415 LLC as well as a founding partner of tech-focused VC firm Prefix Capital, and has invested in a number of startups to date. His disclosed investments include participation in the March 2017 $800,000 seed round of Irish water regulatory platform SwiftComply and the November 2015 undisclosed funding round of US-based unicorn Diamond Foundry, the first certified carbon-neutral lab-produced diamond manufacturer. No pic on SM
Owen van Natta was formerly COO of Facebook and CEO of MySpace, and also previously held senior positions in Amazon and Zynga. He is an angel investor, founder of 415 LLC as well as a founding partner of tech-focused VC firm Prefix Capital, and has invested in a number of startups to date. His disclosed investments include participation in the March 2017 $800,000 seed round of Irish water regulatory platform SwiftComply and the November 2015 undisclosed funding round of US-based unicorn Diamond Foundry, the first certified carbon-neutral lab-produced diamond manufacturer. No pic on SM
Founder and CEO of Haoqipei of Haoqipei
Haoqipei Founder and CEO Chen Xi graduated from Tianjin University's Special Class for the Gifted Young. He is a serial entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience in the gaming and social networking sectors. Before founding Haoqipei in 2016, Chen co-founded corporate management solutions provider Redsoft, mobile gaming startup CMF Mobile Game, mobile marketing solution provider CMF Mobile and business social networking startup Renmaitong.
Haoqipei Founder and CEO Chen Xi graduated from Tianjin University's Special Class for the Gifted Young. He is a serial entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience in the gaming and social networking sectors. Before founding Haoqipei in 2016, Chen co-founded corporate management solutions provider Redsoft, mobile gaming startup CMF Mobile Game, mobile marketing solution provider CMF Mobile and business social networking startup Renmaitong.
CFO and co-founder of StudentFinance
Marta Palmeiro graduated in Business Administration and Management at Portugal's Nova School of Business and Economics in 2007. She went to London to work at Credit Suisse as an intern and joined the bank's graduate program in 2007. She stayed in London until 2010 and went on to work at Credit Suisse in Madrid until July 2016. The VP of Investment Banking (Capital Markets) was primarily responsible for Iberian accounts.Based in Lisbon, she is now a partner at Pier Partners VC where she has worked since 2016. She has completed courses in fintech and blockchain business strategy run by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Oxford university's Said Business School respectively. In 2018, she became a board member of Portugal Fintech, an NGO overseeing the development of the country's fintech ecosystem. In August 2019, the mother-of-three became a fintech entrepreneur as the Portuguese co-founder and CFO of StudentFinance.
Marta Palmeiro graduated in Business Administration and Management at Portugal's Nova School of Business and Economics in 2007. She went to London to work at Credit Suisse as an intern and joined the bank's graduate program in 2007. She stayed in London until 2010 and went on to work at Credit Suisse in Madrid until July 2016. The VP of Investment Banking (Capital Markets) was primarily responsible for Iberian accounts.Based in Lisbon, she is now a partner at Pier Partners VC where she has worked since 2016. She has completed courses in fintech and blockchain business strategy run by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Oxford university's Said Business School respectively. In 2018, she became a board member of Portugal Fintech, an NGO overseeing the development of the country's fintech ecosystem. In August 2019, the mother-of-three became a fintech entrepreneur as the Portuguese co-founder and CFO of StudentFinance.
CEO and co-founder of String Bio
Ezhil Subbian studied industrial biotechnology at Anna University in India. She then went to the US to complete two PhDs in biochemistry, biophysics and molecular biology at the Oregon Health & Science University and from Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey-New Brunswick. She was a research assistant at both universities.While in the US, she was also a research scientist at Gevo Inc and at Vollum Institute. In 2008, she became a scientist and technical lead at pharma Codexis in California. In 2011, she worked at San Francisco-based Kumar Investments as an entrepreneur and biotech consultant.In 2012, she founded biotech startup String Inc while on a nine-month Startup Leadership Program in Silicon Valley. In June 2013, she and husband returned to India and formed a new company String Bio to continue working on the alternative protein powder project for animal feed production.
Ezhil Subbian studied industrial biotechnology at Anna University in India. She then went to the US to complete two PhDs in biochemistry, biophysics and molecular biology at the Oregon Health & Science University and from Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey-New Brunswick. She was a research assistant at both universities.While in the US, she was also a research scientist at Gevo Inc and at Vollum Institute. In 2008, she became a scientist and technical lead at pharma Codexis in California. In 2011, she worked at San Francisco-based Kumar Investments as an entrepreneur and biotech consultant.In 2012, she founded biotech startup String Inc while on a nine-month Startup Leadership Program in Silicon Valley. In June 2013, she and husband returned to India and formed a new company String Bio to continue working on the alternative protein powder project for animal feed production.
Co-founder of SigmaRail
Jorge López Sánchez is a co-founder of railway consultancy firm SigmaRail. Focused on the railway sector since the beginning his career, he started as an intern at railway technology R&D center CITEF. He was later Alstom's automatic train control leader until 2011 and NSW's technical manager until 2016. López holds a first degree in Industrial and Mechanical Engineering and a PhD in Electromagnetic Compatibility, both from the Polytechnic University of Madrid. He also holds a degree in the design and set up of solar-powered facilities from the Censolar professional training center in Seville.
Jorge López Sánchez is a co-founder of railway consultancy firm SigmaRail. Focused on the railway sector since the beginning his career, he started as an intern at railway technology R&D center CITEF. He was later Alstom's automatic train control leader until 2011 and NSW's technical manager until 2016. López holds a first degree in Industrial and Mechanical Engineering and a PhD in Electromagnetic Compatibility, both from the Polytechnic University of Madrid. He also holds a degree in the design and set up of solar-powered facilities from the Censolar professional training center in Seville.
CEO and Founder of Waterdrop (Shuidi)
Shen Peng had first tried founding a startup while studying finance at Beijing's Central University of Finance and Economics from 2006 to 2010. In 2009, he joined Meituan – now known as Meituan Dianping – as its tenth employee. At the age of 23, he was in charge of Meituan's group buying business in north China. Shen was also a key player when Meituan expanded into the food delivery business. He received his master's degree in retail management from the Neoma Business School through a partnership with the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing. He founded Waterdrop in 2016 and has served as its CEO since.
Shen Peng had first tried founding a startup while studying finance at Beijing's Central University of Finance and Economics from 2006 to 2010. In 2009, he joined Meituan – now known as Meituan Dianping – as its tenth employee. At the age of 23, he was in charge of Meituan's group buying business in north China. Shen was also a key player when Meituan expanded into the food delivery business. He received his master's degree in retail management from the Neoma Business School through a partnership with the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing. He founded Waterdrop in 2016 and has served as its CEO since.
Cofounder and Managing Director of Hacktiv8
Ronald Ishak has been involved in tech startups since 2008 when he became Web Applications Manager, Online Trading at PT Ciptadana Capital and led a team of developers to build an online stock trading app for the Indonesian Stock Exchange. In August 2009, he became CTO at web developer company, PT Domikado, and left in January 2014 when the company was acquired. Meanwhile, in 2010, he co-founded his first (short-lived) company, which developed a photo sharing app for mobile platforms. For nine months from November 2014, he was CTO at PT Giftcard Indonesia, which distributes digital giftcards for brands. In 2016, he co-founded Hacktiv8, a training center that runs web development bootcamps and other programming courses, with Riza Fahmi and is its CEO. Ishak is also partner at RMKB Ventures, an Indonesian VC that has backed, among others, insurtech firm Qoala, “CTO-as-a-service” startup Rebel Works and Hacktiv8.
Ronald Ishak has been involved in tech startups since 2008 when he became Web Applications Manager, Online Trading at PT Ciptadana Capital and led a team of developers to build an online stock trading app for the Indonesian Stock Exchange. In August 2009, he became CTO at web developer company, PT Domikado, and left in January 2014 when the company was acquired. Meanwhile, in 2010, he co-founded his first (short-lived) company, which developed a photo sharing app for mobile platforms. For nine months from November 2014, he was CTO at PT Giftcard Indonesia, which distributes digital giftcards for brands. In 2016, he co-founded Hacktiv8, a training center that runs web development bootcamps and other programming courses, with Riza Fahmi and is its CEO. Ishak is also partner at RMKB Ventures, an Indonesian VC that has backed, among others, insurtech firm Qoala, “CTO-as-a-service” startup Rebel Works and Hacktiv8.
CEO and co-founder of Biel Glasses
Jaume Puig Adamuz is co-founder and CEO of Biel Glasses, a medtech developing smart glasses for people with low vision. Prior to founding the startup in 2017, he was a pre-sales and product manager at cloud services company MediaCloud, and was the Workplace Transformation Governance Manager in the Government of Catalonia's education department, where he was in charge of its digital transformation.In total, he has over 25 years' experience as a manager in various technology companies, including British Telecom, Deustche Bank, Telefónica and Tiscali. Puig also previously founded two companies, Mobbiz Communication, a mobile marketing services company, where he worked from 2003 to 2013, and Fleet Control Systems, one of the first commercial radio and GPS fleet location and management systems, where he worked from 1995 to 1998.Puig holds a master's degree in Business Administration from the University of Ramon Llull in Barcelona.
Jaume Puig Adamuz is co-founder and CEO of Biel Glasses, a medtech developing smart glasses for people with low vision. Prior to founding the startup in 2017, he was a pre-sales and product manager at cloud services company MediaCloud, and was the Workplace Transformation Governance Manager in the Government of Catalonia's education department, where he was in charge of its digital transformation.In total, he has over 25 years' experience as a manager in various technology companies, including British Telecom, Deustche Bank, Telefónica and Tiscali. Puig also previously founded two companies, Mobbiz Communication, a mobile marketing services company, where he worked from 2003 to 2013, and Fleet Control Systems, one of the first commercial radio and GPS fleet location and management systems, where he worked from 1995 to 1998.Puig holds a master's degree in Business Administration from the University of Ramon Llull in Barcelona.
CFO, CMO and co-founder of RecyGlo
Initially trained as an electrical engineer at Thanlyin Technological University in 2009, Okka Phyo Maung went on to obtain a joint degree in American studies, sustainable and green tech from Colorado State University and Daejeon University in South Korea. He also provided research and technical support for two local universities while studying in Korea.In 2013, he went to study at Vesalius College in Brussels and graduated in business administration in 2017. While living in Brussels, he gained work experience as a data analyst at Management Centre Europe and was a cost consultant at Bridgewater Consulting.In Myanmar, he has worked as a project coordinator for the construction of telecoms towers in 2013. He was also an advisory consultant for accounting firm EY’s financial due diligence projects. In 2018, he began working full-time as the CFO and CMO of RecyGlo, Myanmar’s first waste management and recycling tech company.
Initially trained as an electrical engineer at Thanlyin Technological University in 2009, Okka Phyo Maung went on to obtain a joint degree in American studies, sustainable and green tech from Colorado State University and Daejeon University in South Korea. He also provided research and technical support for two local universities while studying in Korea.In 2013, he went to study at Vesalius College in Brussels and graduated in business administration in 2017. While living in Brussels, he gained work experience as a data analyst at Management Centre Europe and was a cost consultant at Bridgewater Consulting.In Myanmar, he has worked as a project coordinator for the construction of telecoms towers in 2013. He was also an advisory consultant for accounting firm EY’s financial due diligence projects. In 2018, he began working full-time as the CFO and CMO of RecyGlo, Myanmar’s first waste management and recycling tech company.
Francisco Polo: The former entrepreneur heading Spain's Digital Advancement
He's been charged to transform Spain into an entrepreneurial nation, and a technological and innovation frontrunner
A Q&A with the Veniam founder and CEO
2gether: The world's first crypto-collaborative financial platform
Banking on the opportunities afforded by blockchain, 2gether is owned by its customers who get commission-free financial services in euros and cryptocurrency
Tiantian Xuenong: China's first pay-for-knowledge agricultural platform
Capitalizing on a deep understanding of Chinese agriculture, this startup is building an online school where farmers can learn agricultural and business skills
Bob Xu, one of China's first and most successful angel investors
Known for his whimsical investment style, Xu has caught a number of unicorns
Payfazz aims to be Indonesia's first on-demand financial services company
Handling transactions averaging over IDR 1tn monthly, Payfazz hopes to bring the benefits of banking to all Indonesians
HumanITcare: The first real-time symptom tracker for mental illness patients
FollowHealth’s HumanITcare app combines wearables, analytics and AI to monitor and improve outcomes for sufferers of depression, schizophrenia, alcoholism and more
RecyGlo, Myanmar's first circular economy waste management system, targets regional growth
Turning trash into cash, Yangon-based recycling pioneer RecyGlo wants to extend its zero-waste circular economy model to the rest of Southeast Asia
Bound4Blue’s aeronautical tech propels first sustainable shipping vessel in the Pacific
Winning €5m fresh funding, Bound4Blue also scores with its EC-backed pilot, the first of its kind, offering new possibilities to cargo vessels seeking sustainable transportation
Neil Shen: The super unicorn hunter
His bet on ByteDance, the startup that gave the world TikTok, helped Neil Shen top this year's Forbes Midas List. But for Shen, even in that deal he once made the wrong call
Farm Friend: World’s first agri-drone sharing platform wins over users, investors
Gone are the days of the lone Chinese farmer toiling under the sun. Now drones are here to help – and there’s even a drone sharing platform too
Backed by Kleiner Perkins, Spotahome clinches Spain’s first Silicon Valley-led funding
Now in Europe’s US$500 billion home rental market, the Spanish proptech will soon expand to LatAm, the US and Asia
Kibus Petcare: World's first auto-cook and -dispense healthy pet food device
Kibus Petcare applies the healthy eating revolution to the ever-growing pet-care business, eyes sales in 25 countries after crowdfunding launch
SoccerDream: World's first VR soccer training platform to launch in China, US
SoccerDream uses virtual reality to boost trainee players' performance on the field by 36% compared to their peers
FROGS: Overcoming challenges to launch Indonesia's first drone-taxi for daily commutes
The Yogyakarta-based startup backed by UMG Idealab seeks more technical resources to launch Indonesia's first homegrown “flying taxi,” after the success of its agritech drones
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