China-based venture capital firm
Sinovation Ventures (Chinese : 创新工场 ; pinyin : Chuàngxīn Gōngchǎng ) is a Beijing -based venture capital firm founded in 2009.[ 2] The firm focuses on investing in startups that use artificial intelligence technology.[ 3] It was one of the first Chinese venture capital firms to establish a presence in the United States.[ 2]
Background
Kai-Fu Lee was President of Google China from July 2005 to 4 September 2009.[ 2] [ 4] [ 5] [ 6] A few days after resigning from his post, on 7 September 2009, he announced he would be starting a $115m venture capital fund called "Innovation Works".[ 2] [ 5] [ 6] [ 7] His colleague, Hua Wang who was previously Head of Business Development in Google China joined him as a co-founder.[ 8]
In 2013, an office was opened in Silicon Valley to invest in US startups.[ 9] [ 10]
In 2016, the firm rebranded from "Innovation Works" to "Sinovation Ventures".[ 7]
In 2019, the firm closed its Silicon Valley office citing the China–United States trade war making it difficult to get into US deals.[ 9] [ 10]
Funds
Fund[ 11]
Vintage Year
Committed Capital ($m)
Sinovation Fund I
2011
USD 180
Sinovation Fund II
2012
USD 275
RMB Fund I
2012
USD 48.5
Sinovation Fund III
2016
USD 207
RMB Fund II
2016
USD 380
Sinovation Fund IV
2018
USD 500
Artificial intelligence fund[ 12]
2018
USD 391
RMB Fund III[ 13]
2019
USD 361
Sinovation Fund V[ 14]
2022
USD 203
Investments
References
^ "Sinovation Ventures" . Sinovation Ventures . Archived from the original on 18 December 2022. Retrieved 18 December 2022 .
^ a b c d "Chinese economy resilient thanks to its diversity, says top tech venture capitalist" . South China Morning Post . 5 December 2018. Archived from the original on 18 December 2022. Retrieved 18 December 2022 .
^ Yuan, Li (24 August 2016). "China Gears Up in Artificial-Intelligence Race" . Wall Street Journal . Archived from the original on 18 December 2022. Retrieved 18 December 2022 .
^ Sandoval, Greg. "Microsoft settles with Google over executive hire" . CNET . Archived from the original on 18 December 2022. Retrieved 18 December 2022 .
^ a b "Google China Head Kai-Fu Lee Leaves to Start New Venture - BusinessWeek" . 8 September 2009. Archived from the original on 8 September 2009. Retrieved 18 December 2022 .
^ a b "Dr. Kai-Fu Lee Leaves Google, Starts Innovation Works | Reuters" . Reuters . 10 September 2009. Archived from the original on 10 September 2009. Retrieved 18 December 2022 .
^ a b c Yuan, Li (12 September 2016). "Sinovation Ventures Raises $675 Million in Fresh Capital" . Wall Street Journal . Archived from the original on 18 December 2022. Retrieved 18 December 2022 .
^ "Hua Wang, Sinovation Ventures: Profile and Biography" . Bloomberg.com . Retrieved 18 December 2022 .
^ a b c d e f g Levy, Ari (14 May 2019). "Google's former China head Kai-Fu Lee retreats from US investing amid trade dispute" . CNBC . Archived from the original on 18 December 2022. Retrieved 18 December 2022 .
^ a b Kaye, Kate (7 November 2022). "Kai-Fu Lee tried to teach the US about Chinese AI and got a rivalry" . Protocol . Archived from the original on 18 December 2022. Retrieved 18 December 2022 .
^ "Sinovation Ventures | Palico" . www.palico.com . Archived from the original on 18 December 2022. Retrieved 18 December 2022 .
^ Wu, Yimian (25 May 2018). "Sinovation Ventures Establishes $391M AI Fund In Guangzhou" . China Money Network . Archived from the original on 18 December 2022. Retrieved 18 December 2022 .
^ Wang, Eudora (5 June 2019). "Former Google China Head-Led Sinovation Ventures Closes Third RMB Fund At $361M" . China Money Network . Archived from the original on 18 December 2022. Retrieved 18 December 2022 .
^ "Sinovation Ventures raises $203m so far for fifth flagship venture fund" . DealStreetAsia . Archived from the original on 18 December 2022. Retrieved 18 December 2022 .
^ Rai, Saritha (5 November 2023). "AI Pioneer Kai-Fu Lee Builds $1 Billion Startup in Eight Months" . Bloomberg News .
^ Gobry, Pascal-Emmanuel. "The Guy Who Ran Microsoft And Google In China Clones US Startups" . Business Insider . Archived from the original on 18 December 2022. Retrieved 18 December 2022 .
External links
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