Sinovation Ventures
Native name
创新工场
FormerlyInnovation Works
TypePrivate
IndustryVenture Capital
Founded7 September 2009 (2009-09-07)
FoundersKai-Fu Lee
Hua Wang
HeadquartersBeijing, China
ProductsInvestments
AUMUS$3 billion (2022)
Websitesinovationventures.com
Footnotes / references
[1]

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

  1. ↑ "Sinovation Ventures". Sinovation Ventures.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Chinese economy resilient thanks to its diversity, says top tech venture capitalist". South China Morning Post. 5 December 2018. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
  3. ↑ Yuan, Li (24 August 2016). "China Gears Up in Artificial-Intelligence Race". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
  4. ↑ Sandoval, Greg. "Microsoft settles with Google over executive hire". CNET. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
  5. 1 2 "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.
  6. 1 2 "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.
  7. 1 2 3 Yuan, Li (12 September 2016). "Sinovation Ventures Raises $675 Million in Fresh Capital". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
  8. ↑ "Hua Wang, Sinovation Ventures: Profile and Biography". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Levy, Ari (14 May 2019). "Google's former China head Kai-Fu Lee retreats from US investing amid trade dispute". CNBC. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
  10. 1 2 Kaye, Kate (7 November 2022). "Kai-Fu Lee tried to teach the US about Chinese AI and got a rivalry". Protocol. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
  11. ↑ "Sinovation Ventures | Palico". www.palico.com. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
  12. ↑ Wu, Yimian (25 May 2018). "Sinovation Ventures Establishes $391M AI Fund In Guangzhou". China Money Network. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
  13. ↑ Wang, Eudora (5 June 2019). "Former Google China Head-Led Sinovation Ventures Closes Third RMB Fund At $361M". China Money Network. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
  14. ↑ "Sinovation Ventures raises $203m so far for fifth flagship venture fund". DealStreetAsia. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
  15. ↑ Gobry, Pascal-Emmanuel. "The Guy Who Ran Microsoft And Google In China Clones US Startups". Business Insider. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
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