2021 Nov 4 SoBiz Demystifying Venture Capital

SoBiz Thursday is about bringing SingCham members and friends of SingCham together for social and business networking. On Nov 4th, we had the privilege of having Mr Foo Jixun, Global Managing Partner of GGV Capital, speak to our members and guests, on what successful VCs look for, mega trends in Asia, and insights on driving success. Mr Foo has been recognized by Forbes China as one of the “Best Venture Capitalists” every year since 2006. He was also named as one of the Top 10 Venture Capitalists by Zero2IPO as well as "VC Professional of the Year" by the Asia Venture Capital Journal. He has been named to the global Forbes Midas list since 2019, and was also recognized among the Top 100 Venture Capitalists by The New York Times/CBInsights in 2019.

We began the evening over a sumptuous Singapore-style buffet from Jumbo, wine from Mr Phillip Gwee (Amara Hotel), and premium tea from Chali (www.chali.com). In a dialogue format hosted by SingCham Shanghai Chairperson Ms Kng Hwee Tin, Mr Foo enthralled us with his fascinating foray into venture capital, highlighting concepts and principles for success that are applicable to investors and entrepreneurs alike. “Why now, why you”. Driving the point, Mr Foo graciously shared both his successful and missed investment cases to share how investment (and really, all endeavors) goes beyond a business plan. In a very lively Q&A with us, Mr Foo led a discourse on appreciating long term social and market trends that drives deeper appreciation of policies and externalities, confident and sustainable business approaches, and the kind of entrepreneurial drive that a corresponding like-minded VC could partner and bring success. “不是为了挣钱，是为了成就一件事”. The spirited discussion did not end with this event and continues in our event wechat group.

We are grateful to Mr Foo for sharing his experiences, insights, and even pointers to our entrepreneur members; feedback has been overwhelming and positive. “满满干货， 受益匪浅“，”醍醐灌顶，茅塞顿开，受益匪浅“. We also thank all our members for their support, as well as friends from NUS Alumni, NTU Alumni, Malaysia Chamber of Commerce, and Indonesia Chamber of Commerce.

This event was sponsored by Shanghai Meite Curtain Wall System Co Ltd, Renew Material (Jiangsu) Co Ltd, and supported by Singapore Global Network.