Note from Beijing: My Journey to Venture Capital
by Denise Peng, former COO, Qunar (NASDAQ: QUNR)
Many of my friends learned recently that I had joined GGV as a Venture Partner.
When I left Qunar at the beginning of this year, I already had inclinations to try something close to, yet also different from, my previous experiences. Ultimately, this pointed me to the following key terms: Venture Capital Investment, China and Silicon Valley, Cutting-edge Science and Technology, Child Education and Precision Medicine.
The first three terms can be explained as a whole. I studied Artificial Intelligence (AI) for my undergraduate degree, and at that time AI was not yet well applied to solve practical problems of life. Eventually, I joined the then fledgling internet industry after graduation, which was 20 years ago. During my time in several start-up companies, I have witnessed the evolution of the internet, from essentially nothing to a world-changing miracle, and the transformative influence of venture capital on society through small AUM. As a result, I am deeply convinced that it will be an earth-shaking era, with impressive and swift developments of technologies such as AI, brain science, genetic technology, and precision medicine that will drastically change the way we live in the decades to come. I want to grab the opportunity to be immersed in this on-going change, and gain deeper insight into all of it. China is the biggest market in the world, while Silicon Valley is at the heart of global technological innovation; and venture capital investment is the most efficient and effective way to connect these two. In short, I am ready to step into this new and exciting journey in VC investment within the cutting-edge science and technology arenas of both China and the U.S.
The reason I put Child Education and Precision Medicine on the top of my list is more personal. Seeing distressed parents worrying about their children’s education, or colleagues and friends whose health or even lives have been taken away by some hereditary or sudden diseases, I profoundly believe that there is still huge potential for internet and cutting-edge science and technology to contribute to the improvement of people’s quality of life.
Jixun Foo, managing partner of GGV, is an investor in Qunar and has provided instrumental support to company. After exchanging my initial thoughts with him and some other GGV partners, I knew GGV would be a perfect platform to accomplish my dreams. It is very rare to find a VC that is active both in China and America. The other members of the managing partner team includes Jenny Lee, a professional in the field of China-U.S. science and technology innovation; Hans Tung, who possesses active and great insights on cross-border e-commerce; Glenn Solomon and Jeff Richards, both seasoned experts in the U.S. market. To work with such a team will surely be a challenging and exciting experience. I look forward to sharing my 10 years of experience in entrepreneurship and operation management with the GGV family to support its portfolio companies.
