Focus Ventures | Our Approach

Approach

Process

Asia Connection

Our Approach

Asia Connection

An important component of our investment strategy is to seek out and invest in emerging growth companies that can benefit from our extensive network of contacts in Japan, Hong Kong, China, and the rest of Asia. The value of our Asian network to portfolio companies is both financial and strategic.

Focus Ventures creates value on both sides of the Pacific. Through our Asian connections, we facilitate distribution, licensing, manufacturing, hosting, systems integration, and other joint venture arrangements for portfolio companies. In turn, our Asian limited partners gain access to new business concepts, products and emerging technologies provided by Focus Ventures' portfolio companies.

Focus maintains an office and staff in China staffed dedicated to assisting our portfolio companies. Or staff helps companies devise strategies for approaching Asia and connects companies to relevant resources.

We have established strong working relationships with a number of important groups and corporations in Asia, including:

The Cha Group

Hong Kong and Silicon Valley based global textile, property and private equity group, active in venture capital since the mid-1970s.

China International Capital Corporation

Leading merchant bank in Beijing; joint venture including Morgan Stanley, People's Construction Bank.

Chinatrust Commercial Bank

Large commercial bank in Taiwan.

The Mingly Corporation

The Cha Group's investment vehicle to provide capital and assistance to U.S. information technology and life sciences companies to help them establish, expand, and fund their presence in China and for systems integrator, telecom services, and related investments in China.

Mitsubishi Corporation

Top-tier Japanese industrial conglomerate.

Qiu Shi Foundation

Hong Kong foundation providing grants for excellence in research in China. Its prestigious board of directors includes three Nobel laureates and the past President of the Chinese National Academy of Sciences.

Sanyo Electric Corporation

Leading Japanese consumer electronics company.

Search Group Investment Holdings

Hong Kong based global private equity investor.

Government of Singapore

A large investment entity with a global network of offices, affiliated with the government of Singapore.

Sterling Enterprises Limited

Hong Kong property (part of Hang Lung Group) and private equity company.

Sun Hung Kai Group

Hong Kong's largest property group; founder sunEvision and other e-commerce initiatives.

SysTex

Largest systems integrator in Taiwan; part of ITRI.

Taiwan's Industrial Technology Investment Corporation

Taiwanese government's funding arm for promoting the development of technology in Taiwan.

Temasek

Singapore industrial investment holding company whose companies include Singapore Telecom, Media Corporation of Singapore, and Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing.

We also retain consultants in Asia who work on our portfolio companies' behalf:

Mae S. S. Wang - Hong Kong
Mae has many years experience in the region through senior positions with Motorola and Hutchison Telcom. Mae has also been involved with Deutsche Bank and its e-Millennium II eCommerce fund for Asia. Prior to that she was at AsiaTech and helped organize the AsiaTech Java Fund.

Chen Xiang Xing - Shanghai
Chen was the chairman of Panda Group, a leader in consumer products, cellular handsets, base stations and satellite and radio communications. He is one of the most influential figures in modern Chinese industry.

Liao You Ming - Beijing
Mr. Liao is the former Director of Bureau of Computer Industry of Ministry of Electronic Industry (now MII). He was later the President of China Electronics Coporation(CEC). Mr.Liao has been a leader in the development of China’s computer, consumer and semiconductor industries. Since the mid-90s he has been the Vice President of China Huanen Group and chairman of its Hong Kong and Canada subsidiaries.

Focus Ventures has established Focus Pacific Technology Group(FPTG), which maintains a Shanghai Representative Office. FPTG serves Focus Ventures exclusively and one of its missions is to help Focus Ventures portfolio companies enter the China marketplace. FPTG will also help Focus Ventures with investment strategy and will help its Chinese alliance companies to seek technology and investment opportunity abroad. FPTG has five seasoned professionals in various industry, technology and marketing sectors.

In addition, Jim Boettcher, one of our general partners, maintains close contacts with influential individuals and investment groups throughout Asia. Jim was formerly head of an Asian merchant banking operation and has developed, structured and funded a number of successful projects in Tokyo, Jakarta, Bangkok and Hong Kong.