Acorn Pacific Ventures
No summary available yet.
Acorn Pacific is the classic 'bridge fund' that actually delivers on the cross-border promise — they're not just marketing speak about Asia connections. Their track record shows real exits: 1 IPO and 5 acquisitions including key companies like NGINX, Crown Bioscience and Zhejiang Nuhui Health Technology. Derek Chau brings genuine operational chops from being a startup CEO himself, which founders appreciate. The Wu Fu Chen legacy gives them serious Silicon Valley street cred going back decades. But here's the thing — they have a portfolio of 30 companies spread thin across multiple markets, so don't expect white-glove attention. They're solid for founders who need real Asia-Pacific expansion help, not just another check.
- —Best for: Cross-border expansion between US and Asia-Pacific markets
- —Watch out for: Portfolio spread thin across 30+ companies, less individual attention
- —Known for: Operational partners who've been founders themselves, real Asia connections
We value companies with proprietary technology and teams that demonstrate innovative thinking and proven solutions that solve hard problems. Let us be your partner to explore and unlock ways to capture value from opportunities that constantly evolve between Asia and the United States. Their investment thesis is centered around capturing the synergy between significant events in Industry 4.0, global supply chain transformations, and the dynamic growth of emerging markets, which they equate to 'The Perfect Storm.'
It primarily invests in Series A round in United States based startups, with 9 investments in Series A stage with an average round size of $8.1M, 5 investments in Seed stage with an average round size of $2.95M. Established in 2015, the firm specializes in Seed to Series A investments in enterprise software, supply chain innovation, and fintech. focusing on B2B enterprise, supply chain, and health tech investment opportunities across North America and APAC regions.
With over 20 years of experience as an enterprise software executive, venture investor, startup founder and M&A specialist, Derek brings a unique perspective in working with software and fintech companies. Previously COO of Accela and prior to that, CEO of a machine learning startup in the media aggregation space. CFA charterholder and JD from Harvard Law School. I think humility is a really important skill that we really value at Acorn.
Notable team member with experience in cross-border investments and a PhD in Engineering from Stanford. He is an AAMA mentor and serves on the board of the Taiwan Stanford Alumni Association. PhD in Engineering from Stanford University In his time spent with AsiaVest and Harbinger Ventures, Peter carries decades long experience in cross-border investments, executive management, and a charming passion for music.
WuFu started from early 70's in the US and was a serial entrepreneur with nothing but bare hands when his career began. He then started Acorn family in the 90's in Carlifornia and helped hundreds of startups by bridging founders from all over the world to Silicon Valley and learn the spirits of innovation and talent management. Original founder from 1999 who built the Acorn ecosystem.
CK spent recent years in impact investment domain and also maintained his founding partner position in Acorn Pacific Ventures focusing on ESG and social responsibility prospects. Venture Partner CK Cheng is adept at building novel technologies and has experience raising six venture funds
Have a specific question about Acorn Pacific Ventures?
Ask Bernie →