Poaching Season Prevalent among China VCs

Filed in archive Venture Capital on December 8, 2005

Respected reporter, Matt Marshall of Silicon Beat, still in Shanghai writes that division street is more evident among the once clubby and cozy venture community. The picture at Granite Global Ventures and DFJ ePlanet does seem to bear witness that competition is heating up for deals and key personnel.

After all, DFJ was an early key player in China and created ePlanet ventures back in 1999, and led the first wave of Silicon Valley investments into China.

DFJ's $650 million fund aimed to export cutting-edge business ideas from Silicon Valley to other parts of the world. It opened an office Beijing, and then last year opened in Shanghai. The firm had already made nine investments into China last year. China was their central focus.

Jixun Foo, a former director of DFJ ePlanet and one of their key architects for investment into Baidu, recognized as a trophy deal of the year, jumped ship and is now the managing director for GGV in Shanghai.

CVN expects to see more VC personnel raiding in the New Year as companies elbow one another to open new offices.