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Top China venture capitalist sees flood of money into 5G-related areas in next 36 months

  • VC funding to shift from AI, robotics and data science to 5G, says GGV Capital managing partner Jixun Foo
  • Investment opportunities in Southeast Asia include insurance, education, travel, health care and logistics

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5G has been held out as “the connective tissue” for the Internet of Things, autonomous cars, smart cities and other new mobile applications. Photo: AFP
Chua Kong Ho
Venture capital investments are likely to pour into 5G-related areas in China in the next two to three years, as the next-generation mobile technology enables new businesses to emerge, according to Jixun Foo, managing partner at GGV Capital.
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It pays to understand how technology leaps unleash innovation, said Foo, who is consistently recognised as one of the top venture capitalists in China. He has invested in various unicorns – private companies valued at more than US$1 billion – including Didi Chuxing, Megvii, Yumanman, Tujia and Xpeng Motors.

When China underwent a transition from desktop personal computer-based internet to mobile internet, it helped drive innovation in media, e-commerce, content and other consumer-facing businesses, helping create some of today’s internet giants, according to Foo.

He said the subsequent shift from 3G to 4G reshaped the face of entertainment by making live streaming and short-form video apps possible, as the costs of production were reduced.

Investments have also moved from consumer-facing businesses to today’s tech-driven areas, including artificial intelligence, robotics and data science. This will shift to 5G-related areas in the next 36 months, Foo said.

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