William Bao Bean: Top performing VC finding alpha in emerging markets

In this episode, we sit down with William Bao Bean, General Partner at Orbit Startups https://orbitstartups.com. With over two decades of experience in the startup ecosystem, William is a leading investor in early-stage tech companies in emerging markets. His expertise in venture capital and wide knowledge of the Asian startup landscape make him a key figure in the industry. We explore William’s career journey, his approach to identifying and scaling promising startups, and his role at Orbit Startups, where he focuses on tech-driven social and impact. William also shares insights on critical success factors for early-stage companies, corporate VCs, the importance of adaptability in fast-changing markets, and the future of technology in emerging economies. Subscribe to the VNTR Podcast to deepen your knowledge of investing and discovering winning opportunities. VNTR is building the world’s largest investor community by sharing lessons, hosting events, and offering opportunities. Active VC investors can join by claiming a free investor account at (https://app.vntr.vc/). Hosts: - Yuri Rabinovich (http://linkedin.com/byuric) - Niko Leon (http://linkedin.com/nikoleon) Chapters: * 0:00 Intro * 6:00 Corporate VC * 18:30 Traditional VC * 35:18 Operations * 38:48 Networking * 42:50 Fundraising * 57:27 Work-life balance Follow William: * https://www.linkedin.com/in/williambaobean/ * https://orbitstartups.com * https://twitter.com/williambaobean William's Bio: William Bao Bean is a General Partner at Orbit Startups, where he focuses on early-stage investments in tech companies in emerging markets. He is also a Managing Director at SOSV, a global venture capital firm, where he has been involved in expanding its presence in Asia. William serves on the boards of several high-growth startups and actively mentors entrepreneurs, guiding them through the complexities of scaling businesses in diverse and challenging environments. He was earlier with SingTel Innov8 Ventures, where he was the Managing Director supporting China investments. Here, he led investments in Yodo1, GMobi, DemystData, Lekan, and Massive Impact.Prior to this, William was a partner at SoftBank China and India Holdings, the venture capital firm backed by SoftBank and Cisco, where he led investments in China and Southeast Asia. He started his career as an equity research analyst, specializing in the Internet and telecommunications sectors. A frequent speaker at industry events, William is recognized for his huge success in venture capital in emerging markets.