We take a closer look at the Hong Kong venture capital firm behind some major recent flotations in New York.
5Y Capital founders Qin Liu (left) and Ken Shi (right). Credit: 5Y Capital
The Hong Kong-based venture capital firm 5Y Capital has had two major pieces of news in the last year. First, it rebranded from its original name, Morningside Venture Capital, in October. Then in February, it made a reported $30 billion return on its investment in the short-form video app Kuaishou, after the Chinese company listed shares on the New York Stock Exchange.
While Kuaishou may be its most high-profile success so far, 5Y has made other significant investments in its 13-year history, and it is moving fast to make more. Two of the firm’s best-known bets in China were on the electric vehicle startup Xpeng and voice toolkit Agora, which is best known as the technical foundation of social media app Clubhouse. 5Y Capital has already backed 16 companies in 2021, including startups in artificial intelligence, biotech, skincare and chocolate making. Chinese companies account for 90 percent of its more than 200 total investments, according to PitchBook. The early-stage firm has $4
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