Marc van der Chijs, a serial entrepreneur who has been in China for 13 years, has moved to Vancouver three weeks ago. Marc is best known as the co-founder of Chinese video sharing site Tudou.
More recently, he founded and invested in unitedstyles, a site that allows users to design, share, and buy their fashion items. He also became a partner at CrossPacific Capital, a venture capital firm that invests in American or Canadian companies which have an eye on Asia.
SGE has reached out to Marc for comments on his decision to leave China. Nonetheless, he did explain a little bit on his blog about his rationale. He wrote:
What I won’t miss is the air pollution (which was the #1 reason for us to leave), the traffic jams and the slow, restricted Internet. Every country has its advantages and disadvantages, and although the balance has shifted a bit recently the advantages of living in China have always outweighed the downsides for me. If it was purely for business reasons I would likely stay, but I have a family with 2 young kids now and I also need to think of them.
While he won’t be in China as much, he’ll still be actively involved in the country by helping companies in the West who are seeking opportunities in the region. It is a position suited to him due to his knowledge and networks in China.
In an interview with SGE last year, he said that China is no longer as much a business haven for foreign entrepreneurs as compared to the past.
He boiled it down to two main reasons.
One, it has become challenging to get foreign employees into the country due to visa restrictions, while finding competent local employees is still tough.
Two, many venture capitalists in China don’t have a global outlook, so if a startup wants to tackle the global market, fundraising may be more difficult.
Stay updated on the go with our mobile app.
Get latest insights with smoother, more personalized experience through TIA mobile app.
