How Anna Fang succeeded in her field
Anna Fang, a businesswoman, heads the ZhenFund investment fund and is ranked number one in the Midas Seed ranking. This ranking assesses the success of seed-stage investors and is one of the most important indicators in the financial sector. Her position at the top of the list confirms her ability to recognise the potential of projects at the earliest stages. She provides financial and expert support to startups, helping them to develop. Thanks to this approach, Anna Fang has built one of the world’s best investment portfolios.
The beginning of the journey
Like many successful people, Anna never aspired to become an investor. After graduating from Stanford Business School in 2010, she took a job at JPMorgan. After working at the investment bank, she moved to General Electric, where she successfully built her career.
A turning point came when she met Dan Hu, founder of the startup Omni Prime, a former classmate of hers. At the time, he held a senior position at the venture capital firm Sequoia. Dan suggested that Anna help a Chinese business angel, Xiaoping Xu, who was looking for a fund launch expert. Despite being only 29 years old at the time, Anna rose to the challenge with confidence, realising that she had found her calling.
First successes
Initially, Anna managed the operational processes in Xu’s business. Over time, she decided to move into investment. Xiaoping became her mentor, sharing his strategies and stories of both mistakes and successful investments. This training yielded powerful results:
– In 11 years, Anna has invested in over 30 startups that have become ‘unicorns’.
– She has invested in 90 companies that have successfully entered the market.
– Anna has been ranked on the Midas List for four consecutive years, achieving the highest ranking among women investors.
– In 2024, she topped the Midas Seed ranking.
Anna combines intuition with in-depth market analysis. She understands products at the same level as their creators, helping her to accurately assess the prospects of a project. This approach ensures a high percentage of successful investments.
Key investments
Anna Fang has long been a well-respected figure in the world of venture capital. She actively supports projects in China and overseas.
One of her most successful investments was Xiaohongshu (Red), a social media and e-commerce platform. This startup combines the functions of a social network and an e-commerce platform. Anna invested in the project in 2013 after meeting one of the founders, Charlwin Mao. He participated actively in her talks at Stanford, asking questions and showing interest in the topic. Today, Xiaohongshu is valued at US$20 billion.
Another notable project in Anna’s portfolio is Horizon Robotics, a developer of intelligent transport systems. The company’s value currently exceeds US$4 billion.
