Acorn Pacific Ventures
Acorn Pacific Ventures is a privately held venture capital firm that invests in early and growth-stage technology companies with cross-border potential between North America and Asia Pacific, managing seven funds across Silicon Valley, Taiwan, China, and Southeast Asia under the Acorn Network.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersSanta Clara, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Acorn Pacific Ventures does
Acorn Pacific Ventures is a privately held venture capital firm that invests in early and growth-stage technology companies with cross-border potential between North America and Asia Pacific. The firm is part of the broader Acorn Network, which traces its origins to the 1970s and today operates seven venture funds across three core geographies: Silicon Valley (Acorn Campus Ventures, headquartered in San Mateo, California), Taiwan (Acorn Campus Taiwan in Taipei), and China (Acorn Campus Shanghai). Investment themes are centered on Industry 4.0, proprietary technology, and cross-border expansion opportunities between Asian and US markets, spanning sectors such as AI, enterprise software, biotech, fintech, robotics, and digital supply chain.
The firm is led by Partners Peter Hsieh, Derek Chau, David Wu, and Howard Chau, with Venture Partner CK Cheng (co-founder, who previously raised six venture funds since the 1990s) and Principals Benny Liao and Rohit Singh. Team credentials include a PhD in Engineering from Stanford, JD from Harvard Law School with CFA charter, MS from Carnegie Mellon, MBA from Tsinghua, alumnus of the London School of Economics (with Chicago Booth EMBA in progress), and MBA from NUS. The firm also extends its reach into Singapore and Indonesia, supporting Southeast Asian deal flow.
Acorn generates returns through management fees and carried interest on its venture funds, with capital deployed via direct equity investments, including both lead positions (e.g., CreatorDB $4.7M Series A) and participation rounds (e.g., Atolio $24M Series A, Expert Intelligence $5.8M seed). The firm sources deals primarily through its Pacific Rim professional network, alumni associations (including AAMA mentorship and Taiwan Stanford Alumni Association board involvement), and industry events. Revenue, AUM, fund-size details, and LP composition are not publicly disclosed, consistent with norms for private limited partnership venture firms.
Acorn Pacific Ventures firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Acorn Pacific Ventures
- Legal name
- Acorn Pacific Ventures
- Website
- http://www.acornpacific.ventures/
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Acorn Pacific Ventures is a privately held venture capital firm that invests in early and growth-stage technology companies with cross-border potential between North America and Asia Pacific, managing seven funds across Silicon Valley, Taiwan, China, and Southeast Asia under the Acorn Network.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Acorn Pacific Ventures industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Venture Capital
- NAICS
- Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (52394), Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)
- SIC
- Investment Advice (6282)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Sector-Focused Venture Capital (Vertical Specialists) (FSANAAAD)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Geography-Focused Venture Capital (Regional/Emerging Markets) (FSANAAAE)
Keywords
Where Acorn Pacific Ventures is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Santa Clara
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Acorn Pacific Ventures business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Investment Management and Fund Administration: Acorn Pacific Ventures manages venture capital funds across seven venture funds operating across three geographies (Silicon Valley, Taiwan, China). The firm generates returns through equity investments in early-stage technology companies, with a focus on cross-border opportunities between North America and Asia Pacific.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels3 records
Acorn Pacific Ventures product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Acorn Pacific Ventures is a venture capital firm that invests capital in early and growth stage technology companies with cross-border intersections between North America and Asia Pacific. The firm manages seven venture funds operating across Silicon Valley, Taiwan, and China (with related campus presence in Southeast Asia), focusing on Industry 4.0, proprietary technology, and cross-border expansion opportunities. The firm earns returns through equity investments and provides portfolio companies with strategic support, networks, and operational guidance spanning decades of Pacific Rim technology experience.
Product overview
Acorn Pacific Ventures is a venture capital firm offering investment services, not a technology product company. The firm provides early-stage venture capital investment across Industry 4.0, proprietary technology, and cross-border expansion opportunities between Asia and the United States. The investment themes span enabling technologies for smart manufacturing, supply chain and transaction management, and health and environment sectors. No distinct commercial technology products or SaaS offerings are produced or sold by the firm.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Companies that use Acorn Pacific Ventures
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Acorn Pacific Ventures technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Acorn Pacific Ventures partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators3 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Acorn Pacific Ventures competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- WI Harper Group: A US-headquartered venture firm with deep Beijing and Taipei roots that has invested across the Pacific Rim for decades, closely matching Acorn's US-Taiwan-China cross-border thesis and early/growth-stage technology focus.
- Translink Capital: A Silicon Valley-Japan/Asia cross-border VC that co-invested with Acorn in Atolio's Series A. Operates a similar US-Asia early-stage model with comparable fund size and stage focus.
- Vertex Ventures: A multi-stage venture network with presence across the US, Israel, China, and Southeast Asia. Its cross-border model and operational hubs in multiple Asia geographies parallel Acorn's Campus network structure.
- DCM Ventures: A long-running US-Japan-China early-stage VC that invests in cross-border technology opportunities, sharing Acorn's decades-long Pacific Rim orientation and early/growth stage technology focus.
- GGV Capital (Granite Asia / Notable Capital): A US-China cross-border venture firm that split into separate US and Asia entities; offers a directly comparable US-Asia technology investment platform that competes for the same founder and LP universe as Acorn.
Broad incumbents
- 500 Global (500 Startups): A globally diversified accelerator and seed-stage investor with significant Asia-Pacific operations, overlapping Acorn on early-stage cross-border technology investing but at much larger scale and broader geographic reach.
- SAIF Partners: A pan-Asia growth-stage technology investor with US presence that has historically invested in cross-border technology plays, sharing Acorn's cross-Pacific orientation but operating larger funds.
- Samsung NEXT: A US-Asia strategic CVC that invests in AI, infrastructure, and enterprise technology with an explicit cross-border US-Asia lens, similar to Acorn's Industry 4.0 and proprietary technology themes.
- Mirae Asset Venture Investment: The venture arm of Korean financial conglomerate Mirae Asset with cross-border US-Asia technology investing, overlapping Acorn's Pacific Rim technology themes but with much deeper institutional backing.
Regional players
- InnoVen Capital: An Asia-focused venture debt and growth-stage investor with India and Southeast Asia operations; adjacent to Acorn in cross-border Asia technology investing but primarily debt-led.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks4 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Acorn Pacific Ventures social profiles
Digital presenceAcorn Pacific Ventures financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Acorn Pacific Ventures leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
Acorn Pacific Ventures funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Acorn Pacific Ventures M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments35 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Acorn Pacific Ventures
What does Acorn Pacific Ventures do?
Acorn Pacific Ventures is a venture capital firm that invests capital in early and growth stage technology companies with cross-border intersections between North America and Asia Pacific. The firm manages seven venture funds operating across Silicon Valley, Taiwan, and China (with related campus presence in Southeast Asia), focusing on Industry 4.0, proprietary technology, and cross-border expansion opportunities. The firm earns returns through equity investments and provides portfolio companies with strategic support, networks, and operational guidance spanning decades of Pacific Rim technology experience.
Is Acorn Pacific Ventures a public or private company?
Acorn Pacific Ventures is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Acorn Pacific Ventures founded?
Acorn Pacific Ventures was founded in 2015. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Acorn Pacific Ventures based?
Acorn Pacific Ventures is headquartered in Santa Clara, United States, in the North America region.
How does Acorn Pacific Ventures make money?
One revenue line is on record: investment Management and Fund Administration.
Who are Acorn Pacific Ventures's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are WI Harper Group, Translink Capital, Vertex Ventures, DCM Ventures and GGV Capital (Granite Asia / Notable Capital). Broad incumbents are 500 Global (500 Startups), SAIF Partners, Samsung NEXT and Mirae Asset Venture Investment. InnoVen Capital is listed as a regional player.
Does Acorn Pacific Ventures have an API?
No public API is recorded for Acorn Pacific Ventures.
What industry is Acorn Pacific Ventures in?
Acorn Pacific Ventures's product category is Venture Capital. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANAAAD, Sector-Focused Venture Capital (Vertical Specialists), with a secondary code of FSANAAAE, Geography-Focused Venture Capital (Regional/Emerging Markets). Its NAICS code is 52394 and its SIC code is 6282.