Being a good sport 

• “We’ve invested now in 3,000 companies in 80 countries, out of which 40+ companies have emerged to be worth more than US$1 billion dollars or more; about 180 of them are worth more than US$100 million,” shared Khailee Ng, 500 Global’s Managing Partner.
• Our roots began in Silicon Valley, but today half of our portfolio is across the rest of the world. “We believe there’s opportunity outside of Silicon Valley, and that was the original thesis: If we can bring the entrepreneurial spirit but most importantly the entrepreneurial know-how to more places in the world, then more people can build things and change our fates,” he added.
• 500 Global exists to arm local entrepreneurs in as many countries as possible to rebuild their own economies.
• “Our local stock markets would be more functional because we get a lot of new blood and new companies,” he said. “If you’re only backing things which banks will offer a loan to, you actually have a very slow growth curve — you’re not going to have this leap frog if debt is the only vehicle for economic growth.”
• Khailee believes our role as a venture capital firm is to also exert positive influence on founders. “Something we care about a lot is that founders actually support each other, so they don’t put themselves through a lot of mental turmoil to be able to build what they want to build,” he shared.
• One advice for founders: “A lot of people think stress is about overworking, but it’s the stress that eats you when you’re not working — that’s the one you need to watch out for.”
• Khailee also sees venture capital as a sport that trains one to be a more compassionate, more curious human being.
• Watch the full interview on Do More – Take Charge of Your Life here.