500 logo
My China Roots Connects People of Chinese Descent with Long-Lost Relatives

There is a market gap for affordable, online DIY Chinese roots tracing services.

2021.04.13

500 Global Team

500 Global Team

Article image

It is often challenging for people of Chinese descent to connect with their roots. This, coupled with China’s urbanization threatening the survival of Chinese genealogical sources, makes us excited to work with My China Roots, a platform that helps people of Chinese heritage find records of their ancestors, connect with long-lost relatives, and organize roots trips to China.

The Nuts & Bolts 

Problem: People of Chinese heritage turn to organizations or individuals that might lack experience, a servicing-mindset, or presence in both China and overseas, such as genealogy hobbyists, family, museums and government institutions. Or, they have to pay premium fees for professionals and custom services. There is a market gap for affordable, online DIY Chinese roots tracing services.

Solution: My China Roots is an online platform that empowers users to trace their ancestry and connect with their families. Its global team has already helped hundreds of families explore their Chinese heritage.

When 500 Met My China Roots 

We met My China Roots through Brian Wong, VP of Alibaba, who introduced the team to 500 Startups’ Managing Partner, Khailee Ng.

Huihan Lie, Founder and CEO, worked at the leading global wind energy company Suzlon as Vice President of Government Affairs and External Relations. Huihan holds a Masters Degree in International Law from the University of Amsterdam and also worked as a business strategy and government relations consultant at Apco. The company’s tech and product leads have a combined 20 years of database experience in China.

The team’s diversity fits into our ESG criteria; team members include mainland Chinese nationals, Chinese-Americans, Chinese-British, Chinese-Dutch, French, and Ukrainian team members. In preserving cultural heritage and connecting people of Chinese heritage with distant relatives in China, the nature of the work lends itself to inclusion and engagement goals with underrepresented communities.

Why Now?

The past few years have seen strong momentum in cultural identity among people of Chinese origin, as shown by the success of “Crazy Rich Asians” and viral Facebook pages such as “Subtle Asian Traits.”  Furthermore, ongoing urbanization and industrialization are threatening many villages in southern China and the ancestral traces that those villages hold. For example, the founder visited his mother’s ancestral village in southern Fujian a few years ago. Today, that village, the beautiful temple it held, and its villagers’ graves are all gone.

Socio-political and health-related anxieties are making people place a great deal of value and importance on family connections worldwide. 

Much more than in the past, the Chinese government now recognizes the importance of its diaspora and cultural heritage preservation, making it an opportune time for My China Roots to acquire and collect family history books for overseas Chinese on a faster and larger scale.

Future of My China Roots 

The My China Roots team will continue to collect data and launch additional features on the platform, allowing more people with Chinese roots to connect with family members worldwide.

If you would like to learn more about companies, sectors, and trends that we are excited about as well as receive invitations to exclusive previews, and expert roundtables, please sign up here.

You can learn more about My China Roots at: https://www.mychinaroots.com

 

LEGAL DISCLAIMER: 500 STARTUPS PROGRAMS (INCLUDING ACCELERATOR PROGRAMS), INVESTOR EDUCATION SERVICES, STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP CONSULTING SERVICES AND EVENTS ARE OPERATED BY 500 STARTUPS INCUBATOR, L.L.C. (TOGETHER WITH ITS AFFILIATES, “500 STARTUPS”) AND THE FUNDS ADVISED BY 500 STARTUPS MANAGEMENT COMPANY, L.L.C. DO NOT PARTICIPATE IN ANY REVENUE GENERATED BY THESE ACTIVITIES. SUCH PROGRAMS AND SERVICES ARE PROVIDED FOR EDUCATIONAL AND INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD ANY CONTENT PROVIDED AS PART OF ANY SUCH PROGRAMS, SERVICES OR EVENTS BE CONSTRUED AS INVESTMENT, LEGAL, TAX OR ACCOUNTING ADVICE BY 500 STARTUPS OR ANY OF ITS AFFILIATES.

THIS POST IS INTENDED SOLELY TO PROVIDE INFORMATION REGARDING 500 STARTUPS AND THE HIGHLIGHTED PORTFOLIO COMPANY. ALL CONTENT PROVIDED IN THIS POST IS PROVIDED FOR GENERAL INFORMATIONAL OR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. 500 STARTUPS MAKES NO REPRESENTATIONS AS TO THE ACCURACY OR INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS POST AND WHILE 500 STARTUPS HAS TAKEN REASONABLE STEPS TO ENSURE THAT THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS POST IS ACCURATE AND UP-TO-DATE, NO LIABILITY CAN BE ACCEPTED FOR ANY ERROR OR OMISSIONS.

UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD ANY INFORMATION OR CONTENT IN THIS POST, BE CONSIDERED AS AN OFFER TO SELL OR SOLICITATION OF INTEREST TO PURCHASE ANY SECURITIES OR AS INVESTMENT, LEGAL, TAX OR ACCOUNTING ADVICE FURNISHED BY 500 STARTUPS. FURTHER, NO CONTENT OR INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS POST IS OR IS INTENDED AS AN OFFER TO PROVIDE ANY INVESTMENT ADVISORY SERVICE OR FINANCIAL ADVICE BY 500 STARTUPS. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD ANYTHING HEREIN BE CONSTRUED AS FUND MARKETING MATERIALS BY PROSPECTIVE INVESTORS CONSIDERING AN INVESTMENT INTO ANY 500 STARTUPS INVESTMENT FUND.

ALL LOGOS AND TRADEMARKS OF THIRD PARTIES REFERENCED HEREIN ARE THE TRADEMARKS AND LOGOS OF THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS. ANY INCLUSION OF SUCH TRADEMARKS OR LOGOS DOES NOT IMPLY OR CONSTITUTE ANY APPROVAL, ENDORSEMENT OR SPONSORSHIP OF 500 STARTUPS BY SUCH OWNERS.

1. AS OF 30 JUNE 2023. ASSETS UNDER MANAGEMENT (“AUM”) STATED HEREIN ARE ROUNDED TO THE NEAREST $100M AND ARE CALCULATED IN ACCORDANCE WITH SEC FORM ADV PART 1A INSTRUCTION 5.B. TO INCLUDE THE CURRENT MARKET VALUE (OR FAIR VALUE) OF ALL PRIVATE FUND ASSETS AND THE CONTRACTUAL AMOUNT OF ANY UNCALLED COMMITMENTS TO SUCH PRIVATE FUNDS, TOGETHER WITH THE CURRENT MARKET VALUE OF ALL OTHER SECURITIES PORTFOLIOS FOR WHICH 500 STARTUPS MANAGEMENT COMPANY, L.L.C. OR ITS AFFILIATES PROVIDES ONGOING DISCRETIONARY INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT SERVICES, WITH MARKET VALUE DETERMINED USING THE SAME METHOD USED TO REPORT ACCOUNT VALUES TO CLIENTS OR TO CALCULATE FEES FOR INVESTMENT ADVISORY SERVICES. ASSETS UNDER MANAGEMENT MAY INCREASE OR DECREASE SIGNIFICANTLY OVER TIME.

2. AS OF 30 JUNE 2023 AND INCLUDES PRIVATE, PUBLIC AND EXITED COMPANIES. FOR EXITED POSITIONS, VALUATION DATE IS DATE OF EXIT. THESE FIGURES ARE ESTIMATES, AGGREGATED ACROSS ALL PORTFOLIO COMPANIES HELD ACROSS ALL FUNDS ADVISED BY 500 STARTUPS MANAGEMENT COMPANY, LLC AND ITS AFFILIATES, AND ARE BASED ON INTERNAL DATA THAT HAS NOT BEEN EXTERNALLY VERIFIED AND RELIES ON PORTFOLIO INFORMATION SUPPLIED BY EXTERNAL SOURCES WHICH HAS NOT BEEN VERIFIED, MAY NOT BE ACCURATE OR UPDATED. THESE VALUATIONS ARE ESTIMATED IN ACCORDANCE WITH 500 GLOBAL’S VALUATION POLICY. SEE 500.CO/COMPANIES FOR A FULL LIST OF PORTFOLIO COMPANIES. PAST PERFORMANCE DOES NOT GUARANTEE FUTURE RETURNS. PORTFOLIO COMPANIES DISPLAYED ON THIS PAGE ARE NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENTATIVE OF ALL INVESTMENTS IN VEHICLES MANAGED BY 500 STARTUPS MANAGEMENT COMPANY, L.L.C. (TOGETHER WITH ITS AFFILIATES, “500 GLOBAL”) AND THERE CAN BE NO ASSURANCE THAT THE INVESTMENTS WILL BE PROFITABLE OR THAT OTHER INVESTMENTS MADE IN THE FUTURE WILL HAVE SIMILAR CHARACTERISTICS OR RESULTS. THIS LIST INCLUDES CURRENT AND FORMER 500 GLOBAL PORTFOLIO COMPANIES WHICH HAVE BEEN ACQUIRED AS WELL AS COMPANIES WHICH HAVE UNDERGONE AN INITIAL PUBLIC OFFERING. THIS LIST IS UPDATED PERIODICALLY AND AS SUCH MAY NOT REFLECT RECENT 500 GLOBAL INVESTMENTS. PAST RESULTS OF 500 GLOBAL INVESTMENTS, POOLED INVESTMENT VEHICLES, OR INVESTMENT STRATEGIES ARE NOT NECESSARILY INDICATIVE OF FUTURE RESULTS. NO CONTENT ON THIS PAGE SHOULD BE CONSIDERED AS AN OFFER TO SELL OR SOLICITATION OF INTEREST TO PURCHASE ANY SECURITIES, CONSTRUCTED AS FUND MARKETING MATERIALS BY PROSPECTIVE INVESTORS CONSIDERING AN INVESTMENT INTO ANY 500 GLOBAL FUND, OR USED AS THE BASIS FOR ANY INVESTMENT DECISIONS. ALL LOGOS, NAMES, AND TRADEMARKS OF THIRD PARTIES REFERENCED HEREIN ARE THE TRADEMARKS AND LOGOS OF THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS. ANY INCLUSION OF SUCH TRADEMARKS OR LOGOS DOES NOT IMPLY OR CONSTITUTE ANY APPROVAL, ENDORSEMENT OR SPONSORSHIP OF 500 GLOBAL BY SUCH OWNERS.

3. AS OF 30 JUNE 2023. INCLUDES LOCATION OF EMPLOYEES, CONTRACTORS AND CONSULTANTS.
Copyright © 2024. 500 Global  All rights reserved.
xfacebookinstagramlinkedin