Annabelle (Yu) Long is the founding and managing partner for Bertelsmann Asia Investments (BAI), the China-based corporate venturing arm for Germany-headquartered media group Bertelsmann.
Bertelsmann Investments has four funds – Bertelsmann Asia Investments (BAI), Bertelsmann Brazil Investments (BBI), Bertelsmann India Investments (BII) and Bertelsmann Digital Media Investments (BDMI), the last one focusing on the US and Europe – through which the group has around 250 shareholdings around the world. The group also has a fund-of-funds strategy in place in Southeast Asia and Africa.
And while there might be four growth regions, there is one that is clearly dominant – China. Having made more than 160 investments in the period since Long founded BAI in 2008, the group now manages more than $3bn. BAI focuses on the new media, internet and mobile internet, online education, new technologies, outsourcing, and services sectors.
Long has led the team to achieve more than 10 initial public offerings and over 20 unicorns – companies valued at $1bn or more. The unit’s recent deals include rounds for Taichi Graphics, a China-based graphics infrastructure platform, Mexican fintech Stori Card, and construction technology platform Dalezhuang.
While Long has made a success of BAI, the groundwork for her achievements was laid beforehand. After her MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and a BSEE from the University of Electronic Science and Technology in China, Long joined Bertelsmann in New York in 2005 and worked as a principal at Bertelsmann Digital Media Investments before setting up BAI three years later.
