Steamboat Ventures was founded in 2000, and named after the famous Mickey Mouse cartoon Steamboat Willie. Theatrically released in New York in 1928, Steamboat Willie was the screen debut of Mickey Mouse. It was also the first animated cartoon to use synchronized sound — a great innovation at the time.
Our mission at Steamboat Ventures is to help young companies successfully face the challenges of becoming leaders in their markets. We invest in early through growth stage companies that are pursuing opportunities at the intersection of technology, media, and consumer sectors.
The Steamboat Ventures team possesses in-depth industry knowledge in a broad set of media and entertainment markets. We draw on the financial, technical and operational experience of the Steamboat team to help our portfolio companies accelerate their technologies in new and existing markets. Our entire team is committed to creating enduring value in each of our investments.
John Ball
Founder & Managing Partner
JOHN BALL is the Founder and Managing Partner of Steamboat Ventures, which he formed in 2000. He has over 20 years of experience in venture capital investing, mergers & acquisitions, business development and strategic planning in the media, entertainment and technology sectors.
John’s prior investments and board seats include GoPro (NASDAQ:GPRO), Quigo, acquired by AOL (NYSE:TWX), Iridigm Display Corporation, acquired by Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM), Fastclick (NASDAQ:FSTC, acquired by ValueClick, NASDAQ:VCLK), and Pure Digital Technologies, acquired by Cisco (NASDAQ:CSCO).
John also oversees the Steamboat Ventures Social Enterprise Fund, which was formed in 2007 to provide philanthropic support to microfinance organizations throughout Asia.
Prior to founding Steamboat Ventures, John ran the Corporate Development group for The Walt Disney Company, where he was responsible for corporate development and specialized transaction work for the company.
John has completed venture capital investments and mergers & acquisitions in areas including consumer internet services, online advertising, enterprise software and security, digital imaging, next generation display technology, interactive games, television and radio broadcasting, cable networks and publishing.
John received a BA in biological sciences from Tufts University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Perry Chui
General Partner
PERRY CHUI is a General Partner of Steamboat Ventures. Perry joined Steamboat in 2008 in the Shanghai office, bringing with him over 10 years of experience in venture capital, management consulting, and corporate M&A.
Perry currently sits on the boards of DaVDian, URoaming/Ulink, Chukong Technologies, Globaltime, Wuyou and Wosai. He previously served on the boards of Gridsum Technology (NASDAQ:GSUM), Yoyi Media, Fanli, and Bokecc.
Prior to joining Steamboat Ventures, Perry was a Senior Associate for three years with Rho Ventures, a New York based venture capital and private equity firm. While at Rho, Perry was involved in investments that included Tacoda, acquired by AOL (NYSE:TWX), Gearworks, Slacker, Vidyo, and Reachlocal (NASDAQ:RLOC). In his role as a venture capitalist, Perry has covered a broad range of sectors such as new media, online advertising, mobile technologies, communication software and consumer electronics.
Before Rho, Perry held several assignments including Senior Marketing Manager with Microsoft, Channel Strategist with AT&T Wireless, and Director of Business Development and M&A with Perkin Elmer. Perry started his business career with McKinsey & Co., after a five year role in engineering management with Lucent/Octel.
Perry received an MBA with distinction from Cornell University’s Johnson School of Management and a Masters degree in computer science from the University of Texas. He is also a graduate of the China University of Science and Technology (USTC).
Liping Fan
Administrative Partner and CFO
LIPING FAN is the Administrative Partner and CFO of Steamboat Ventures, responsible for Steamboat’s global finance functions, back office operations, as well as certain investments. Liping joined Steamboat Ventures in 2006, bringing with her over a decade of experience in finance, accounting, and portfolio management.
Prior to Steamboat, Liping was CFO at RWI Ventures, where she was responsible for all financial activities as well as back office operations. Immediately prior to RWI, Liping was the Controller at ePhysician, a venture-backed startup in Silicon Valley. Previously, Liping worked at Merck & Company and Goldman Sachs.
Liping began her career as a Senior Associate at PricewaterhouseCoopers in their Financial Advisory Services Group and received her CPA license from the State of New York while at PWC.
Liping previously served on the boards of Vobile (HK:3738), Baynote Inc. (acquired by Kibo Software), Kapow Software (acquired by Kofax), Zettics, RazorGator and Photobucket Corporation.
Liping is a member of the National Venture Capital Association’s CFO Task Force and formerly served on the Board of the FEA LA Chapter and PECFOA LA Chapter. She is also a Founding Board Member of VCBC and CVCFO, both educational and networking organizations for financial professionals in the private equity industry. She received an MBA in Finance and an MS in Accounting from Binghamton University. Liping grew up in China and is fluent in Mandarin Chinese.
Daisy Qiu
Finance Director
DAISY QIU is the Finance Director of Steamboat Ventures Asia division. Daisy joined Steamboat in 2008, responsible for back office operations and financial monitoring for its Asia funding portfolio companies. Daisy has ten years of experience in finance and accounting, including 5 years of big 4 auditing experience. Prior to joining Steamboat, Daisy was the financial controller at Yuantai Media, a pre-IPO start-up company, finance manager at Lloyd’s Register, and a senior auditor at Ernst & Young.
Daisy is a founding board member of CVCFO, an educational and networking organization for financial professionals in the private equity industry in great China.
Daisy is a qualified accountant in China. She received her bachelor degree from Nankai University and master degree from Fudan University majoring in international finance.