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Jarlon Tsang
Jarlon Tsang
Managing Partner, Head of China
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Education
BS (Business Administration), University of California, Berkeley; JD/MBA, Boston University School of Law and Graduate School of Management
Previous Experience
Managing Director & COO, H&Q Asia Pacific; Gunderson Dettmer LLP; O’Melveny & Myers LLP; PwC
Languages
English, Mandarin
Jarlon leads the Ventures team in China as the Managing Partner and Head of China for Eight Roads, focusing on investments in the healthcare and technology sectors. Prior to joining Eight Roads, Jarlon was the Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer for H&Q Asia Pacific, responsible for the firm’s private equity investments and its operational activities globally. Before this, Jarlon spent over six years in the Silicon Valley practicing as a corporate and fund formation attorney at Gunderson Dettmer, LLP and O’Melveny & Myers LLP. His practice focused on the representation of private equity funds, corporate M&A and securities law.

What has been the steepest learning curve of your career so far?

Some would say my whole career has been one big learning curve. My career is probably the epitome of "eight roads". I have grown in various roles within the venture capital industry as an auditor, a venture attorney, a chief financial officer, a chief operating officer and finally as an investment professional. This amalgam of roles has kept me learning and adapting throughout my career.

Venture capital requires us to seek out different industries and new technologies on a daily basis. We are required to learn about investment opportunities and business plans which are truly transformative and often disruptive to the market incumbents. We must learn quickly about the business in order to make a considered investment decision and we won't know if it will actually succeed until many years later.

What technology/investment theme inspires you today?

I'm really excited about the growth potential of cloud computing in Asia. I believe we are only at the beginning of the adoption cycle here in China. Another interesting area is of course the continued proliferation of mobile and its transformative platform in both India and China. In China, they have basically skipped the desktop generation and diverted straight to mobile. Everything from payment, commerce, entertainment and communication is accomplished via mobile. Finally, we love the explosive growth in healthcare services in China. There are highly skilled physicians in China, but they toil in overcrowded public hospitals. With the growth of the wealthy middle class in China, better healthcare will be a requirement which can only be fulfilled by the private hospital sector.

How would you characterise the culture at Eight Roads?

Honestly brilliant with the right balance of humility and humour.

If you could give one piece of your advice to your 20-year-old self what would it be?

Upon graduation, please join any Silicon Valley start-up company with weird exclamation marks or names that end with dot com!

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The information on these pages is intended solely for the benefit of entrepreneurs and businesses seeking venture capital investment. Eight Roads does not offer and is not offering to provide investment advisory services nor is it offering to engage in any transactions in securities.