Taiwan Meets Silicon Valley
Embracing Diversity and Shared Value through Collaborative Co-Creation and an Innovative Impact Fund Approach, Pioneered by Club Funding.
Origin
Founded in 2014, B Current Impact Investment is a collaborative effort by 43 prominent leaders from diverse fields and professions in Taiwan and Silicon Valley. As Taiwan’s first venture capital fund dedicated entirely to impact-driven business, Fund 1 was established through an innovative club funding model. Building on the success of Fund 1, B Current Impact Investment has continued to serve as the Manager or General Partner for subsequent funds, including Fund 2 in 2017, Fund 3 and MStar-B Current Impact Fund in 2020, and Fund 5 in 2022, all of which support startups addressing social and environmental challenges in Taiwan and abroad.
Mission
B Current fosters social innovation by connecting impact entrepreneurs with socially conscious capital. Our worldwide network enables us to help social enterprises enhance investability, scalability and sustainability. Together, we are building an inclusive and impactful ecosystem that will feed a vibrant river of change.
Vision
We are focused on helping impact-driven businesses become scalable and investible, amplifying their impact. We foresee a future where these businesses can provide competitive salaries, drawing exceptional talent and fostering a cycle of growth. Investors and companies will forge productive partnerships, growing in unison. Supported by a mature ecosystem, impact-driven businesses will tackle challenges and inspire positive shifts in conventional corporate practices. Ultimately, the term “impact-driven businesses” will be obsolete as all businesses embrace social innovation.
Team
Rex Wu holds a degree in Business Administration from National Taiwan University. His professional experience spans FMCG companies, food service groups, and agricultural social enterprises. Rex joined B Current in mid-2018, eager to collaborate with seasoned leaders across various sectors in shaping a Taiwanese impact investment paradigm. His investment expertise emphasizes sustainable agriculture and clean energy.
Will Fu is an alumnus of NTU Finance and Georgia Tech’s IsYE program. His prior experience includes equity research and trading roles at both international and domestic financial institutions. A firm believer that capital can be harnessed to benefit society and the environment, Will eagerly joined the B Current team. He is committed to collaborating with the team to enhance social welfare, environmental sustainability, and deliver value to various stakeholders.
Meryl Yang boasts an extensive background in digital marketing, project management, and international business development across the technology and public relations sectors. Her varied roles as a social entrepreneur, NPO fundraiser, and research fellow have fueled her desire to advocate for “patient capital” in impact incubation. As a member of the B Current team, Meryl aspires to infuse the world of capital with humanistic values by nurturing the impact investing community.
CK Cheng, the co-founder of Acorn Pacific Ventures in Silicon Valley and B Current in Taiwan, has enjoyed a career split between Taiwan and the United States, dividing his time between corporate and venture capital roles. Leveraging his extensive network in the VC space, CK has forged connections with top talent across diverse regions and industries, affording him a unique perspective to observe industry transitions and development. He also recognizes the discrepancies between objectives and reality, insight and experience, and knowledge and action. He believes that managing this gap is vital to success, be it in entrepreneurship or life. CK is a Commonwealth Magazine columnist and the author of two books: “Imagination of a Small Country” and “Serendipitous Encounters”.
Ray has passionately advocated social entrepreneurship and impact investment since 2007. He co-founded Taiwan’s first social entrepreneurship research initiative in 2007, B Lab Taiwan in 2016, Taiwan Impact Investment Association in 2020, and School 28—the first social innovation school in Taiwan in 2021. Ray’s prior experience includes roles as a Partner at Andersen Business Consulting, Deloitte Consulting, and ABeam Consulting. Motivated by his vision, Ray seeks partnerships to mobilize private capital for the greater public good, creating a sustainable impact that flows like a continuous stream of living water.
Fund 1
Established: April 10th, 2014
Number of Investors: 60
Board of Directors
Chih-Kai (CK), Cheng
Chair, B Current Impact Investment
Ping Chu
Founder, Ken Meng (Aveda in Taiwan)
Simon Juan
Board Director, 104 Information Technology
David Chang
Former General Manager, China Credit Information Service
Ray Chen
President, B Current Impact Investment
Freda Chen
Former CFO, IBM Taiwan
Rita Hsu
Former Chair, Allianz Global Investors Taiwan
Supervisor
Frances Pan
Trust Settlor, Whole Person Social Welfare Charitable Trust
Fund 2
Established: June 9th, 2017
Number of Shareholder: 16
Board of Directors
Chih-Kai (CK), Cheng
Chair, B Current Impact Investment
Jack Tsai
Former Partner and COO, The CID Group
Joe Hsueh
Adjunct Associate Professor, College of Management, National Taiwan University
Bie-jìng Life (Represented by Koobe Wang, Chair)
Jing You (Represented by Jeff Wu, Manager)
Industrial Technology Investment Corporation (Represented by Andy Chin, Vice General Manager)
Supervisor
Roy Chang
Founder and CEO, Victory Social Welfare Foundation
Fund 3
Established: April 14th, 2020
Number of Shareholder: 10
Board of Directors
Dr. Ji Ren Lee
Chair, Cheng Zhi Education Foundation
Ray Chen
President, B Current Impact Investment
Yu-chuan Investment, an investment arm of Taiwan Mask Corporation
(Represented by Ilad Zhao, Executive Assistant)
Shih-you Investment, an investment arm of WPG Holdings (Represented by Albert Chang, Manager)
Sinyi Realty (Represented by Howard Chou, CSO)
MStar International Investment
(Represented by Wayne Liang, Co-Founder and Former Chiar of MStar Semiconductor)
Chia Hsin Cement Inc. (Represented by Max Lin, Special Assistant to CEO, CHC Group)
Supervisor
Ken Chan
Former Chair, Taisun Enterprise Co., Ltd.
B Current MStar Impact Investment
Established: May 13th, 2020
Number of Shareholder: 1
Board of Directors
Wayne Liang
Co-Founder & Former Chair, MStar Semiconductor Inc.
Ming Yin Tsai
Former Director of Legal Affairs, MStar Semiconductor Inc.
Chih-Kai (CK), Cheng
Chair, B Current Impact Investment
Supervisor
Cathy Tsai
Former Board of Directors, MStar Charitable Foundation
Fund 5
Established: May 25th, 2022
Number of Limited Partners: 23, including Taiwan National Development Fund