A NEW CHAPTER: Angelica Cheung, the former longtime chief editor of Vogue China, announced Wednesday that she has joined venture capital firm Sequoia Capital’s China branch as partner.
In her new role, she will focus on the fashion, lifestyle, and entertainment sectors, supporting a new generation of Chinese creatives and international brands seeking growth in China.
Cheung added that she is excited about her “exciting new chapter,” and looks forward to working with Neil Shen, founding and managing partner of Sequoia Capital China, and a group of brilliant and smart colleagues.
She has said on multiple occasions that she never intended to stay at the magazine for that long. Now with her new move, it seems like perfect timing for her to join a firm that has an expanding portfolio in the sector.
Last Month, Sequoia Capital China took a majority stake in Alexandre Mattiussi’s 10-year-old fashion brand Ami Paris.
Part of sprawling California-based venture capital firm Sequoia Capital, Sequoia Capital China focuses on the technology, media and telecom sector, consumer products and health care. Over the past 16 years it has partnered with about 600 companies in China and made investments in the likes of Alibaba, Tencent, Sina, Bytedance and JD.com.
With offices in Shanghai, Hong Kong and Shenzhen, Sequoia Capital China offer not only funds but knowledge of technologies and retail innovations around the world for its investments.
Ami Paris is its first cross-border transaction, signaling its ambition to develop in fashion by focusing on young, creative, digital houses, imbued with storytelling and strong and authentic values and with a balanced business and already well established worldwide.
Other fashion related investments under Sequoia Capital include Amer Sports, Loho, Shein, Urban Revivo, WME IMG China and VIP.com.
Born in 1966 in Beijing and growing up during the Cultural Revolution, Cheung is the daughter of a Chinese diplomat. She obtained her degrees in law and English at Peking University, and started her career in media as a journalist at the Eastern Express, an English-language newspaper in Hong Kong. She later launched Hong Kong iMail in 1999 as executive editor, and became associate publisher of English-language fashion magazine B International, and editor in chief of Marie Claire Hong Kong in 2001.
She moved back to Shanghai in 2003 to take on the role of editorial director of Elle China, and later moved to Conde Nast China to work on the launch of Vogue China in 2005.
Over the last 16 years, Cheung created what is considered one of the most commercially successful editions of Vogue. She has also launched spin-off titles Vogue Me and Vogue Film to tap into China’s younger generation, and the entertainment industry, to great success.
By: Tianwei Zhang