ChristineTsai

Christine Tsai describes herself as an introverted leader and “mama bear” for the startups she mentors — nurturing but also fiercely protective. Tsai spent eight years as a product marketing manager at Google and YouTube before moving into venture capital. In 2010, she launched 500 Startups, a seed accelerator and global venture capital firm. Now renamed 500 Global, the firm invests in more than 2,600 ventures around the world, from small startups to unicorns like Singapore’s Grab, Indonesia’s Bukalapak, and Brazil’s Olist. Tsai understood that early stage startups needed not just a check but also an ecosystem of investors, corporates, founders, and accelerators to support them. To that end, 500 Global has created a network of mentors and operators from more than 20 countries. “There used to be this perception in 2020 that deal flow outside of Silicon Valley is second tier,” Tsai said earlier this year. “And now I don’t think anyone would say that.”