Translink Capital

Translink Capital is a Palo Alto-based venture capital firm with approximately $1 billion under management, currently investing out of its fifth fund, and a 15-plus year track record connecting US technology entrepreneurs with strategic Asian partners across Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and Greater China. The firm sits in an unusual niche: a US-headquartered, US-investing venture firm whose distinctive value proposition is its institutional connections to Asian corporate strategics, government partners, and downstream customers. Translink invests across enterprise software, AI, fintech, digital health, automotive, blockchain, and consumer, with a stage focus on seed through Series B and a portfolio that includes 100 plus technology, 81 enterprise B2B, 65 software, and at least 35 consumer-facing companies.

In healthcare, Translink’s portfolio is concentrated in tech-enabled care delivery, digital health platforms, and enabling infrastructure including AI applications for clinical and operational workflows. Examples include companies developing optical sensor and AI-driven blood pressure monitoring technology, sleep healthcare SaaS solutions, and adjacent digital health categories. The firm is not a healthcare specialist and does not invest in biopharma, devices that require Class III FDA approval, or platform biology. Healthcare deals at Translink typically sit at the boundary of B2B SaaS, AI applications, and tech-enabled services, with a strong preference for companies whose product roadmap or commercial expansion would benefit from access to Asian markets and partners.

The team is led by managing partners and partners with operating and investing backgrounds spanning Silicon Valley and Asia. Eric Hsia is among the senior partners, and the broader bench includes professionals with experience at Asian strategic corporates, US technology companies, and prior venture funds. Translink’s distinctive operational asset is its strategic LP base, which includes major Asian corporates that view the fund as a sourcing engine for partnerships, distribution agreements, and acquisitions. Portfolio companies frequently sign commercial partnerships with these LPs as a direct outcome of the Translink relationship.

Check sizes typically run from $1 million at seed to $10 million at Series B, with the capacity to lead or co-lead at Series A and to participate at Series B alongside larger venture firms. Translink does not typically lead at Series B and beyond; its sweet spot is the seed and Series A stages where it can take a board observer or board seat and use the round as a platform for cross-Pacific partnership work. Geographic scope is US-headquartered companies (with selective Israeli and Canadian deals) that have or want a credible path to Asian markets.

Founders who should approach Translink are US-headquartered tech founders building AI, enterprise software, and digital health platforms who see Asia as a strategic market, partnership opportunity, or downstream customer base. Repeat operators with prior cross-Pacific experience are particularly well-aligned. Founders building purely US-only commercial models without an Asian angle, biopharma founders, devices founders requiring complex regulatory navigation, or consumer DTC brands without a global ambition will not find the strongest fit at Translink. The firm’s value-add is uniquely structured around cross-Pacific bridging, and founders who treat that as ancillary will not extract the firm’s distinctive benefit.

Entry path runs through warm introductions from portfolio CEOs, peer Bay Area venture firms, and the Asian strategic corporate networks that Translink connects with. The senior team is at major venture conferences in the Bay Area, plus selective Asian conferences in Tokyo, Seoul, Taipei, and Singapore. Cold inbound through the website is triaged. Diligence is partner-driven and typically three to six weeks from first meeting to term sheet, with substantial customer reference work and selective Asian-market validation conversations.

In a pitch, lead with the technology, the customer wedge, and the cross-Pacific opportunity. Translink partners want to see why your company has a credible path to global scale and how Asian markets and strategic partners might accelerate your growth. Bring a tangible plan for Asian expansion or partnership, even if early, and a clear sense of how you would use Translink’s strategic LP relationships. The firm’s added value is most powerful when founders treat Translink as a strategic-capital partner whose contribution is partnership and distribution capacity, not just dollars. Founders building US-headquartered companies in healthcare AI and digital health who see Asia as part of their long-term strategy will find Translink one of the more distinctive and useful tier-one early-stage partners with a genuine cross-Pacific franchise.