Between HTC’s Vive X accelerator and the VRVCA investor consortium that it heads, the company is already very active in the VR investment space. But today the company announced a brand new investment fund of some $160 million in a joint venture between HTC and the Shenzhen Municipal People’s Government.
HTC today announced that the jointly formed Premier Ventures is now in operation and working with an initial fund of 1 billion RMB (~$158 million). The firm plans to invest primarily in companies operating in the Chinese market.
While HTC had announced a $100 million VR-focused investment fund alongside Vive X back in 2016, the company confirmed to Road to VR that Premier Ventures is an entirely new fund. “The [Premier Ventures] fund will work closely with Vive X and VRVCA to identify qualified investment candidates in China and abroad,” HTC tells us.
As for the focus of the fund, HTC says Premier Ventures will invest in “AR/VR related technology innovations, so it will cover a large scope.” Interested startups can get in touch with the firm here.