Douglas Gan

Douglas Gan is a serial technopreneur, investor, venture builder and thought leader in smart city solutions using blockchain technology. Born on August 3, 1983, he currently serves as the co-founder and CEO of GBCI Ventures, a US$100M Smart City Investment Fund, and is associated with Sera Protocol. He is also an angel investor focusing on startups in Southeast Asia.

His entrepreneurial journey began early, with his first business attempt at age four selling toy cars, and by age 11 he had amassed $15,000 from various small ventures. At 14, he started his programming career, and by 16 he founded PureHostings.net, one of Singapore's pioneer web hosting companies. By 2018, he had founded 6 companies which were later sold to multinational corporations, including the notable sale of iFashion Group to MC Payment for S$25 million.

Throughout his career, Gan has founded multiple successful companies including ShowNearby (2008), a location-based mobile application that won multiple awards in Asia; VanityTrove (2012), a beauty sampling business later pivoted to Vanitee; iFashion Group (2014); and GBCI Ventures (2019). He has also launched YouApp, a dating platform that incorporates AI-based personality tests and cultural elements. Despite facing challenges during the dotcom bubble, SARS epidemic, and 2008 financial crisis, he has continued to adapt and diversify his ventures across Asia.