Steamboat Ventures

Steamboat Ventures is the venture capital arm of The Walt Disney Company, formed in September 2000 and named after the pioneering Mickey Mouse short 'Steamboat Willie.' Headquartered in Glendale, California, with offices in Shanghai and Hong Kong, the firm invests in early- through growth-stage companies at the intersection of technology, media and consumer, with particular emphasis on digital video, gaming and advertising, areas of strategic importance to Disney's digital ambitions. Typical checks run from $2 million to $15 million, with a maximum of $20 million in any single company, and the firm leans on Disney's resources to add value beyond capital while acting as a lead investor. Across its history Steamboat has made roughly 57 unique-company investments with a strong exit record of 8 IPOs and over 20 acquisitions, including GoPro, which went public; FreeWheel, acquired by Comcast in 2014; FunPlus, acquired in 2015; and Playdom, acquired by Disney for over $750 million in 2010. Its most recent recorded investment was Faire in October 2020. Founder and Managing Partner John Ball brings over 20 years of media, entertainment and technology investing experience, with prior board seats at GoPro, Quigo (acquired by AOL), Iridigm (acquired by Qualcomm), Fastclick and Pure Digital (acquired by Cisco). General Partner Perry Chui leads the Shanghai office, and Liping Fan serves as Administrative Partner and CFO. The firm pairs institutional venture discipline with the strategic reach of one of the world's largest media companies.