PALO ALTO, U.S. -- Having a Chinese background was once a selling point for startup founders pitching to investors in the U.S., as it allowed them to cite valuable connections to and knowledge of Asia's biggest economy.
A China-born, California-raised Chinese American entrepreneur, who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the subject, is one of the three U.S.-based founders who told Nikkei Asia about their experience of being shunned by American venture investors on multiple occasions, which they alleged is due to their Chinese background.
"I'm an American citizen and a Stanford-trained, well-respected scientist in the field, and my company is about using AI for pets. I hardly think that raises any alarm for national security," the founder said.
