Douglas Gan

Douglas Gan 颜義东 (born 3 August 1983) is a serial technopreneur, investor, venture builder and a thought leader in smart city solution using blockchain technology.

He currently serves as the co-founder and CEO of GBCI Ventures, a US$100M Smart City Investment Fund and co-founder and Executive Director of iFashion Group. He is also an angel investor investing in startups in Southeast Asia.

Douglas’ entrepreneurial activity began in 2008, where he founded ShowNearby, a location-based mobile application that won multiple awards in Asia. By 2018, he had founded 6 companies which were then later sold to MNCs, including the sale of iFashion Group to MC Payment for S$25 Million. His achievement can be marked by winning the Young Professional of the Year by Singapore Computer Society in Year 2011. In addition, he received the top 25 Outstanding Alumni Award in Technopreneurship from Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Singapore.

Gan was a school dropout who started his first business attempt at the age of four when he was still in kindergarten. He sold toy cars for $2 apiece and later, was selling marbles, bubble gums, chewing gums, stickers, stamps and Dragon Ball Cards, amassing a small fortune of $15,000 by 11. At 12, he started selling Magic: The Gathering Card Games and made more than $20,000 throughout his secondary school education of 4 years.

Gan's first business was incorporated by his mother. In an article in The New Paper, he is quoted as saying: "She became my admin assistant and my accountant. She was with me every step of the way."In 2008, Gan founded ShowNearby, a location based mobile application that won multiple awards in Asia.In 2012, Gan founded VanityTrove, a beauty sampling business.

In 2015, Gan pivoted VanityTrove's beauty sampling business to Vanitee, a beauty and wellness marketplace. In 2014, Gan founded iFashion Group together with Fatfish Co-Founder, Chairman and CEO Lau Kin Wai. In 2016, iFashion Group raised US$736,000 to help 3 to 5 year old fashion startups with mentorship, marketing, logistics, warehousing, sales, fulfillment, and financial services.

In 2019, Gan founded GBCI Ventures together with ex-ShowNearby Co-Founder and CTO Lee Changjin. GBCI

Gan studied at Ngee Ann Polytechnic in 2003 graduating with a Cambridge IT Skills Diploma., and was previously from Ngee Ann Primary and Secondary School.

Gan tried a year at UOL in Singapore from Stansfield University for a double degree in Economics and Management, dropping out after 2 semesters to focus on OhGenki, an online forum.