Profile of HongShan, the Chinese investment fund keen to buy Golden Goose before Christmas

Italian luxury sneakers brand Golden Goose is an acquisition target for Chinese investment fund HongShan, which is hoping to close the deal, worth €2.5 billion, before Christmas. The operation wouldn’t be HongShan’s first in the fashion sector.

HongShan was founded in 2005 by Neil Shen and Zhang Fan, as the Chinese investment arm of Sequoia Capital, and was known as Sequoia Capital China. It was an early investor in thriving Chinese tech giants like Alibaba, JD.com, Meituan, ByteDance and Pinduoduo, forging a reputation as a venture capital investor capable of identifying future market leaders and fast-tracking their growth.

Independence in 2024

Between 2023 and 2024, Sequoia Capital split up in three separate entities, and Sequoia Capital China was rebranded as HongShan (‘sequoia’ in Mandarin). In July 2024, HongShan embarked on a funding round that raised €2.15 billion ($2.5 billion). As well as becoming independent, HongShan expanded internationally, opening offices in London and, in 2025, in Tokyo, signalling that its strategy extends well beyond China’s borders.

Initially focused on early-stage venture capital investments, HongShan now operates across the entire funding spectrum, from seed capital to growth equity, private equity investment, and buyouts, in sectors like healthcare, consumer goods and public infrastructure. A diversification prompted by the aspiration to become a global player able to ink major international deals. As proof of its new dimension, in January 2025 HongShan acquired a majority stake in Anglo-Swedish audio equipment maker Marshall Group, valued at over $1 billion.

Track record in fashion

HongShan has moved beyond Asia and tech companies, investing also in fashion. Acquiring Golden Goose would be consistent with previous operations made by HongShan, even in its previous incarnation as part of Sequoia Capital. In 2021, it made fashion headlines by acquiring a majority stake in French label Ami Paris, which it then helped expand in China by staging runway shows and opening pop-up stores. Ami Paris is doing well, but HongShan is reportedly considering selling its stake soon.

HongShan also owns stakes in Amer Sports, lingerie brand Ubras, Urban Revivo, Halara, Miracle Miles (which owns footwear brands Dream Pairs, Bruno Marc, Norrtiv8 and Burudani), and also in Shein, the latter since 2018. The surprising elements in HongShan’s offer for Golden Goose are the brand’s valuation and the fact that its acquisition would mark HongShan’s entry into the luxury sector. HongShan’s portfolio currently includes over 1,500 names, among them 140 unicorns and 160 listed companies.