Iconic American Companies Owned by Chinese Investors

42. ShopRunner Inc

Headquarters: San Mateo, California
Bought By: Alibaba Group
Headquarters: Hangzhou, China

Like many online e-commerce companies, ShopRunner continues to be popular amongst its returning visitors. However, there is always room for growth. In 2013, China’s largest online commerce company bought a minority stake in ShopRunner for $75 million. To Alibaba, this was a minimal amount.

“The acquisition, on the one hand, will help the company understand more about US operating principles. On the other hand, it is also beneficial to the integration of a number of Alibaba’s overseas operations,” said one expert, Lu Zhenwang. The partnership likely capitalized on the trending growth in the market at the time.