Bowen Pan, the New Zealander who invented Facebook Marketplace, is home to give back to start-ups and tech companies

Bowen Pan, 39, the brainchild behind one of the biggest changes to Facebook since its launch, has returned to his hometown in New Zealand to raise his young family and use his tech skills to support local start-ups. As a successful entrepreneur who spent several years working for Facebook, Trade Me, and other prominent tech companies, Pan is now dedicated to giving back to the community that nurtured him from an early age.

Pan's journey began in Dalian, China, where he was just nine years old with his parents. After immigrating to New Zealand, they faced challenges in finding work, but Pan's parents persevered and eventually built successful careers. His mother became a professor at the University of Auckland, while his father worked for major companies such as Kone.

Despite struggling to adapt to life in New Zealand, Pan found solace in English language textbooks and tapes from America, which helped him become fluent by the end of primary school. He credits his first teacher, Mrs Morrison, with instilling in him a lifelong lesson in empathy, which has guided him throughout his career.

A Journey to Silicon Valley

Pan's entrepreneurial spirit was ignited when he created a social networking site for university students called uniFriend in 2005. Although Facebook soon surpassed it, Pan continued to work on new projects and eventually joined the strategy and new ventures team at Trade Me in 2012.

In 2013, Pan pursued an MBA at Stanford University's Graduate School of Business while his wife enrolled for a Master of Laws degree. During his studies, he landed an internship at Dropbox, which further catapulted him to success. He was hired by Facebook and spent seven years working for the company before leaving in 2020.

At Facebook, Pan worked on several high-profile projects, including Facebook Marketplace, which revolutionized the way people buy and sell items locally. He also played a crucial role in launching Facebook Gaming and Meta's response to TikTok, Lasso. Pan's experience at Facebook was instrumental in shaping his approach to social media and digital platforms.

A New Chapter in New Zealand

In 2020, Pan left Facebook to become the head of product at online payment giant Stripe and later vice-president of product for artificial intelligence (AI) sales and marketing start-up Common Room. However, he returned to New Zealand in 2023 with his family to raise his children and support local start-ups.

Pan is now an independent director of NZME, the owner of the New Zealand Herald, and has co-founded advisory and investment firm Redwood Pan Group. He believes that there will always be a need for media and news tailored to local tastes, particularly in countries like New Zealand with unique cultures.

A Message to Media Companies

Pan emphasizes that media companies must evolve from being traditional media outlets to digital audience companies, which can adapt to changing consumer behaviors and preferences. He sees parallels between 2012, when Facebook faced an "intentionality" problem, and the current challenges facing media companies.

"The good news is that media companies that have successfully evolved into digital audience companies are thriving," Pan says. "I think there's some really exciting opportunities in the marketplace and classified spaces."

A Vision for New Zealand's Start-up Scene

Pan believes that New Zealand has a strong start-up ecosystem, with world-class companies such as Crimson Education, Halter, Auror, Tracksuit, and Partly. He encourages entrepreneurs to pursue their passions and build successful businesses in the country.

"You can now go big and go home," Pan says, reflecting on his own experience of leaving New Zealand for Silicon Valley and returning to support local start-ups.