Final call for signing up for Chinaccelerator 20 Demo Day Nov 24 on Eventbrite. We will soon be back with the brand-new season. Until then, stay tuned.Fintech has come a long way in China, from barely being recognized to one of the fastest growing markets in the region. As the world’s leader in Fintech technology, China is a breeding ground for Internet finance companies, and accordingly, investment in the industry. With millions of users and an ever-growing number of fintech unicorns, the future of Internet finance looks exceedingly bright in China.Today, ASP selected the special episode that Oscar Ramos sat down with venture capitalist and fintech investor Wei Hopeman. After beginning her career in financial services and investment banking, Wei co-founded Arbor Ventures in 2013, the first VC fund specialized in fintech in the Asian ecosystem. She talks to us about the growth of fintech, the benefits of corporate VCs, and how founders and corporate VCs can improve their interactions with each other.Show notes:1:28 Intro 2:07 How Wei got into financial services 5:46 Going into investment banking 7:30 The growth of fintech in Asia 9:32 The lack of infrastructure in financial services 12:18 Launching fintech in China 15:18 Benefits of corporate VCs 17:08 Key questions a founder should ask corporate VCs 18:31 Key difference between types of VCs 21:02 Educating corporates in working with startups 23:17 Women in VC 30:16 The future of Arbor Venturesthanks to our host Oscar Ramos, guest Wei Hopeman, editor David and Geep, organizer Chinaccelerator and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website at Chinaccelerator WebsiteFollow us on LinkedIn:  Asia Startup PulseEmail us: [email protected]

Sign up for Chinaccelerator 20 Demo Day Nov 24 at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/chinaccelerator-demo-day-20-livestream-20-tickets-188035859317?aff=podcastAs we're gearing up for Chinaccelerator 20 Demo Day, we will be back with brand-new season. Until then, stay tuned.In this episode, we talk about Peng’s journey as an investor and how he perceives the great potential in Southeast Asia. More importantly, he summarizes a very important trend in SEA’s startup ecosystem, "Technification". We also talk about the impact that China's Internet giants have on SEA through investments and M&A.Shownotes2:26 Peng’s journey as an investor3:54 Main differences btw seed round and Series A9:47 More capital investment in SEA10:52 The most interesting trend in SEA11:28 “Technification” in China12:36 The opportunities of “technification” in SEA15:05 “There is no way for a company to grow that fast without technology”18:03 The core DNA of a successful founding team19:26 China’s role in SEA’s service industry22:58 The role of Chinese and Japanese corporate venture capital in SEA26:56 The infrastructure development in SEA28:57 A hard push on deep technology in SEA?Many thanks to our guest Peng T.Ong; host Oscar Ramos; producers  Eva Shi and  Sagar Chaudhary; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.comShare, subscribe, review, enjoy!Follow us on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/asia-startup-pulseEmail us: [email protected]

Sign up for Chinaccelerator 20 Demo Day Nov 24 at:https://www.eventbrite.com/e/chinaccelerator-demo-day-20-livestream-20-tickets-188035859317?aff=podcastWe will come back with the brand-new season soon. Until then, stay tuned.ASP Selection: Inside the VC Mind (II)In today’s rebroadcast, Inside the VC Mind Part II, we invite Sanjay Nath, Co-founder and Managing Partner of Blume Ventures, one of India’s leading early-stage venture funds. Sanjay also represents Blume on the boards of Arka Venture Labs and the Draper Venture Network. Blume focuses on Seed to Pre-Series A stages of funding and has made over 100 investments across its 10-year history across multiple funds. Sanjay has invested in and advises a wide portfolio of startups including GreyOrange Robotics, Dataweave, Locus, Tricog, LBB, Lulu, Lambdatest, TapChief (acquired by Unacademy), Nektar.ai, and Obviously.ai amongst others.What is the trajectory for Indian startups expanding abroad? How do they start in India and move to the US and SEA? How can startups build and sell remotely and operate in a virtual world? What are the repercussions of localization when internationalization? Sanjay, as an active investor in the space, brings his experience in answering all these questions and more!Show Notes02:10 Introduction to Sanjay Nath02:55 Sanjay’s transition from consulting to VC07:41 The trend of Indian startups expanding overseas11:20 Overcoming the barriers of  cross-border expansion16:38 How Blume VC supports startups with their expertise and best practices24:10 Localisation vs Internationalisation from Day 128:22 Popular revenue models among Indian startups31:04 The second-order effect of Covid19 on cross-border expansion38:22 Opportunities for Indian SaaS companies in China41:05 Leveraging diaspora and ecosystems to expand to the US and Europe45:17 Sanjay’s final thoughts Many thanks to our guests  Sanjay Nath; host Oscar Ramos; producers Eva Shi and  Sagar Chaudhary; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.comShare, subscribe, review, enjoy!To join our listener group on WeChat, please add SOSV Helper (WeChat ID: sosvhero) and ask for the group  invitation.To subscribe to our newsletter, please visit  www.asiastartuppulse.comFollow us on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/asia-startup-pulseEmail us: [email protected]

Asia Startup Pulse Selection: Examining the Fundamentals of the Marketplace Business Model with James Tan, Managing Partner at Quest Ventures. As we're gearing up for our Demo Day, we will soon be back with a brand-new season next month. Sign up for  Demo Day Nov 24  to meet the 10 startups chosen for our latest cohort.https://www.eventbrite.com/e/chinaccelerator-demo-day-20-livestream-20-tickets-188035859317?aff=podcastToday, we are going to dig deeper into marketplaces again with James Tan, Managing Partner at Quest Ventures. Prior to this, James was co-founder and COO of 55tuan, a NASDAQ listed e-commerce group that grew to more than 200 cities and 5,000 employees across China.Show notes:2:43 - Introduction to James Tan4:21 -  Transition from startup founder to venture capitalist6:06 - Introduction to Quest Ventures7:20 -  Most rewarding achievements of running a marketplace9:37 -  Why James is excited about marketplaces12:23 -  The advantages of a marketplace over a B2C company15:41 -  How to manage and control your marketplace17:55 -  The most innovative marketplace models that James has seen20:28 - Is a marketplace in Southeast Asia a regional business?23:21 -  The right time for marketplaces to internationalise25:53 -  How should companies localise in Indonesia?31:31 - Where should Indonesian companies internationalise to34:13  - When should companies reconsider expansion35:13  - How to innovate the marketplace revenue model?40:11  - Does “marketplace” have a higher valuation multiple compared to e-commerce?Related EpisodesBuilding the Biggest Used-car Marketplace in SEA, with Aaron Tan, founder of Carro (Ep 159)Follow us on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/asia-startup-pulseTo join our listener group on WeChat, please add SOSV Helper (WeChat ID: sosvhero) and ask for the group invitation.Email us: [email protected] thanks to our guests  James Tan; host Oscar Ramos; producers Eva Shi and  Sagar Chaudhary; editor David Xu; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com

Having accomplished his goal of transforming the gaming industry, Johnson Yeh is now turning his attention to his long-time passion: circular economy and sustainability. He founded ROEHL to provide consumers with a more sustainable and convenient lifestyle, starting with a subscription-based home appliance service.Johnson recently sat down with Oscar Ramos in our Shanghai recording studio. Listen for their discussion on:Why Johnson left his job at the summit of the gaming industry to pursue this missionWhat we can do in a world of planned obsolescenceEconomic benefits to a circular economyHow ROEHL is speeding up the rate of green-tech adoption, starting with air-purifying productsChina’s leading position in green technologyThe most exciting opportunities for new companies in the sectorAbout the speaker:Johnson Yeh is the founder and CEO of ROEHL, the world’s first Lifestyle-as-a-Service (L.a.a.S) company. Before founding ROEHL in 2019, Johnson led Riot Games in China, Southeast Asia, and Japan. Under his leadership, LPL and e-sport went through a formidable transformation, becoming China's biggest spectator sport, with viewing numbers increasing by 15 times in 5 years. In 2019, the total number of hours watched reached 4 billion in China alone, surpassing CSL, NBA, and other traditional sporting events.Many thanks to our guest Johnson Yeh; host Oscar Ramos; producers Sagar Chaudhary and Lace Nguyen; editor David Xu; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com.To join our listener group on WeChat, please add SOSV Helper (WeChat ID: sosvhero) and ask for the group invitation.Follow us on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/asia-startup-pulseEmail us: [email protected]

EPISODE SUMMARYWe sat down with Kamarul Muhamed, founder and CEO of Aerodyne Group, a world-leading drone-based enterprise solutions provider, to talk all things drones, the Uberization of agritech, how drone tech has created a new market for technology talents. We also discussed why Southeast Asia, once dominated by traditional agriculture, is so bullish on new technologies, and the wonderful future of the region’s home-grown unicorns.EPISODE NOTES“Drones, in itself, is just a dumb flying platform. What makes it intelligent is the analytics and smart sensors; and how that can be disruptive in providing real value to our enterprise clients,” said Kamarul Muhamed, who founded Aerodyne in 2014 and has grown the company into a world-leading drone-based enterprise solutions provider and, more importantly, a pioneer in the use of AI for large-scale data operations and process optimization. Today, we sat down with Kamarul to talk all things drones, the Uberization of agritech, how drone tech has created a new market for technology talents. We also discussed why Southeast Asia, once dominated by traditional agriculture, is so bullish on new technologies, and the wonderful future of the region’s home-grown unicorns. About the speaker:Kamarul Muhamed left the corporate world to pursue his passion in technology and digital innovation, founding Aerodyne in 2014 with a specialty in aerial imagery. The company has since pivoted to data intelligence, integrated solutions and now, Drone Tech, Data Tech and Digital Transformation (DT3). Ranked second in the world by Drone Industry Insights of Germany, Aerodyne has over 400 drone professionals operating in the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAS) services sector, managing more than 300,000 infrastructure assets with 110,000 flight operations across 35 countries globally. Show notes:01:39 Introduction to Kamarul Muhamed and Aerodyne Group02:29 How the pandemic has accelerated the adoption of agritech05:52 Contactless technologies to automate infrastructure operations for powerlining and solar farms07:15 Transforming traditional labor-intensive agriculture jobs into tech talents10:15 How the Uberization of agritech has created a new micro-economy13:05 Southeast Asia’s governments are already channeling agriculture subsidy into the adoption of technology18:36 How Aerodyne tackled the challenges of adoption and scaling a cross-border team22:00 The future of aerial robotics and AI’s pivotal role in the ecosystem26:40 Entering the bigger B2C market with the super-app model for agriculture32:35 What the world can learn from China’s speed of innovation and Southeast Asia’s massive opportunitiesMany thanks to our guests Kamarul Muhamed; host Oscar Ramos; producers Sagar Chaudhary and Lace Nguyen; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com.To join our listener group on WeChat, please add SOSV Helper (WeChat ID: sosvhero) and ask for the group invitation.Follow us on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/asia-startup-pulseEmail us: [email protected]

EPISODE SUMMARYThe World Wide Web was the first big tech revolution. Mobile was the second and we think blockchain is now the third. This is a period where we're going to have a solid 10-year run of tremendous growth and adoption of this new technology. It's going to bring enormous changes to all sectors that the technology touches upon: entertainment, financial services, e-government, and more.EPISODE NOTESRobby Yung is the CEO of Animoca Brands, the developer of a broad portfolio of blockchain games, traditional games, and other products, many of which are based on popular global brands including Formula 1®, Marvel, WWE, Power Rangers, MotoGP™, and Doraemon. Animoca Brands is also a prolific investor with more than 50 investments in NFT-related blockchain companies, including Sky Mavis (Axie Infinity), Dapper Labs (CryptoKitties and NBA Top Shot), OpenSea, Harmony, Bitski, and Alien Worlds. Yung previously was the co-founder of Redgate Media, acquired by Inno-Tech Holdings Limited. Yung recently sat down with Oscar Ramos to talk about all things NFT, digital entertainment, and what excites him about the future of blockchain.Show Notes02:35 How Animoca made its foray into blockchain games with Dapper Labs and CryptoKitties04:25 How blockchain revolutionizes gaming with digital ownership09:02 Incentives for people to spend more money on blockchain games11:24 A fully decentralized game is a lot like a democracy12:50 Behind the rise of NFTs: companies at the intersection of gaming and DeFi such as Sky Mavis15:52 Could blockchain the third tech revolution?19:11 Robby Yung's investment philosophy22:15 How virtual experiences will change the traditional business model24:21 What we need to speed up blockchain adoption27:27 Why regulations will increase clarity and transparency32:16 The attraction of collectibles and art36:05 The metaverse 10 years from nowMany thanks to our guests Robby Yung; host Oscar Ramos; producers Sagar Chaudhary and Lace Nguyen; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com.To join our listener group on WeChat, please add SOSV Helper (WeChat ID: sosvhero) and ask for the group invitation.Follow us on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/asia-startup-pulseEmail us: [email protected]

The open-source model has been a big catalyst for technology businesses across the world. While it is clear how they fit into other business models, it is still unclear what the business model behind an open-source business is. In this episode, we aim to answer that and more. We invited Neil Han, Head of APAC and EMEA for PingCAP, the first open-source unicorn in China, which raised 340million USD in total. Neil is a hardcore software person and a well-connected professional in the software industry across the globe with great operations and management skillset, looking forward to working with a fast-growing company and great leadership team to grow together. PingCAP raises $270M in Nov. 2020 to develop core technologies and advance the global expansion of its offerings! PingCAP is founded by the team that built TiDB, a world-leading open-source, cloud-native, distributed SQL/NewSQL database for elastic scale and real-time analytics, which is compatible with MySQL and enables companies to painlessly scale their business while keeping the underlying infrastructure simple and serve as a one-stop solution for all online transactions and analysis. PingCAP is the most valued NewSQL company on the planet!EPISODE NOTESThe open-source model has been a big catalyst for technology businesses across the world. While it is clear how they fit into other business models, it is still unclear what the business model behind an open-source business is. In this episode, we aim to answer that and more. We invited Neil Han, Head of APAC and EMEA for PingCAP, the first open-source unicorn in China, which raised 340million USD in total. Neil is a hardcore software person and a well-connected professional in the software industry across the globe with great operations and management skillset, looking forward to working with a fast-growing company and great leadership team to grow together.Show Notes:[1:26] Introduction to Neil Han[2:39] PingCap’s value proposition[5:14] Companies that best leverage PingCap’s services[8:05] The business model behind an open source business[12:08] Where the community contributors come from[15:05] Where the customers come from[17:29] Experience of selling the service to Chinese customers[2200] Customers as contributors to the product: A case of Square[26:38] The scope of growth for open-source software in APAC[30:16] Connect with NeilMany thanks to our guests  Neil Han; host Oscar Ramos; producers Eva Shi and  Sagar Chaudhary; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.comShare, subscribe, review, enjoy!To join our listener group on WeChat, please add SOSV Helper (WeChat ID: sosvhero) and ask for the group  invitation.To subscribe to our newsletter, please visit  www.asiastartuppulse.comFollow us on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/asia-startup-pulseEmail us: [email protected]

India today is home to some of the most innovative and valuable startups in the world. With a thriving startup ecosystem that is seeing more and more foreign capital injection and innovation across the board from tech to business models, Indian startups are well positioned to take on the global startup ecosystem. Although the domestic market is already huge enough, more Indian SaaS startups are venturing out and expanding across borders. In today’s episode, we invite Sanjay Nath, Co-founder and Managing Partner of Blume Ventures, one of India’s leading early-stage venture funds. Sanjay also reprerepresents Blume on the boards of Arka Venture Labs and the Draper Venture Network. Blume focuses on Seed to Pre-Series A stages of funding and has made over 100 investments across its 10-year history across multiple funds. Sanjay has invested in and advises a wide portfolio of startups including GreyOrange Robotics, Dataweave, Locus, Tricog, LBB, Lulu, Lambdatest, TapChief (acquired by Unacademy), Nektar.ai, and Obviously.ai amongst others. What is the trajectory for Indian startups expanding abroad? How do they start in India and move to US and SEA? How can startups build and sell remotely and operate in a virtual world? What are the repercussions of localization when internationalization? Sanjay, as an active investor in the space, brings his experience in answering all these questions and more!Show Notes01:35 Introduction to Sanjay Nath02:20 Sanjay’s transition from consulting to VC07:06 The trend of Indian startups expanding overseas10:54 Overcoming the barriers of  cross-border expansion16:03 How Blume VC supports startups with their expertise and best practices23:35 Localisation vs Internationalisation from Day 127:47 Popular revenue models among Indian startups30:29 The second-order effect of Covid19 on cross-border expansion37:47 Opportunities for Indian SaaS companies in China40:30 Leveraging diaspora and ecosystems to expand to the US and Europe44:42 Sanjay’s final thoughts Many thanks to our guests  Sanjay Nath; host Oscar Ramos; producers Eva Shi and  Sagar Chaudhary; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.comShare, subscribe, review, enjoy!To join our listener group on WeChat, please add SOSV Helper (WeChat ID: sosvhero) and ask for the group  invitation.To subscribe to our newsletter, please visit  www.asiastartuppulse.comFollow us on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/asia-startup-pulseEmail us: [email protected]

What does it take to launch a VC fund in China? What are the differences between RMB funds and USD funds? And how can VC funds exit themselves? We invited Chris Lerner, Managing Partner at MSA Capital, to join us to share his experience on starting and running a successful venture fund, and also how MSA Capital has supported startups to grow and expand to different markets. Founded in 2014, MSA Capital is an independent global private equity and venture capital firm with over $1.5 billion assets under management. Most notably, 60% of its 26 early stage investments have become super unicorns. We also extended the conversation from a “cross-border” perspective by discussing about the potential opportunities for foreign startups and foreign VCs to enter China.Show Notes:2:48 Introduction to MSA Capital5:22 What has kept Chris Lerner living in China9:12 What makes the Chinese VC industry different13:10 The DNA of Chinese corporate VCs (CVCs)15:13 Conflicts happen when startups work with different CVCs17:38 What takes to launch a VC fund19:57 Who is investing in VC funds in China24:40 The difference between RMB funds and USD funds27:44 How VC funds can exit themselves in China31:38 The trends of consolidation for financial returns33:18 What support MSA Capital provides to startups38:13 Potential opportunities for foreign startups to enter China41:18 The opportunity of foreign VCs to enter China42:32 How to contact Chris LernerMany thanks to our guests Chris Lerner; host Oscar Ramos; producers Eva Shi and  Sagar Chaudhary; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.comShare, subscribe, review, enjoy!To join our listener group on WeChat, please add SOSV Helper (WeChat ID: sosvhero) and ask for the group  invitation.To subscribe to our newsletter, please visit  www.asiastartuppulse.comFollow us on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/asia-startup-pulseEmail us: [email protected]

While Southeast Asia remains one of the hottest markets in the region, South Asia is also catching up, especially with the likes of Bangladesh and Pakistan. The region is also home to some of the fastest-growing tech startups, and today, we venture down south to Bangladesh and talk to the co-founder and CEO of Pathao, Bangladesh's largest tech company which is valued at over $100 million. Pathao is the leading ride-sharing, on-demand logistics, and food delivery platform in Bangladesh. Today, its motorbike and car-hailing vertical alone serves five million riders across five cities in Bangladesh and Kathmandu in Nepal.How did Pathao come into existence? For a market with typically no culture of motorcycle-taxis, how did you create the need in the market? How did they manage to stand out from the competition even against the likes of Uber? How has their journey been moving from an app to a super app? We talk about all these and more, in today’s episode.Show Notes02:20 Introduction to Hussain Elius03:22 How Pathao came into existence05:48 What the status quo was before Pathao08:21 Inspiration behind founding Pathao11:10 The competitive landscape for Pathao13:50 The competition against Uber17:20 Understanding why the “Uber-way” was not the way to go22:37 Lessons learned from Gojek25:30 Pathao’s expansion to Nepal29:05 Evolution of Hussain’s role32:43 Does mentorship matter?36:03 Final thoughtsMany thanks to our guests  Hussain Elius; host Oscar Ramos; producers Eva Shi and  Sagar Chaudhary; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.comShare, subscribe, review, enjoy!To join our listener group on WeChat, please add SOSV Helper (WeChat ID: sosvhero) and ask for the group  invitation.To subscribe to our newsletter, please visit  www.asiastartuppulse.comFollow us on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/asia-startup-pulseEmail us: [email protected]

The increased showboating and “greenwashing” of the term “Impact Investment” has virtually led to the term being thrown around loosely: especially, as it is hard to gauge the tangible impact sometimes startups working in this domain bring. But, what exactly is impact investment? How different is the understanding of the term in developed countries compared to emerging markets? How can startups working in this domain find the sweet spot between profitability and impact? Is tangible impact more valuable than intangible ones? Or the other way around? These are some of the many questions that arise while trying to understand the impact of investment space. And in this episode, we bring a prominent guest whose experience across Asia and the US in the impact investment space makes her the perfect guest to answer these questions and more. In this episode, we are joined by Ilaria Chan, Group Advisor on Social Impact Investment for Grab, one of Asia’s most prominent tech unicorns. Having started her career in investment banking with Goldman Sachs, today Ilaria is a global keynote speaker, private investor, and serves on the Board of Trustees of several humanitarian organizations. We talk all about impact investment and socially conscious startups and the investment ecosystem that revolves around them. SHOW NOTES03:14 Introduction to Ilaria Chan07:04 Ilaria’s expertise in Impact Investment09:32 Understanding the reality of Impact Invest and Difference between East & West14:50 Impact vs Profitability: The quandary for social entrepreneurs for raising funds20:09 How Tech Unicorns are making social impact a big of their proposition26:05 Tangible impact vs Intangible Impact: Is one less important than the other?30:22 The “green-washing” trend in impact investment34:41 Flow of innovation from East to the West43:44 Connect with IlariaMany thanks to our guests  Ilaria Chan; host Oscar Ramos; producers Eva Shi and  Sagar Chaudhary; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.comShare, subscribe, review, enjoy!To join our listener group on WeChat, please add SOSV Helper (WeChat ID: sosvhero) and ask for the group  invitation.To subscribe to our newsletter, please visit  www.asiastartuppulse.comFollow us on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/asia-startup-pulseEmail us: [email protected]

Chinese companies going global is not a new phenomenon today. But there was a time when this was relatively unheard of. And today, we talk to the man behind AppsFlyer, the company that essentially fuelled Chinese companies’ ambitions for global expansion by providing them much needed analytics and data in a mobile-frenzy world. Why was AppsFlyer pivotal to Chinese companies? What strategic value did China possess for AppsFlyer? In a market known for intense competition, how did AppsFlyer manage to thrive unscathed and become the market leader? In today’s episode, we invite Ronen Mense, President and Managing Director APAC for AppsFlyer, to help us answer these questions and more. In the last 7 years with AppsFlyer, Ronen has managed to grow the mobile analytics platform from newcomer to market leader in APAC achieving 70% market share, triple digital revenue growth year on year, and building an amazing team of 175+ across 7 offices in the region. Show Notes:02:12 Introduction to Ronen03:13 What is AppsFlyer05:03 China’s strategic value for AppsFlyer and vice-versa11:04 AppsFlyer’s value proposition for Chinese startups expanding overseas14:53 What made AppsFlyer special: The need for independent analytics20:59 Dealing with competitors: How to create moats?23:56 Localizing product to suit the China market27:41 How AppsFlyer stays independent in the Age of Splinternet34:05 The Success Playbook for AppsFlyer37:08 Ronen’s Mantra for Success42:05 How to contact RonenMany thanks to our guests  Ronen Mense; host Oscar Ramos; producers Eva Shi and  Sagar Chaudhary; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our websiteShare, subscribe, review, enjoy!To join our listener group on WeChat, please add SOSV Helper (WeChat ID: sosvhero) and ask for the group  invitation.To subscribe to our newsletter, please visit  www.asiastartuppulse.comFollow us on LinkedIn:  Email us: [email protected]

Marketplace is one of the most common business models in Southeast Asia nowadays. In one of our previous episodes, we talked to Aaron Tan, founder of Carro, about how he has built one of the biggest used-car marketplaces in Southeast Asia. Today, we are going to dig deeper into marketplaces again with James Tan, Managing Partner at Quest Ventures. Prior to this, James was co-founder and COO of 55tuan, a NASDAQ listed e-commerce group that grew to more than 200 cities and 5,000 employees across China.In this episode, we talk about all the business fundamentals of building a marketplace: from the advantages and challenges of building a marketplace to how to manage or control it, to the importance of timing in expanding to multiple markets. A someone who has built a successful e-commerce marketplace himself and invested in several more, James also shares the most innovative marketplace models in the market and how he believes the business model can be innovated. Show notes:2:10 Introduction to James Tan3:48 Transition from startup founder to venture capitalist5:35 Introduction to Quest Ventures6:50 Most rewarding achievements of running a marketplace 8:40 What James was excited about marketplace11:50 The advantages that a marketplace has to serve customers 15:08 How to manage or control your marketplace17:00 The most innovative marketplace models that James has seen 19:22 Is a marketplace in Southeast Asia a regional business?22:48 The timing for marketplaces to internationalise the business25:00 How to localise in Indonesia? 30:58 The next market that Indonesian companies expand to33:40 When should companies reconsider expansion34:35 How to innovate the marketplace revenue model?39:38 Does “marketplace” have a higher valuation multiple compared to ecommerce?Many thanks to our guests  James Tan; host Oscar Ramos; producers Eva Shi and  Sagar Chaudhary; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.comShare, subscribe, review, enjoy!To join our listener group on WeChat, please add SOSV Helper (WeChat ID: sosvhero) and ask for the group  invitation.

NFTs in 2021 has become what ICOs were in 2017: the biggest buzzword in the cryptocurrency and blockchain space. Even though NFTs as a concept is not something entirely new, it is only now that they have become more hyped. But what exactly are NFTs? Why are they gaining so much popularity today? Which industries stand to gain the most with the rise of these non-fungible tokens? How will this industry evolve? And most importantly, is this another bubble ready to burst? For this special episode, we invite Mia Deng, Partner at Dragonfly Capital and Co-founder of NFT marketplace TR-Lab, to dive deeper into the NFT space and also talk more about Dragonfly Capital’s latest $225 million fund, primarily focused on DeFi and NFTs. We also cover topics around the evolution of the crypto industry and the synergies between traditional VCs and crypto VCs.Show Notes:1:29 Introduction to Mia Deng4:12 How the narrative around the crypto industry has evolved6:48 Introduction to Dragonfly Capital and their unique proposition9:19 How traditional VCs are working with crypto VCs11:10 Crypto is Global from Day 1!13:21 How crypto VCs work with founders16:17 Understanding the intricacies of Sequoia China as an LP in Dragonfly Capital21:14 Building in the bear market24:14 What is NFT?25:34 Why are NFTs booming now?28:39 What industries will adapt NFTs?32:38 The inefficiency in the NFT infrastructure space35:12 Is NFT the next ICO?36:35 NFT in China38:09 How to reach out to Mia Many thanks to our guests  Mia Deng; host Oscar Ramos; producers Eva Shi and  Sagar Chaudhary; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.comShare, subscribe, review, enjoy!To join our listener group on WeChat, please add SOSV Helper (WeChat ID: sosvhero) and ask for the group  invitation.To subscribe to our newsletter, please visit  www.asiastartuppulse.comFollow us on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/asia-startup-pulseEmail us: [email protected]

Welcome to another episode of the Asia Startup Pulse! This week, we will continue with our 8x8 Global Speaker Series and bringing talks from two exceptional speakers from diverse backgrounds to share some interesting brain food for founders. First up, we have Victoria Hoang, Data Partner at Bristol Myers Squibb, where she counsels teams on data privacy and cybersecurity law. In her 20+ years of experience in life sciences and management consulting, she has served on several innovation programs working closely with startups. In today’s talk, she covers one of the most important pre-requisite for startups, which is building trust. Our second speaker for today is Jack Ren, Managing Director of Eminence Ventures where he is responsible for the firm’s cloud and IT infrastructure investments. Over the course of his career, he has spearheaded China Mobile’s One NET IoT platform and worked for some of the biggest tech corporations including Samsung and Sony. In today’s talk, Jack shares insights around non-market strategic thinking and how firms should factor it in their decision-making.Show Notes:[01:43] Victoria Hoang: How to Build Trust with Customers[13:41 ] Jack Ren: Non-market Strategical ThinkingMany thanks to our guests Victoria Hoang and Jack Ren; host Oscar Ramos; producers Eva Shi and  Sagar Chaudhary; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.comShare, subscribe, review, enjoy!To join our listener group on WeChat, please add SOSV Helper (WeChat ID: sosvhero) and ask for the group  invitation.

Welcome to another episode of the Asia Startup Pulse! Today, we have a special episode from our 8x8 Global Speaker Series where we bring 8 notable speakers to talk about their experiences in building, operating, and scaling businesses across Asia and beyond. In today’s episode, we are bringing three incredible speakers and seasoned investors: Rui Ma, Kal Patel, and Nichapat Ark, to share their insights on what it takes to succeed as an entrepreneur building cross-border businesses. Rui Ma is a former VC-turned independent tech analyst with her experience spanning from seed stage to pre-IPO investing spread between the US and China. She is well versed with the startup ecosystems in the US and China, having previously worked at 500 Startups as an investment partner. In today’s talk, she offers some invaluable insights for startups going across borders and brings light to potential pitfalls that startups must avoid at all costs.Kal Patel is a seasoned investor and the Resident Advisor at Oxford  Foundry and has led the expansion of Best Buy in Asia in the past. He brings with him a plethora of experience working with and investing in startups from all around the world. Even startups that have the most groundbreaking technology oftentimes fail to generate interest from investors early on and in his talk, he shares insights as to how early-stage startups can become more investible.Nichapat Ark works extensively with Openspace Venture’s Thailand-based startups as well as startups looking to expand into Thailand. In her talk, she shares insights as to how startups can better leverage their investors, an art that every startup founder must perfect.Show notes:02:20 - Rui Ma: Important considerations for Chinese startups going global13:40 - Kal Patel: How can startups become more "Investible"24:00 - Nichapat Ark: How to better leverage your investorMany thanks to our speakers; host Oscar Ramos; producers Eva Shi and  Sagar Chaudhary; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.comShare, subscribe, review, enjoy!To join our listener group on WeChat, please add SOSV Helper (WeChat ID: sosvhero) and ask for the group  invitation.Follow us on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/asia-startup-pulseEmail us: [email protected]

Esports as a whole has seen tremendous growth in Southeast Asia, especially driven by the growth of the mobile-first economy. In today’s episode, we dig deeper into the esports business in SEA with Allan Phang, the Regional Head of Marketing PR at EVOS Esports and former Head of Esports at AirAsia. We discuss the differences between esports and traditional sports while debunking the common myths about professional esports. Furthermore, Allan talks about his opinion about the roles of different stakeholders in the whole esports ecosystem, the unique proposition of Southeast Asia market in the esports sector, and also the next big thing we can expect in the industry.Show Notes:02:50 Allan Phang’s experience in esports09:00 Introduction to EVOS Esports12:21 Debunking common myths about professional esports14:08 Career lifespan of professional esports players17:55 The role of game publishers in the industry20:40 Ramifications of breaching gaming etiquette and rules22:15 Other players and opportunities in the esports ecosystem25:37 The relationship between global game publishers and local tournament event organisers28:29 Southeast Asia’s unique position in the esports industry33:10 Brands’ attitudes towards esports events36:40 Different revenue models in esports38:32 The next big thing in esports in SEA39:50 How to contact AllanMany thanks to our guests Allan Phang; host Oscar Ramos; producers Eva Shi and  Sagar Chaudhary; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.comShare, subscribe, review, enjoy!To join our listener group on WeChat, please add SOSV Helper (WeChat ID: sosvhero) and ask for the group  invitation.Follow us on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/asia-startup-pulseEmail us: [email protected]

This is a special episode which we recorded live on Clubhouse with our guest Aaron Tan, Founder of Carro, one of the biggest used-car marketplaces in Southeast Asia. A programmer by training and a Venture Capitalist by profession, Aaron founded his first startup at 13 and had already sold two companies before turning 21. Carro, one of the companies he founded, is an automotive marketplace that offers a full-stack service for all aspects of car ownership and is currently present in Singapore, Indonesia, and Thailand. In this episode, we will mainly discuss about how to build and scale a two-side marketplace in Southeast Asia and Carro’s playbook of expansion across the region. Moreover, we will put the spotlight on how Aaron’s previous experience in venture capital industry has impacted his decisions, and also how he takes inspiration from Chinese business models and applies the insights in an SEA context. *Side note: Aaron and Oscar frequently mention “William” in the conversation. The William they are referring to is William Bao Bean, GP at SOSV and MD at Chinaccelerator & MOX.Show Notes:0:00 -  Introduction to Aaron Tan1:32 - Aaron’s motivation to founding a startup6:01 - The supportive ecosystem around Carro8:19 - The importance of “Trust” in a business8:50 - The reasons behind starting an automotive marketplace in SEA13:35 - Inspiration from Chinese business models19:21 - Understanding the heterogeneity in the markets21:15 - Aaron’s experience on how copying the same model across SEA doesn’t work25:39 - How to build and scale a two-side marketplace30:37 - The role of Carro in the marketplace35:17 - Carro’s expansion playbook across SEA44:20 - What the future holds for Carro and Southeast AsiaMany thanks to our guests Aaron Tan; host Oscar Ramos; producers Eva Shi and  Sagar Chaudhary; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.comShare, subscribe, review, enjoy!To join our listener group on WeChat, please add SOSV Helper (WeChat ID: sosvhero) and ask for the group  invitation.Follow us on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/asia-startup-pulseEmail us: [email protected]

The age-old adage, “if at first you don’t succeed, try again,” is applicable to countless scenarios. However, in the startup world, trying new things until becoming successful is only half the story. In the startup world, things move at a rapid pace and ideas alone do not bring success. Success requires implementation and the right implementation process requires different business experiments in order to test and validate those ideas. And today, we invite two successful startup founders to share their journeys on how they’ve experimented with different aspects of their business to reach where they are today. What is experimentation in the startup world? How must startups look at experimenting? And why is experimenting instrumental to a startup’s success? We answer these questions and more! In this episode, we invite Mukesh Bansal, Founder and CEO of Phable, a healthcare startup from India that recently raised a $12 million Series A; and Riaz Mehta, Founder and CEO, of allrites, Asia’s leading B2B marketplace for film and TV content. Our guests bring with them a cumulative 40+ years of building, and running businesses across Asia. We dive deep into what makes experimentation a pre-requisite to running a successful startup and how small changes can have a colossal impact on the business.Show Notes:2:26 - Introduction to Mukesh Bansal and Riaz Mehta5:56 - Experimentation in a startup context9:54 - How the healthcare industry encourage/discourage experimentation13:08 - Source of inspiration in deciding about what and how to experiment20:49 - The The Minimum Viable Experiment25:58 - Framework for prioritizing action items31:41 - Should founders go against their own beliefs and convictions41:14 - How COVID has impacted experimentation46:47 - Actionable advice to aspiring entrepreneurs Many thanks to our guests Mukesh Bansal and Riaz Mehta; host Oscar Ramos; producers Eva Shi and  Sagar Chaudhary; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.comShare, subscribe, review, enjoy!To join our listener group on WeChat, please add SOSV Helper (WeChat ID: sosvhero) and ask for the group  invitation.Follow us on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/asia-startup-pulseEmail us: [email protected]

Global Founder’s Capital, in spite of its global presence, has been a late entrant to China. However, in a very short time in the region, they’ve become a force to reckon with investing in some very promising companies. Coincidently, enterprise SaaS in China has been gaining speedy momentum in the recent past. Why is this the right time for enterprise investment in China? Is China still relevant for incoming VCs? Why is enterprise SaaS a must-watch trend for 2021 and what is driving this growth? In this episode, we invite Shao Lee, Partner at Global Founders Capital, who spearheads their China operations. We talk about GFC’s investment thesis and their unique proposition of Geographical Arbitrage. We dive deeper into understanding the Chinese ecosystem and the drivers of enterprise SaaS in China. As a leading investor in the TMT/ SaaS space, Shao shares his insights on how GFC evaluates enterprise SaaS companies in China.Show Notes01:19 - Introduction to Shao Lee and motivations to become a VC04:18 - What is Global Founders Capital?05:53 - Bringing the Rocket Internet model to Asia10:19 - GFC’s Geographical Arbitrage13:00 - How to discover new business models?14:45 - Why is it time for Enterprise investment in China?17:10 - Trends in Chinese companies overseas expansion19:00 - GFC’s investment decision-making process20:34 - Founder’s pedigree in the decision-making process25:45 - Late entrant to China: Is the market still worth entering for VCs?27:40 - China’s competitive value proposition in global market32:24 - VC Trends for 2021: The Rise of Enterprise SaaS35:22 - The drivers of Enterprise SaaS38:24 - Evaluating Chinese Enterprise SaaS companiesMany thanks to our guest Shao Lee; host Oscar Ramos; producers Eva Shi and  Sagar Chaudhary; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.comShare, subscribe, review, enjoy!To join our listener group on WeChat, please add SOSV Helper (WeChat ID: sosvhero) and ask for the group  invitation.Follow us on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/asia-startup-pulseEmail us: [email protected]

The likes of Alibaba, Tencent, and Pinduoduo have managed to rise as tech giants in China but have failed to leverage this dominance and influence to a global scale. One such company that has managed to strip away from that label and is successful in expanding overseas and in branding its product as a global pass is ByteDance. But, what has enabled it to do what most Chinese companies have not been able to do? We dive deep into answering these questions. What is the key differentiator of ByteDance compared to other prominent video-platform players? What breakthroughs has ByteDance overcome to flourish worldwide? What takeaways can be extracted from the gala of TikTok’s global success? In this episode, we invite one of our special friends Matthew Brennan, author of “Attention Factory; The story of TikTok and China’s ByteDance”. He is often featured in global media and has delivered presentations on Chinese digital innovation to global firms such as Google, Tencent, DHL, etc. Having monitored the Chinese tech ecosystem closely for a number of years, Matthew is well-positioned to answer our questions, dig deeper into ByteDance’s remarkable success, and share his insights on the mobile-tech environment in the East and West. We will also discuss the digital marketing schemes partaking in all startups and all kinds of business sizes. Last but not the least, some key insights on future tech innovations that can be observed from the ByteDance case.You can find the book on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Attention-Factory-TikTok-Chinas-ByteDance/dp/B08L3NW6VM/Show Notes:02:09 Introduce Matthew Brennan03:20 Why ByteDance is able to build a global product, TikTok05:57 TikTok, the product and technology09:42 TikTok’s from-zero-to-one journey16:30 TikTok’s monetization model and their new initiatives22:20 Lessons from the success of ByteDance30:40 Contact MatthewMany thanks to our guest Matthew Brennan; host Ryan Shuken; producers Eva Shi and  Sagar Chaudhary; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.comShare, subscribe, review, enjoy!To join our listener group on WeChat, please add SOSV Helper (WeChat ID: sosvhero) and ask for the group  invitation.Follow us on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/asia-startup-pulseEmail us: [email protected]

We are very honoured to invite Peng T. Ong, co-founder and managing partner of Monk's Hill Ventures, to join our first episode of Asia Startup Pulse today. Monk’s Hill Ventures is a venture capital firm investing in early-stage tech companies, primarily Series A, in Southeast Asia. Peng is an industry veteran with over 25 years of experience as an entrepreneur, founder, and investor in Silicon Valley and in Asia. He is based in Indonesia and is a board member of Glints, ELSA, Finaxar, and Intelligent Video Solutions. Prior to Monk’s Hill Ventures, he was a Venture Partner at GSR Ventures in China. In this episode, we talk about Peng’s journey as an investor and how he perceives the great potential in Southeast Asia. More importantly, he summarizes a very important trend in SEA’s startup ecosystem, "Technification". We also talk about the impact that China's Internet giants have on SEA through investments and M&A.Show Notes:1:54 Peng’s journey as an investor3:22 Main differences btw seed round and Series A9:15 More capital investment in SEA10:20 The most interesting trend in SEA10:56 “Technification” in China12:24 The opportunities of “technification” in SEA14:33 “There is no way for a company to grow that fast without technology”17:31 The core DNA of a successful founding team18:54 China’s role in SEA’s service industry22:22 The role of Chinese and Japanese corporate venture capital in SEA26:20 The infrastructure development in SEA28:25 A hard push on deep technology in SEA?Many thanks to our guest Peng T.Ong; host Oscar Ramos; producers  Eva Shi and  Sagar Chaudhary; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.comShare, subscribe, review, enjoy!Follow us on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/asia-startup-pulseEmail us: [email protected]

Welcome to another episode of the China Startup Pulse. Today we talk about GameStop, a company that has the global financial markets buzzing. What we’ve seen with GameStop is a very unusual incident and so, we are bringing not one, but two guests on the episode who bring differing perspectives on what happened with GameStop and what it represents. With everything that has happened with the GameStop stock in the last several days, ultimately leading to some brokerages restricting retail investors from buying the stock, an interesting debate around centralization vs decentralization has surfaced. Is the GameStop saga a pivotal moment for DeFi? Do we need more decentralization in the financial markets? Does DeFi have enough merits to transcend the traditional financial markets or is it too early to make that call? And we have the right guests to share their perspectives on this matter! Our first guest is Michael Friedman, CFO of Xinhua Pictures. Mike previously held the position of Director at Shune River Capital where he was responsible for investment, financial analysis, and risk management. He has over two decades of experience in global financial markets. Our second guest today is Aaron Choi. Aaron is the VP of Global Business Development for Kava Labs, a blockchain solutions platform providing DeFi services such as stable coins, bonds, and lending to crypto users across many blockchain networks. Previously, Aaron led the International Business for BTCC, one of the earliest and longest-running Bitcoin exchanges. He is an expert in the crypto industry and digital advertising and marketing. He is also an advisor to several blockchain projects where he advises on blockchain, token issuance, and token economy-related matters. Please remember, the views expressed in the episode are strictly for educational purposes and must not be taken as investment advice. Show Notes:[02:43]  What happened with GameStop?[13:59] Centralisation vs Decentralisation. Is GameStop the pivotal moment for DeFi? What are its merits and demerits?[34:55] Closing RemarksMany thanks to our guest Benjamin Qiu; host Oscar Ramos; producers  Eva Shi and  Sagar Chaudhary; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.comShare, subscribe, review, enjoy!Follow us on LinkedIn:  Email us: [email protected]

Today we’re bringing you the final episode of our Chinaccelerator 8x8 Global Speakers Series where we invite some of the most accomplished members of the global startup ecosystem to share key lessons for startups in eight minutes or less. Our first speaker is Yara Paoli. Yara is the former VP of Growth at Skyscanner (acquired by Ctrip) and is currently the Co-Founder and Chief Growth Scientist of Growth OS, a growth enabler company. Having contributed to growing Skyscanner from a 32-employees small startup to a GBP 1.4 Billion valued company with over 1,000 talented people working across 60+ markets, Yara is the perfect guest to talk about growth mindset, which she talks about in this episode. Our next speaker is Adam Najberg, Global Head of Content at Alibaba Group and Former Global Director of Communications at DJI. Having been in the field of journalism and PR for over 25 years, Adam has amassed a wealth of experience in storytelling. Today, he talks about why storytelling is important for startups, and how someone else could tell their stories if startups don't do it themselves. Finally, we have Shamik Talukder, co-founder of Be Tagged, an influencer marketing company, and the founding member of the largest Radio FM Network in India, Radio Mirchi, and former Vice President at Viacom 18 Media. In his talk today, he shares two important lessons that the covid19 pandemic has taught him and how he believes that could help startups.Show Notes:02:18 - Yara Paoli11:30 - Adam Najberg19:27 - Shamik Talukder Many thanks to our guest Benjamin Qiu; host Oscar Ramos; producers  Eva Shi and  Sagar Chaudhary; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.comShare, subscribe, review, enjoy!Follow us on LinkedIn:  www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/Email us: [email protected]

This is the second episode from our Chinaccelerator 8X8 Global Speakers Series, where we bring 8 influential speakers to share their insights and experiences in 8 minutes. We have some great speakers lined up for this episode.In today’s episode, we bring 3 exceptional speakers with their insights.First up, we have Mikaal Adbulla, co-founder and  CEO of 8 Securities, Asia’s first mobile-only investing service and robo-advisor, that was recently acquired by SoFi. For entrepreneurs, constraints are everywhere: from finding capital to finding the right team. But only if you have experienced those constraints, are you able to learn how to be creative, agile and focused. In today’s talk, Mikaal shares how having excess capital could be a constraint for startups.Our second speaker is Lily Liu, an angel investor and also co-founder of fintech startup Earn.com, which was acquired by Coinbase. In her talk, she breaks some of the biggest myths of being a CFO and explains how being a Chief Financial Officer is more about managing risks holistically and their role in a company’s long-term sustainability.Last but certainly not least, we have Vu Van, co-founder ELSA Corp, one of the world’s best and smartest English pronunciation app, powered by AI. Given what the company does, it is easy to assume that Vu Van is a technical genius. But the interesting fact is, Vu does not come from a technical background. She draws from her own experiences to explain why having a tech background is not a pre-requisite to building a tech company and how not having such a background could be a blessing in disguise instead.Show Notes:02:25: Mikaal Adbulla: Thriving Despite Constraints08:04: Lily Liu: Managing Risks Holistically19:57: Vu Van: Building a Successful Tech Startup Without Technical BackgroundMany thanks to our guest Benjamin Qiu; host Oscar Ramos; producers  Eva Shi and  Sagar Chaudhary; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.comShare, subscribe, review, enjoy!Follow us on LinkedIn:  www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/Email us: [email protected]

Welcome everybody to another episode of the China Startup Pulse. We have a special one today. We are back with our Chinaccelerator 8x8 Global Speaker Series with eight influential speakers from all over the world to share their insights for startups in eight minutes.In today’s episode, we bring not one but two incredible investors to share their insights in building and investing in global businesses, bringing different perspectives drawn from their own careers.  Stay tuned for insights from Shannon Kalayanamitr and Per Welinder.Show Notes:02:30: Shannon Kalayanamitr12:05: Per WelinderOur first guest is Shannon Kalayanamitr, Partner at Gobi Partners. She has made her mark in the tech world building businesses such as Orami/ MOXY, Lazada, and PPTVThailand] and driving the ecosystem through tech investments as CEO of the IKIGAI GROUP and 5GCatalyst Technologies, in Southeast Asia.In today’s talk, Shannon brings a very unique approach to viewing M&As and marriages. Like marriage, M&A is a long-term commitment. And like marriage, M&A also requires a lot of work in order to be successful. Shannon gives some interesting insights that are applicable to both marriages and M&As.Our second speaker is the legendary skateboarder Per Welinder, who many people may know from the movie, Back to the Future. Per is an entrepreneur and venture capitalist focusing on culture, lifestyle, and consumer technologies. He has co-founded influential skateboard and lifestyle brands including Birdhouse, Flip, Baker, etc.In today’s talk, Per shares his story of how he transitioned his career from being a professional skateboarder, starting his own skateboard company, to becoming a venture capitalist and investing in lifestyle companies and the lessons he learned along the way. He is sure to entice the audience with his entrepreneurial insights as he has done with his skills on the skateboard.Many thanks to our 8X8 speakers; host Oscar Ramos; producers  Eva Shi and  Sagar Chaudhary; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.comShare, subscribe, review, enjoy!Follow us on LinkedIn:  www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/Email us: [email protected]

Today, we have a very special episode we are bringing to you, together with She Loves Tech.  She Loves Tech is the world’s largest startup competition for women and technology. During the last 6 years, they have created the environment necessary for female lead startups to thrive. Championing the best entrepreneurs through education and mentorship, to solve the funding gap for women.  R&D and innovation are terms very often used interchangeably, especially in the business world. But how do these differ from each other? Do all inventions drive innovation? Does all the innovation require a new invention? And what is the role that startups play in the space? We have the perfect guest to answer these questions and more. Dr. Yongqin Zeng a scientist and engineer today Senior Director of Philips Research & Innovation and Lead at Philips open innovation program for healthcare startups. Her long and rich career has seen her do over a decade of research in academia before joining the private sector where she has done it all. She led multiple research departments in different industries, drove several venture projects that led to the creation of two new business units, and also facilitated over 10 Open Innovation projects involving universities, hospitals, and of course startups. Dr. Zeng’s work on Open Innovation is also featured in the book “Innovation in China” published by MIT in 2016.  In this episode, Dr. Zeng helps us dive deeper into innovation and R&D from the perspectives of academia, corporations, and startups. Show Notes2:24 Introduction to Dr. Yongqin Zeng3:18 Moving from research in academia to research in the corporate world4:30 Difference between R&D and Innovation.7:00 Do all inventions drive innovation?11:27 How monetization shapes the R&D pipeline for corporates.18:28 Deep dive into healthcare startup ecosystem: The competitive advantage they possess to deliver results20:51 Synergies between healthcare startups and hospitals: China trend vs Global trend23:00 Strength of Open Innovation in healthcare ecosystem outside China24:55 Models that will shape the future of open innovation28:16 Open innovation models improving UI and UX in the healthcare industry32:35 Getting in touch with Dr. Yongqin Zeng Many thanks to our guest Benjamin Qiu; host Oscar Ramos; producers  Eva Shi and  Sagar Chaudhary; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.comShare, subscribe, review, enjoy!Follow us on LinkedIn:  www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/Email us: [email protected]

The pandemic has changed the way how we meet, do business and plan for the future, but has it slowed down the pace of Chinese technology companies going public in overseas markets? Absolutely not! Chinese companies are coming out as winners, as now they are looking into overseas markets to secure more financing. In today’s episode, we asked the hard questions. How has the pandemic impacted on global financial markets? What has changed in 2020 when it comes to Chinese technology companies and the relationship between China and other markets? And what do these changes mean from a policy and legal perspective? Today, we will invite one of our old friends Benjamin Qiu, Partner of Loeb & Loeb, an international law firm based in the US and Asia. He has over 15-year experience in working with high growth companies in China and big VC firms such as GGV and Sequoia Capital. He is the perfect person to answer our questions and expand on the future outlook of the post-covid startup world. We will also talk about the relationship between China and other Asian markets including Southeast Asia and India, and how the recent events will change the way that China invests in those regions.Show Notes:02:01 Introduce Benjamin Qiu02:41 More Chinese tech companies got listed in overseas markets05:02 China’s financial policy reforms08:42 How the pandemic has impacted investors’ investment deals12:54 Reasons behind the fast market recovery in China16:05 Trends about China going to Southeast Asia20:43 The impact created by the geopolitical intensions between China and India Many thanks to our guest Benjamin Qiu; host Oscar Ramos; producers Eva Shi and  Sagar Chaudhary; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.comShare, subscribe, review, enjoy!Follow us on LinkedIn:  www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/Email us: [email protected]

Welcome to the second episode of our new series “Inside the VC Mind” where we bring you the professionals from the venture capital world, who will deliver their observations, thoughts, and opinions.Today we are going to talk about those startups that investors missed but would have loved to invest in, with Remington Ong, Partner at Fenbushi Capital, Ray Yang, Partner at Marathon Venture Partners, and William Bao Bean, General Partner at SOSV and Managing Director at Chinaccelerator and MOX.Our guests:Remington OngRemington is Partner at Fenbushi Capital, one of the earliest and most active blockchain-focused venture capital firms, where he has managed investments into over 40 leading startups around the world leveraging blockchain technology to disrupt a wide range of industries, such as finance, healthcare, supply chain, and consumer goods.Ray YangRay is Partner at Marathon Venture Partners, a China-based early to growth stage fund focusing on digital healthcare transformation. Prior to Marathon Venture Partners, Ray was MD at Northern Light Venture Capital and Investment Director at Orchid Asia Group Management. Many of his investments have achieved listings on major stock exchanges or achieved exit via M&A, such as Burning Rock Riotech, a Chinese biotech company  went public on NASDAQ.William Bao BeanWilliam is General Partner at SOSV. a US$740m+ venture capital fund known as “the accelerator VC”. He is also the MD at Chinaccelerator, SOSV’s global Internet accelerator and the first accelerator to launch in China in 2010 and MOX, the mobile-only accelerator platform with 130m smartphone users in SE Asia. Before SOSV, William was one of the founding MDs at SingTel Innov8 Ventures and Partner at Softbank China & India Holdings. Show Notes:01:00 Talk with Remington Ong06:41 Talk with Ray Yang14:00 Talk with William Bao Bean Many thanks to our guests; host Oscar Ramos; producers Eva Shi and Sagar Chaudhary; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.comShare, subscribe, review, enjoy!Follow us on LinkedIn:  www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/Email us: [email protected]

Driven by the rise of China's middle and high-income classes and their crazy pursuit of better products, China is regarded as the engine of the global luxury industry. Brands from all over the world are rushing to enter the market and reach Chinese customers in different ways.E-commerce is something that brands cannot ignore. They have to accelerate the adoption if they want to have a say in this market.Today, we want to look back at the era when China's luxury e-commerce was just emerging. How did vertical e-commerce platforms bring overseas fashion and high-end brands to Chinese consumers? How did they open up a new business battlefield, and how many innovative experiments did they run to do so? After that, we are going to have some hands-on insights to learn what has changed in this industry. Brand attitude? Consumers? Channels? Formats? For example, the rise of e-commerce livestream?We are honored to invite Claire Chung, former China General Manager of Yoox Net-A-Porter Group, former vice president of global business development of Shangpin to join us and talk about luxury e-commerce over the past decade.This is Oscar Ramos, an e-commerce investor myself over the last decade in China, and your host for today. Let’s get a comprehensive understanding of the cross-border luxury commerce today.Show notes: 02:26 Educating overseas brands about the China market in Shangpin05:03 The reasons why overseas brands rejected Chinese platforms in early days08:05 Shangpin partnered with banks to build trust with customers10:30 First time brought Topshop to China’s online space 13:22 Online consumers for high-end brands in China16:37 The role of Shangpin in providing unique user experience19:17 The importance of after-sales customer service 22:04 The biggest changes in China’s luxury ecommerce space 28:32 China’s innovation that is brought to the rest of the world 30:53 How the overseas perceives the innovation from China35:00 The new definition of luxury Many thanks to our guest Claire Chung; host Oscar Ramos; producers Eva Shi and Sagar Chaudhary; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.comShare, subscribe, review, enjoy!Follow us on LinkedIn:  www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/Email us: [email protected]

Welcome to the first episode of our new series “Inside the VC Mind” where we bring you the professionals from the venture capital world, who will deliver their observations, thoughts, and opinions.Today we are going to talk about the top one mistake that founders make during the fundraising process, with Helen Wong, Partner at Qiming Venture Partners, Gary Yang, Founding Partner at SkySaga capital, and Jeff Chi, Partner at Vickers Venture.EPISODE NOTESOur guests:Helen WongHelen is Partner at Qiming Venture Partners and a founding team member at GGV Capital. Qiming is an early to growth stage venture capital firm, which currently manages four USD funds and three RMB funds with over $1.7 billion in assets.Helen’s successful exits at Qiming include Mobike (sold to Meituan), Luojiswei (unicorn valuation, sold to Tencent), and Lagou (sold to 51jobs). Helen was awarded by Forbes as Top100 VCs in China in 2018.Gary YangGary is Founding Partner at SkySaga Capital and Director of the China Venture Capital Association. Graduated from Tsinghua University, one of the top universities in China and the world, Gary is an experienced investor who led the investment of dozens of companies, including Yanjiyou, a well-known bookstore chain brand in China, Pencil Media, an upcoming tech media focusing on startup news, and more.SkySaga Capital is an early to growth stage venture capital firm, with a focus on industrial upgrades such as consumption upgrade and supply chain upgrade, and deep tech such as AI and biotech.Jeff ChiJeff is Founding Partner at Vickers Venture Partners and Former Chairman at Singapore Venture Capital & Private Equity Association.Vickers is a global venture capital firm with US$700 million focused on early-stage investments in Asia and beyond. The firm announced in 2017 that it has raised US$230 million to invest in startups around the world, with a particular focus on deep tech across the globe and impact investments in emerging markets. Vickers has 8 offices around the world and is one of the largest venture capital firms in Singapore and Shanghai.Show Notes:01:04 Talk with Helen Wong06:14 Talk with Gary Yang10:19 Talk with Jeff ChiMany thanks to our guests; host Oscar Ramos; producers Eva Shi and Sagar Chaudhary; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.comShare, subscribe, review, enjoy!Follow us on LinkedIn:  www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/Email us: [email protected]

In the startup world where we value technology and experiments that leverage "quick and dirty" prototypes, what’s the role of art and design? Especially for early stage startups, how should they utilize the power of design for their products or services? If we look at brands who are expanding to different markets, how can they develop a cross-cultural design mindset that helps them gain local recognition and avoid any sensitivities?During this week’s episode, we will discuss the value of design in early technology startups with Yiying Lu, the award-winning artist behind the Twitter Fail Whale and Dumpling emoji, named as “Fast Company's Most Creative People in Business” and Microsoft's “Top 10 Emerging Leader in Innovation”.Yiying has helped hundreds of tech startups build their brand and turn it into a competitive advantage. She believes that for technology companies, they are not B2B or B2C, but human to human, and “art is the best vehicle to communicate the core values of the human behind the technology”. Born in Shanghai China, educated in Sydney Australia and London UK, currently based in San Francisco, Yiying will also share one of her passions about how to leverage art to bridge the east and the west and share some cross-cultural campaigns that she has been involved in the past.Show notes:02:08 Introducing Yiying Lu03:00 How design helps with product experience05:30 The role of emotional needs in design10:50 Design as a strategic tool for tech companies14:40 How early stage founders should pay attention to design19:50 Own a cross-cultural mindset27:33 Failed campaign examples when foreign companies enter China31:50 Yiying’s cross-cultural campaign casesMany thanks to our guest  Yiying Lu; host Oscar Ramos; producers Eva Shi and Sagar Chaudhary; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.comShare, subscribe, review, enjoy!Follow us on LinkedIn:  www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/Email us: [email protected]

对话者：Oscar Ramos（主持人）& Sophie Yao（Pegasus Tech Ventures中国区总经理）主题：管理Pre-IPO基金，逆全球化浪潮下的中国IPO趋势。China is one of the world’s biggest and leading stock markets. As a result, China’s capital markets are gaining more interest from both domestic and international investors. But today, we are not talking a step back from investing in public companies and instead, talking about pre-IPO deals.  What are pre-IPO deals? What are the risks and opportunities associated to pre-IPO deals? We also look at the typical range of investment in such deals and how similar or different are pre-IPO investors from investment bankers? We have the perfect guest to talk about the pre-IPO market today. Our guest today is Sophie Yao, the general manager of Pegasus Tech Ventures, which some people may know for their notable investments like SpaceX and Airbnb. Sophie currently manages a $1 billion fund that predominantly focuses on pre-IPO deals. She shares with us what goes on in the background when sourcing and investing in pre-IPO deals. We also touch upon the current economic tensions between the US and China and how that can impact companies looking to go public.Show Notes:1:48 Introduction to Sophie Yao2:59 The CVC 4.0 Model4:33 Rationale behind corporate partnering with single LP funds6:58 The $1 billion pre-IPO  fund, what it is and why Pegasus invests in pre-IPO deals8:04 Risks associated with pre-IPO deals9:46 Pre-requisites in a pre-IPO deal. How do you measure returns?12:28 Role of the pre-IPO investor in supporting companies13:40 Evaluating potential investments16.14 Next wave of IPOs from China20:58 Revenue vs Technology: What matters more in deep tech investment23:12 Does investor behavior shape the type of companies in China?24:36 China’s STAR market and how it has performed so far26:15 Companies doing well in the STAR market26:45 Alibaba Ant dual IPO: Inflection point in Chinese companies' perspective on IPOs28:41 Foreign companies listing in STAR market 29:23 US-China deteriorating relations and impact on internationalization of Chinese tech startups31:29 Luckin’s impact on the perception of listed Chinese companies34:36 Lessons for Series A or B founders36:54 Pegasus’ area of investment and how to contact Sophie37:53 Pegasus’ Incubation programMany thanks to our guest Sophie Yao; host Oscar Ramos; producers Eva Shi and Sagar Chaudhary; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.comShare, subscribe, review, enjoy!Follow us on LinkedIn:  www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/Email us: [email protected]

Data and digitalization are hot topics not only in the startup ecosystem but also in the corporate world. We often hear about legacy businesses looking to transform themselves by using data to improve their business but what is the actual reality of data for businesses today? How are companies building brands based around data? Are the companies ready and are they really aware of how much value they can derive from data? What obstacles stand in their way? To answer these questions and more, we are bringing you today a very special episode that is part of "Pathway2Innovation". A regular online and offline events series initiated by the Corporate Innovation team of Chinaccelerator that will bring together startups and corporates to explore some of the most relevant topics in the open innovation space. In today’s episode we are joined by Kevin Lee, CDO at IKEA China; German Torrado, Managing Director at Genetsis E-commerce; Alexis RICHEZ, Venture Development and Partnerships at ZTP (The innovation arm behind one the largest retails groups in Europe including companies like Decathlon, Leroy Merlin our Auchan); and Abel Zhao, Co-founder and CEO at TravelFlan. Our guests come with a particular angle on data and digitalization. With their wealth of experiences, you will gain insightful learnings on how to use data to innovate within your organization especially in a post-Covid19 world. Show Notes[02:11] Introduction to Kevin Lee and understanding what Ikea is doing with data and insights[03:48] Introduction to German Torrado and Genetsis E-commerce[04:48] Introduction to Alexis Richez and ZTP[06:21] Introduction to Abel Zhao and TravelFlan[09:17] Is data the new oil? How is IKEA getting value from data today?[13:46] Awareness of data among brands and the relevance of data in their agenda[16:56] What is the readiness level of companies? Are they really aware of how much value they can derive from data? Are they talking about data is the new oil but have no idea what it is exactly or are they ready to extract value from data?[20:50] Reaction from brands about data that is hard to get[22:53] Most relevant obstacles in the present time to drive digital transformation[35:35] Impact of GDPR for businesses[37:35] Getting key stakeholders to buy into the “Data is the Future” narrative and Performance metrics when implementing a data strategy Many thanks to our guest  Kevin Lee, German Torrado, Alexis Richez and Abel Zhao; host Oscar Ramos; producers Eva Shi and Sagar Chaudhary; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.comShare, subscribe, review, enjoy!Follow us on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/Email us: [email protected]

How Citybox Finds Own Position Among Fierce Unmanned Retail Competitions, with Co-founder & COO Neo Lv By the end of 2017, over 200 unmanned store startups were launched in China, which attracted more than US$620 million investment just during that year. However, after the hype faded, only a few companies survived from the fierce competitions, and Citybox is one of them.Citybox started their business on a totally different path. As a result, their smart vending machine solution can be flexibly deployed in different scenarios which allows them to find the right channels for distribution. In 2017 and 2018, Citybox raised Series A and B from top VCs, like GGV, ZhenFund and SIG China.Our guest today, Neo Lv, is one of the company’s co-founders and today’s COO. He will take us back to the initial stage of the company and share how Citybox decided to take a very different playbook in terms of business strategy, coming from a deep understanding of the industry and a very lean startup technology approach. Instead of spending their funding on business development and developing hardware, Citybox concentrated their efforts to automate their operations. Today, Citybox is also a great marketing tool for brands to test and launch new products thanks to the data they can collect from a very loyal customer base.Show Notes:02:11 Introduction to Neo Lv and Citybox04:47 Unmanned retail hype in 2017 & what makes Citybox unique 08:54 How Citybox monetizes data12:51 How Citybox sustainably gets profitable among the strong competitions18:27 Competitions bring new growth opportunities24:47 How Citybox built their first generation of the smart vending machines29:08 The future of unmanned retail33:45 Compare China with other markets globally Many thanks to our guest Neo Lv; host Oscar Ramos; producers Eva Shi and Sagar Chaudhary; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.comShare, subscribe, review, enjoy!Follow us on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/Email us: [email protected]

DeFi or Decentralized Finance has become the hottest commodity in the blockchain space today. The DeFi movement follows a suite of strong hypes in the industry after ICOs, STOs, and IEOs. Today, over $2 billion dollars worth of tokens are locked in DeFi projects.  Some of you might be wondering what is DeFi? But once you understand the concept the real questions are: what makes DeFi so different? Is it just another hype in the space? Who are the winners and losers? Chinese investors are among the most active investors in the space, Does this bring additional value or opportunities for Chinese DeFi startups?To help us answer these questions and more, we have invited to the show, Cao Yin, Founding Partner of Digital Renaissance Foundation, a Shanghai-based company that is helping to accelerate the future by consulting, incubating and financing projects in the blockchain ecosystem and investor in the first DeFi project launched in China.Show Notes[1:55] Introduction to Cao Yin[8:46] What makes blockchain so different? Hype vs Reality?[13:15] DeFi use cases[17:10] Winners and Losers from DeFi[21:26] How DeFi affects the government[25:04] Risks of DeFi. What can go wrong?[29:10] China's view on DeFi[32:19] Opportunities for DeFi startups today[33:58] Chinese DeFi investors[36:27] Contact Cao Yin and Digital Rennaisance FoundationMany thanks to our guest  Cao Yin; host Oscar Ramos; producers Eva Shi and Sagar Chaudhary; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.comShare, subscribe, review, enjoy!Follow us on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/Email us: [email protected]

How do you build a global business from China? What are the opportunities and challenges for founders operating in multiple geographical locations? Today, we have with us Bertrand Schmitt, Co-Founder & Chairman at App Annie, a leading mobile market data and analytics platform with data on over 8 million apps and thousands of websites. Today, App Annie is one of the most trusted names in mobile data analytics.  As someone who entered the world of analytics in the early 2000s, Bertrand is a strong believer in the role of data and metrics in helping businesses build the products their customers want. With the growth of mobile apps, the need for new analytics was the inspiration to launch App Annie. In today’s episode, Bertrand takes us back to the initial stage of development of mobile data analytics with the advent of the iPhone and App Store, and how he identified a problem that was yet to surface and started App Annie. We then dive deep into how he moved to China and ended up launching a global business from Beijing at a time when the company hardly had any tangible China market exposure. Show Notes:1:53 Introduction to Bertrand Schmitt4:55 Early days of the mobile ecosystem and the problems within6:28 Evolution of mobile operators' role in the industry8:57 Centralization of content distribution in the mobile space9:59 Apple vs Android ecosystem10:59 Getting into the world of analytics and inspiration behind App Annie12:26 Beginning of the China Story14:55 Deciding to go into entrepreneurship in mobile analytics16:30 Mobile analytics: Global problem or local (China) problem?17:37 Perception of AppAnnie in the global market18:57 Was China a critical element of success?21:00 Experience of overseas fundraising from China25:05 What triggered the move from Beijing to San Francisco28:26 Learnings/ findings working across multiple geographical locations 32:06 Instrumental roles that made a difference to the company33:12 Critical moment of evolution in China’s mobile industry/ecosystem37:00 Lessons for entrepreneursMany thanks to our guest  Bertrand Schmitt; host Oscar Ramos; producers Eva Shi and Sagar Chaudhary; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.comShare, subscribe, review, enjoy!Follow us on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/Email us: [email protected]

Today we talk with Donna Li, a digital marketing veteran, who was part of the team that launched Alimama, the digital advertisement division of Alibaba, which is also the largest player by revenue in the digital advertising space in China.  In this episode, Donna will bring us back to the early days when Alibaba, as an e-commerce company, started to explore the advertising revenue model. Donna will talk about how she worked for Yahoo China, which then became a strategic investor in Alibaba, and how she helped built Alimama. She will also share how she supported Taobao, a C2C e-commerce player, to beat their direct competitor eachnet which at the time had over 90% market share and was owned by eBay. At the end of the conversation, she will talk about the advertisement model in social networks as former CMO of Renren, the largest copycat of Facebook in China, and one of the most influential social networks at that time.  Want to learn how Alibaba became successful through advertisement and is Amazon today following a similar playbook? Come join us to enjoy the conversation right now!Show Notes:02:06 Introducing Donna Li03:25 How did you get started in digital marketing in China06:06 Digital marketing in China at around 201010:15 Transition from Yahoo to Alibaba13:12 Advertising: Taobao’s monetization model18:26 Alimama: Cash Cow for Alibaba22:15 Is Amazon following a similar playbook?25:50 New inventor: Bytedance29:55 Advertisement as a business model for early-stage startups34:10 Build digital measurement currency at Nielsen35:42 Challenges for startupsMany thanks to our guest Donna Li; host Oscar Ramos; producers Eva Shi and Sagar Chaudhary; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.comShare, subscribe, review, enjoy!Follow us on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/Email us: [email protected]

Welcome to yet another exciting episode of the China Startup Pulse Podcast. Our guest today is Mikaal Abdulla, Co-founder and CEO of 8 Securities, a zero-commission mobile-only securities platform that was recently acquired by SoFi. From bootstrapping the business to raising an impressive 1st round of $8 million followed by successive rounds to finally being acquired by SoFi in April, Mikaal and 8 Securities have turned a full-circle.  In today’s episode, Mikaal shares with us his experience of starting his own business after having worked at eTrade for almost a decade, his motivations, and the highs and lows he has experienced over time. We dive deeper into the lessons he learned from the prototype of the product to successive iterations that followed. We also discuss startup fundraising, learning from competitors, and the importance of taking that leap of faith at opportune moments, which could define the future for a company as it did for 8 Securities. Show Notes:1:41 Introduction to Mikaal Abdulla2:31 Motivation to Start 8 Securities4:12 Raising the first round of $8 million7:50 How to measure traction8:52 The importance of understanding customer needs17:33 Finding the balance between consumers' needs and CEO's expectations20:38 Going mobile: a pivotal moment28:10 Surprising discovery entering into new market32:32 Connection between funding and breakthroughs34:40 Learning from constraints38:11 SoFi acquisition39:50 Advice to founders Many thanks to our guest Mikaal Abdulla; host Oscar Ramos; producers Eva Shi and Sagar Chaudhary; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.comShare, subscribe, review, enjoy!Follow us on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/Email us: [email protected]

What has contributed to WeChat’s massive growth all over the world? What features make WeChat so instrumental for people’s life?  Our guest today is Stephen Wang, who co-founded Rotten Tomatoes, a leading entertainment website focused on movie reviews and news, and most recently led the user growth and engagement at WeChat in the past 6 years until 2019. At WeChat, he managed a team of product managers and engineers to help scale WeChat from 300M to 1B users in China and around the world.  In todays’s episode, Stephen will give us a deep dive into WeChat as a product and the mobile-only mentality behind it. As a product head in a product-centric company, Stephen shares the metric he cares the most. We will also take a look at the major shift of product management philosophy in China by using Bytedance as an example.Show Notes:2:15 Welcome Stephen Wang2:50 How different WeChat is as a product from the western perspective5:37 What makes WeChat instrumental for people’s life12:42 Innovation inspired by Tencent team culture16:10 Product design in China (Examples: Douban, Weibo and Xiaomi)21:50 What makes China a special ecosystem for digital product development25:30 WeChat’s killer features: WeChat payment, Red Packets, Mini program32:35 Balance privacy protection and user growth39:20 Skills needed for talents in Tencent43:35 Are Chinese companies hiring more international talents49:10 The major shift of product management philosophy in ChinaMany thanks to our guest Stephen Wang; host Oscar Ramos; producers Eva Shi and Sagar Chaudhary; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.comShare, subscribe, review, enjoy!Follow us on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/Email us: [email protected]

With China having the highest number of internet users in the world with more than 750 million users, it is hard to imagine a time when there were only a few hundred users.  Fortunately, we do not have to leave much to the imagination. Our guest for today, Demopoulos, has witnessed firsthand the rapid rise of internet development and adoption in China. Before the dotcom bubble of the early 2000s and well before China became the dominant internet economy it is today, Fritz came to China and is one of a handful of experts, who has not only led multinational businesses but also established successful businesses of his own. Fritz Demopoulos has been an entrepreneur and investor in the media and internet industry for over 15 years. He co-founded and exited Qunar.com, China’s largest travel internet company; and Shawei.com, China’s largest sports internet company. Fritz has also held senior positions at Neteast and The News Corporation.  In today’s episode, Fritz dives deep into the early days of the internet in China. He shares his experience working in the media industry in China in the early days when people were still figuring out what the internet was. We also discuss the first-generation of internet entrepreneurs in China: how they started, what made them different, and more. We then move onto his own entrepreneurial journey in China. Starting a business in China as a foreigner is not easy, let alone a successful one. Fritz talks about how he managed to build his business in China by staying ahead of the curve, something that all entrepreneurs can learn from. Episode Notes:02:30 Introduction to Fritz Demopoulos03:05 Internet in China in 199705:15 How Fritz decided to come to China05:44 What stood out in the Chinese business environment07:33 The Dotcom Bubble and its Impact on China09:12 The Major Driver of Business Growth in China12:13 The Evolution of Early Internet Businesses in China13:42 Appetite for Monetization17:00 Value Addition over Monetization18:41 User Interface in early 2000s21:36 The First Generation of Chinese Internet Founders24:35 Fritz's leap into entrepreneurship26:48 Differentiating a Business and Standing Out of the Crowd31:03 Raising Capital as a Foreigner in China32:58 Inflection Point for China Internet that Changed Everything35:11 China's Role in Global Tech39:04 What keeps Fritz busy now40:00 Fritz's Investment Thesis and Areas of Investment Interest41:30 How to contact Demopoulos41:55 Advice to EveryoneMany thanks to our guest; host Oscar Ramos; producers Eva Shi and Sagar Chaudhary; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.comShare, subscribe, review, enjoy!Follow us on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/Email us: [email protected]

Today we’re bringing you the final episode of our Chinaccelerator 8x8 Global Speakers Series where we invite some of the most accomplished members of the China startup ecosystem to share key lessons for startups in eight minutes or less. Our theme for this episode is entrepreneurship insights. Our two speakers today bring with them a plethora of experience to share with our listeners. Stay tuned for the insights from Yaw Yeo, General Manager for International Product and Business for Alibaba Cloud, and Cheryl Goh, Founding CMO at Grab.[01:51] Yaw Yeo[17:30] Cheryl GohYaw Yeo is the General Manager for International Product and Business for Alibaba Cloud. Prior to Alibaba, Yaw was responsible for new market expansion in the Asia-Pacific region for Twilio （NYSE:TWLO）. Yaw started wong with Twilio as an investor in 2012. He joined Twilio as employee #1 in Asia-Pacific in 2014 and witnessed Twilio’s growth from a startup of 50 employees to a publicly-traded company of 2,500 employees.Cheryl Goh is part of the founding team at Grab. Starting in Kuala Lumpur as a one-man marketing team, she has set up the marketing practise across Southeast Asia for Grab over the last six years. Today, she leads marketing in over 300 cities, covering all of Grab’s business verticals including transport, food, payments and logistics. She oversees Grab’s marketing efforts across the region, leading a team of over 500 marketers across Southeast Asia. In 6 years, Cheryl has built the Grab brand into a household name across Southeast Asia, and played a critical role in the company’s growth and progression from ride-hailing, into the region’s leading superapp. Under her leadership, the marketing team has led the development of demand shaping platforms which drives Grab’s growth using technology and automation. She also manages Grab’s social impact programme and published Grab’s first social impact report earlier this year.Many thanks to our guests; host Oscar Ramos; producers Eva Shi and Sagar Chaudhary; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.comShare, subscribe, review, enjoy!Follow us on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/Email us: [email protected]

This is the second episode from our Chinaccelerator 8X8 Global Speakers Series, where we bring 8 influential speakers to share their insights and experiences in 8 minutes. We have some great speakers lined up for this episode.[02:50] Patrick Lee[11:48]  Fritz Demopoulos[21:54] Patrick RileyPatrick Lee is a serial entrepreneur best known for being a co-founder and former CEO of Rotten Tomatoes (rottentomatoes.com), a leading entertainment website focused on movie reviews and news. He is an advisor to a number of startups including Casetify, ChargeSPOT, Instaread, Kiwibot, Oishii, WePloy, and Zeuss Technologies; and a mentor at a number of organizations including SOSV, Berkeley SkyDeck, Blue Startups, and Founder Institute.Fritz Demopoulos has been an entrepreneur and investor within the media and internet industries for over 15 years. He co-founded Qunar.com, China’s largest travel internet company; and Shawei.com, China’s largest sports internet company. Fritz also had senior positions at Netease and The News Corporation.Patrick Riley is the CEO at GAN and Managing Partner and Co-Founder of GAN Ventures, a seed-stage venture capital fund. Most recently, he was on the executive team at Techstars, where he oversaw its business development. He started his career working for W.L. Gore and Associates and moved into the leadership of the American Red Cross in Washington, D.C. Patrick left the Red Cross to manage the West Coast sales and operations for a venture-backed healthcare company that had an exit before joining Techstars and GAN.Many thanks to our guests; host Oscar Ramos; producers Eva Shi and Sagar Chaudhary; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.comShare, subscribe, review, enjoy!Follow us on Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/Email us: [email protected]

Welcome everybody to another episode of the China Startup Pulse. We have a special one today. We are back with our Chinaccelerator 8x8 Speaker Series this year with eight influential speakers from all over the world to share their insights for startups in eight minutes.In this week’s episode, our speakers will share their experience and insights as to how startups can weather through the storm that is the Coronavirus pandemic. Our three guests bring different perspectives given their diverse backgrounds.[02:13] Edith Yeung[11:47] Yiying Lu[18:36] Abel ZhaoEdith Yeung is a General Partner at Proof of Capital and advisor to 500 Startups. Previously, she was the GM at Dolphin Browser where she helped the company grow from 0 to 150 million app downloads. She has also led operation roles at several Fortune 500 companies.Yiying Lu is one of the 100 Most Creative People in Business by Fast Company. She is the artist behind the globally celebrated Twitter Fail Whale and the dumpling emoji. She has worked with hundreds of tech startups and entrepreneurs around the world, sharing her experiences and educating them about creative innovation.Abel Zhao is the co-founder and CEO of TravelFlan, an award-winning AI and big data solutions company, empowering Fortune 500 companies including Samsung and China Mobile. Many thanks to our guests; host Oscar Ramos; producers Eva Shi and Sagar Chaudhary; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.comShare, subscribe, review, enjoy!Follow us on Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/Email us: [email protected]

With 1.3 billion people, mobility is a massive challenge in china, not just about the intension between traditional petrol cars and new energy vehicles, but also delivery services and mid-volume logistics. What makes China as an early adopter in technology-focused mobility sectors, especially in Electric Vehicles (EVs)? What impacts the adoption of new energy vehicles (NEVs)?  Our guest for today, Tu Le is the founder and Managing Director of Sino Auto Insights, a Beijing-based business intelligence and advisory firm that specializes in helping mobility companies develop tech-focused and innovative products and services. With over 20 years of experience in the industry from pure automotive to pure tech and finally combine both experiences together in China, he has very interesting insider perspectives to share with us. During our discussions with Tu Le, we will take a look at how the government has focused on developing NEVs in the past 10 years, analyze the brutal competition between traditional automotive players and new technologies-powered EV brands. We also want to remind everyone that there’s another party who is joining this battle - big tech giants like Apple and Xiaomi. In the end, we shed the spotlight on startups by discussing the new opportunities.Episode notes:02:03 Introduce Tu Le03:04 Define Mobility03:45 How mobility impacts other industries05:20 How China becomes one of the largest markets for mobility08:40 More adoption of electric motorcycles in China12:54 The brutal battle between the traditional automakers and new technologies-powered EV brands17:53 Xiaomi and Apple to join the competition20:25 Will few leading players occupy the whole EV market in the end?22:40 Tesla gets massive support from the Chinese government24:55 Supply Chain for production29:00 Startups that traditional automotive players like to work with34:55 Opportunities to achieve profitability37:30 Contact Tu LeMany thanks to our guest Tu Le; host Oscar Ramos; producer Eva Shi; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.comShare, subscribe, review, enjoy!Follow us on Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/Email us: [email protected]

Today’s guest Sam Cai is a legal and policy expert in Internet-related legislation, intellectual property rights and WTO rules, involved in different Chinese and international institutions. Currently he acts as Deputy Director and Chief Researcher of Cyberlaw Center at one of the largest tech companies in China.Episodes Notes:02:00 Introduce Sam Cai02:45 What is Prism Think Tank03:20 How China Internet Policies have evolved04:53 Three approaches to make policies08:02 Why China takes a relatively open approach for new things09:47 What is “Internet +”12:00 Are policies different for foreigners and local players13:30 E-commerce cases15:30 Legal and policy issues around data privacy and Artificial Intelligence19:04 GDPR’s impact on the industry globally23:15 Opportunities for foreign companies26:30 A license-based regulation model29:10 Future regulations and policies in Europe, the US and China20:15 New government plan in China - “New Infrastructure”31:00 The role of regulations in the internationalization of Chinese companies31:56 Suggestions for foreign companies coming to China34:34 How to contact SamMany thanks to our guest Sam Cai; host Oscar Ramos; producer Eva Shi; editors David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsors People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.comShare, subscribe, review, enjoy!Follow us on Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/Email us: [email protected]

The general public is increasingly becoming more aware of the value of sustainability. How is the investment world reacting to that? Impact investing - investment that generates positive social or environmental impact alongside financial returns.Today, we have a great conversation about impact investing with Paul Meyers, an Asian digital veteran with over 25 years of experience, who helped set up ADBVentures, the Asian Development Bank’s first emerging market impact fund.Paul explains what impact investing specifically means in emerging markets and extend the conversation to how the current COVID-19 outbreak will make a difference. He also introduces startup cases to illustrate what impact investors are looking at when making decisions.Episodes Notes:01:50 Impact investing in emerging markets04:20 How COVID-19 impacts the impact investing09:48 How COVID-19 impact entrepreneurs to adjust their business12:30 How startups get the attention from impact investors15:48 SE Asian startups tend to solve their local Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) problems first16:53 Impact investing from China to Southeast Asia18:31 What startups deliver social impact20:51 Asian organizations with a global vision of gender equality23:00 What encourages the changes for female entrepreneurs26:25 How to contact Paul Meyers*About Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):“The SDGs, as they’re known, set quantitative and qualitative targets and delivery timelines for impact-focused action through 2030. From eradicating poverty (Goal 1) to ensuring the availability and management of clean water access (Goal 6) to combatting climate change (Goal 13) and others." (Paul Meyers)Many thanks to our host Oscar Ramos; our guest Paul Meyers; producer Eva Shi; editors David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsors People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.comShare, subscribe, review, enjoy!Follow us on Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/Email us: [email protected]

Venture Capital is about venture and investing in startups that are doing something that has never been done. Still, a lot of investors think more about the risks associated with new technologies and business models that potentially will work.  Today’s guest clearly looks at the risky opportunities, not just as best for investment but the only ones worth considering. Peter Mao is Co-founder and Partner at Panda Capital. During his over 12-year experience in the venture capital firms, he has been part of the investment team behind companies like Xiaomi and more recently Mobike, a bike-sharing company where he led the Series B and eventually exited it at USD 2.7billion within just 18 months.  In this episode, Peter will talk about Panda Capital’s three preferred risky areas for investment, their data-driven investment approach and how he evaluates both external factors (e.g. market) or internal ones (e.g. team) during the Due Diligence process. He will also share the most common deal breakers he saw in the past for Series A companies. EPISODE NOTES01:46 Introduce Peter Mao03:11 Introduce Panda Capital05:35 The geographic focus for investment06:17 How to react to the current downturn07:49 Is it now a bad timing for deep technology companies?11:07 The industries that can thrive from the COVID-19 crisis12:51 The risky companies to invest14:22 Three types of companies that are risky but full of opportunities19:17 Are Chinese VCs looking for more obvious winners?22:21 How to evaluate risks25:30 How Peter evaluates founders and teams27:20 The business metrics Peter care about30:00 Deal breakers for Series A companies35:50 Why Panda Capital has a different investment strategy41:05 How to contact PeterMany thanks to our host Oscar Ramos; our guest Peter Mao; producer Eva Shi; editors David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsors People Squared.Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.comShare, subscribe, review, enjoy!Follow us on Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/Email us: [email protected]

You don’t need to code to launch a unicorn startup. Through a non-code or low-code MVP (Minimum Viable Product), entrepreneurs can easily validate the assumptions, understand customers’ real pain points and test whether the business model will work or not. That simple lesson is ignored by many founders and is behind the failure of countless business initatives. Today’s guest Timothy Yu, founder and CEO of Snapask, an on-demand tutoring platform labeled as “Uber for Tutors” which just raised $35M in Series B, did not know about low fidelity prototyping. But he used the concept before he went through the SOSV Chinaccelerator’s Batch 8 program. In today’s conversation, Tim will share how the company has grown from a simple Facebook page to an arising edtech company with over 100 employees, operating in 8 Asian markets and reaching almost 300million users. Tim will also give us a deep analysis on its two users - tutors and users and the data-driven strategies to acquire and retain both of them. Is technology shaping the future education industry? “How people can attain the ability of self-learning and apply them in life is going to be one of the most important skills in the future”, this is what Timothy believes and what Snapask is trying to offer.EPISODE NOTES02:26 Welcome Tim03:08 What is Snapask06:08 The tutorial market and how Snapask got started06:27 Snapaks operates in 8 markets07:00 How the COVID-19 impacts the remote education08:10 The vision and the first version of Snapask11:28 Finding the profiles of users12:30 The stereotypes of asking questions in Asian culture14:00 Targeting at parents or students?20:00 The tutors on Snapask25:00 Investors care about the supply-demand balance29:00 What is the next for Snapask31:30 How will COVID-19 impact the future of education35:00 How to contact Timothy YuMany thanks to our host Oscar Ramos; our guest Timothy Yu; producer Eva Shi; editors David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsors People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.comShare, subscribe, review, enjoy!Follow us on Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/Email us: [email protected]

Rapid urbanization and population concentration are challenges for many cities, especially in Asia’s fast-growing economies. Technology and data are helping to make our cities more efficient and sustainable. We are building smart cities, which integrate technologies to optimize every aspect that impacts every individual’s life, from waste management, utilities, transportation, education, food access and more. Today’s guest Bruce Bateman is a technology veteran, a serial CEO and CTO, who has seen the technology from hardware to new media, or the most advanced networking protocols. He has been involved in the launch of nine startups. Today, he is leading the drive for Smart City technologies as Chief Technical Advisor at Lite-On Technology, a leading player in the smart city space.  In this episode, Bruce will talk about how he helps city planners deploy the appropriate technologies to build smart cities, specifically in terms of transportation, education, and aging populations. Bruce will also share the role of technology and why solving real problems is something that really matters. “It won’t happen without involving people”, this is why Bruce is more willing to call them “smart communities” rather than “smart cities”. Show Notes:02:13 Who is Bruce Bateman09:54 Starting up in Asia is different from that in Silicon Valley12:00 Design for manufacture and its challenges14:30 The coronavirus outbreak is pushing forward the technologies15:20 What will smart cities look like in the future19:50 The cars industry is working on their intelligent innovation for smart cities23:06 Transportation is one of the easiest problems to solve today23:44 The education demands of different people28:00 “The technology we are developing today will develop the smart city in the future”29:34 The overhyped concept of “smart city”35:00 How will technologies help to take care of old people39:18 How to contact BruceMany thanks to our host Oscar Ramos; our guest Bruce Bateman; producer Eva Shi; editors David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsors People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.comShare, subscribe, review, enjoy!Follow us on Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/Email us: [email protected]

“Most of the gamification activities happening in the market are superficial” This is a statement from today’s guest Monte Singman, a game veteran with 33-year industry experience. So what’s the real meaning of gamification? How should people include game dynamics into products? Monte has an insider and interesting point of view about games and gamification. In today’s episode, he will address the importance of fun, a key element for the successful gamification which is sometimes overlooked. And the best stage for gamification is when users feel comfortable to spend the time without restrictions. Currently Monte is the VP of international business development at iDreamSky Technology, one of the largest independent mobile game publishing platforms in China, and he has brought over 100 mobile games into Chinese markets. We will also talk about his business path from Silicon Valley to China and the technology that he believes will change the game industry.EPISODE NOTES01:47 Welcome Monte to the podcast02:13 How Monte got into gaming04:01 Transition to business06:30 What drove Monte to the US09:30 Adoption of games in Asia11:57  Drivers behind creating new games16:15 Asian games focus more on functions19:50 Playing video games is an easy way to fill in boredom23:31 Challenges to implement gamification25:03 “The core asset of gamification is fun”27:15 Why kids like playing games rather than study28:30 “Most gamification activities are superficial”34:29 How to make the process pleasurable36:50 Is VR a must-have for games?41:11 The technology that will change the game industryMany thanks to our host Oscar Ramos; our guest Monte Singman; producer Eva Shi; editors David and Geep; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsors People Squared and Himalaya. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.comShare, subscribe, review, enjoy!Follow us on Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/Email us: [email protected]

Today we talk about the global mobility industry with Joseph Constanty, Director of International at NIU Technologies, a Chinese company that produces and sells lithium powered two-wheeler scooters. Starting form Zero in 2014, NIU has sold over 810,000 vehicles worldwide and continued their international expansion in 34 countries. NIU also went public on NASDAQ in 2018 which is only 4 years after it was founded. Why is e-scooter a good solution for urban transportation problems? How did they get started and what’s the reason behind its fast growth? In today’s conversation, we will address these questions and also talk about how NIU uses data to improve the hardware products and user experience. Stay tuned until the end where we will take a deep look at their unique go-to-market approaches.Episode Notes02:12 Introduce Joseph Constanty03:08 Introduce NIU Technologies03:37 How Joseph ended up working in mobility04:40 Urban transportation problems in emerging markets07:38 The position of China in the global electric vehicles industry10:45 NIU was firstly launched and sold through online crowdfunding campaigns13:04 The e-scooter customers15:08 NIU’s history18:38 The best practices of bike sharing21: 23 The “technology” gene of NIU22:43 How NIU uses data to improve the user experience25:53 NIU’s playbook of internalization30:24 Different data policies in different countries32:00 Challenges when a Chinese brand expand to overseas markets35:20 Is China a leader in the global mobility industry38:15 Model to work with overseas distributers40:13 NIU’s unique go-to-market approaches43:23 “Cars are the enemy of our cities”46:40 How to contact JosephMany thanks to our host Oscar Ramos; our guest Joseph Constanty; producer Eva Shi; editors David and Geep; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsors People Squared and Himalaya. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.comShare, subscribe, review, enjoy!Follow us on Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/Email us: [email protected]

When entering new markets, it is crucial to be able to localize the business. There are few startups that have achieved this and one of them is Strikingly - a Series B startup that helps non-coders or designers build beautiful websites that work on both mobile and desktop.In today's episode, we are happy to have David Chen, CEO and Co-founder of Strikingly to join our podcast China Startup Pulse. David quitted Goldman Sachs and founded Strikingly in the US, which later became the first company to join Y Combinator. After noticing the opportunities in China, David and his team moved the company to China where he has successfully localized the business and continued to serve the global users.He shared how they have established a strong local presence in China, in terms of product features, marketing channels, and even a Chinese company name.Show Notes:02:07 Introduction of David Chen03:45 Strikingly's experience in Y Combinator05:00 What is Strikingly05:30 Why Strikingly went to China and their advantages08:40 Build a local presence in the Mobile-Only China market16:31 It took 3 years to launch a local product17:24 How the name 'Strikingly' was born21:10 How Strikingly localized in China26:31 Products’ differences for Chinese and global users30:30 Special needs from Chinese users - WeChat mini program35:39 Regulations of building websites and WeChat mini programs in China36:46 How to hire in ShanghaiMany thanks to our host Oscar Ramos; our guest David Chen; producer Eva Shi; editors David and Geep; ; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsors People Squared and Himalaya. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.comShare, subscribe, review, enjoy!Follow us on Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/Email us: [email protected]

Selling your product to businesses is tough. Today, we talk to Jonathan Wu, Co-founder and VP of Sales of a fast-growing B2B SaaS Company GrowingIO, to share with you the most advanced B2B sales strategies based on his experience. GrowingIO is a leading data analytics platform provider in China that helps drive business growth through data insights. Their current clients include Bytedance, China Mobile, Tujia, Didi and more. He shared very useful strategies and tactics on how to close B2B deals and how to understand clients’ pain points of adoption. As he pointed out, it’s very important to understand your clients, your product and user journey, and also to remember to talk to the decision makers. Later, he used GrowingIO as an example to explain how to classify products for different types of clients, and how GrowingIO has scaled the sales team in the past 5 years.Show Notes:01:59 Introduce Jonathan Wu02:41 About GrowingIO05:23 Why Jonathan started the company08:25 How Jonathan decided to take the sales role09:50 How GrowingIO got the first client, Liepin.com 猎聘12:50 How to train the sales team16:13 It takes 12 months for a new sales person to be mature17:20 How to onboard the clients and understand pain points of adoption21:05 How to select clients23:27 Mature Internet companies build their own data platform26:35 It’s necessary to add services on top of the software29:26 Classify products and services for different clients33:12 How GrowingIO has scaled the sales team36:08 Connect with the decision maker to close the deal37:38 Contact JonathanMany thanks to our guest Jonathan Wu, host Oscar Ramos; ; producers Eva Shi; editors David and Geep; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsors People Squared and Himalaya. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.comIf you like us, please give us a 5-star review and share with your friends!Follow us on Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/Email us: [email protected]

Social media is one of the most influential means of communication in the world. It helps brands to engage with customers quickly and effectively. However, it also brings potential risks. Social media management platform KAWO recently published a report analyzing social media crises in China during the last 10 years. It shows that there were 42 brands crises in 2019 in China, while only 1 incident happened each year from 2009 to 2013. Geographic sovereignty and politics are apparently the dominant causes for these crises.  We invited Alex Duncan, co-founder of KAWO, in today’s podcast to share his insights about the report, how to manage social media in China, and most importantly how to prevent PR crisis.Find KAWO’s report here: kawo.com/bcrEPISODE NOTES01:53 About Alex and KAWO02:37 What brought Alex to China03:45 How Alex started working for a technology company05:26 What has KAWO achieved06:28 What makes dynamic social media ecosystem in China11:06 Challenges that western brands have in China14:56 Social media is way more influential than it was19:28 Localization: trust the local team and listen to users20:01 Brands are also facing risks from publicity25:40 Startups being impacted by the PR crisis27:20 The reason why there were more PR crises29:24 KAWO’s competitors and challengesMany thanks to our guest Alex Duncan, host Oscar Ramos; ; producers Eva Shi; editors David and Geep; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsors People Squared and Himalaya. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.comIf you like us, please give us a 5-star review and share with your friends!Follow us on Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/Email us: [email protected]

Design thinking. Lean startup methodology. Validation. Market Research. These concepts are familiar to every founder, and they are vital to any company’s success, but so few startups are able to do them well. Today’s guest, Alvin Chiang, is an exception. A veteran of internet giants NetEase, Alibaba, and Renren, Alvin founded Gululu in 2014. Gululu enhances children’s wellness through smart IoT technologies, and their first creation is a smart water bottle designed to help children cultivate healthy habits. In this episode, we discuss the extensive market research that went into the birth of Gululu and the ongoing development of the product. During the course of the conversation, we were thrilled to discover that Gululu is a perfect use case for design thinking.EPISODE NOTES[2:08] Introducing Alvin Chiang[3:13] About Gululu[4:22] How Gululu chose which problem to solve[9:40] Design thinking in Chinese internet companies[10:38] Lean startup methodology and iteration[12:03] Technology infusion theory and acquiring users[14:05] How Gululu uses IoT to keep users engaged[17:00] Gaming vs. gamification[19:18] Cooperating with parents[21:43] Bringing Gululu to life and building a team[23:50] How Gululu acquired their first users[26:37] What Alvin learned at Alibaba[28:13] Expat vs. local Chinese users[29:41] Market education[32:33] Gululu stickiness[34:00] What opportunities are out there for entrepreneurs?[38:01] How to find Alvin and GululuMany thanks to our hosts Ryan Shuken and Oscar Ramos; our guest Alvin Chiang; producers Eva Shi and Matthew Wu; editors David and Geep; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsors People Squared and Himalaya. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.comIf you like us, please give us a 5-star review and share with your friends!Follow us on Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/Email us: [email protected]

What’s next for OTAs? The growth of online travel users and transactions in China has slowed in the past two years. Has the online travel market hit a bottleneck? Where will the next opportunities arise? As one of the industry titans, Trip.com Group (formerly known as Ctrip) is at the forefront of experimenting with new initiatives to maintain its competitive position in the market.As Head of Innovation at Trip.com Group, Margaret Feng, shares how they are exploring new offline products and planning how to acquire more customers in lower-tier cities. More importantly, she explains how Trip.com Group is embracing the concept of open innovation by investing in and collaborating with startups. Stay tuned to learn how Trip.com Group runs pilot programs with startups and tests new concepts and technologies in the market.Show Notes:01:16  Innovation in the US and China 04:39 The landscape of the travel Industry in China06:54 Chinese innovation with global potential07:49 Exciting travel innovation practices10:20 Hype around new technology11:30 China as the early adopter market13:40 Exploring offline activities 14:07 Acquiring customers in lower tier cities 18:13 From “Ctrip” to “Trip.com Group”19:30 Ctrip expanding to emerging markets20:25 The collaboration models with startups23:12 Running pilots 26:03 Pilots in B2B space27:24 User experience29:40 Early stage investmentMany thanks to our host Oscar Ramos, our guest Margaret Feng, producers Eva Shi and Matthew Wu, editors David and Geep, organizer Chinaccelerator, and sponsor People Squared and Himalaya. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.comIf you like us, please give us a 5-star review and share with your friends!Follow us on Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/Email us: [email protected]

What factors are RMB investors considering that USD investors are not? What can the difference between Chinese VC firms and American VC firms tell us about the innovation and entrepreneurship lanscape in these countries? As venture capital funding slows down in China, how is this affecting entrepreneurs?Today we are lucky to have the perfect person to answer these questions: Victor Chao, Partner of the RMB fund at SAIF, a leading private equity firm in China. Victor has lived and worked all over the world, and so he has a great perspective on how understanding VCs can help us understand the state of innovation in a country.[1:20] Introducing Victor Chao and his journey to the VC world[6:40] SAIF Partners history and growth[8:11] Difference between private equity (PE) and venture capital (VC) investment strategies[10:20] Difference between American and Chinese PE/VC investment[14:20] What makes the China market unique: speed, mobility, and more[16:55] Who are the investors for USD and RMB funds, and how do they impact investment strategies[22:30] How exits and investing stages differ for USD and RMB funds[25:15] How do different fund types influence what industries investors are looking at[27:14] The RMB investment cooldown in China and how it is impacting investment strategies[30:00] For a PE/VC firm, does size or performance matter more?[32:10] How should entrepreneurs navigate today’s investment landscape[35:40] How can entrepreneurs stand out for investment firms like SAIFMany thanks to our host Oscar Ramos; our guest Victor Chao; editors David and Geep; producers Eva Shi and Matthew Wu; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsors People Squared and Himalaya. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.comIf you like us, please give us a review and share with your friends!Follow us on Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/Email us: [email protected]

This is the third and final episode from our Chinaccelerator 8x8 Speakers Series. Twice a year, we invite some of the most accomplished and thoughtful members of the China startup ecosystem to share key lessons for startups in eight minutes or less.Our theme for this episode is partnerships and relationships in the startup world. We have three fantastic speakers who will talk about this theme from different angles: Jill Tang, Shameen Prashantham, and Catherine Kang.Show Notes:[1:55] Jill Tang, Building Community-Based Startups[9:55] Shameen Prashantham, "Dancing With Gorillas": How Startups and Large Companies Work Together[18:29] Catherine Kang, How to Choose a Co-FounderJill Tang is a serial entrepreneur, community builder, and business KOL. She is the co-founder of Ladies Who Tech, China’s first and largest community dedicated to promoting gender diversity and inclusion in STEM. She is also the co-founder and managing partner of Cosmic Venture, which combines lean methodology and proprietary algorithm to assess brands with real time market validation.Dr. Shameen Prashantham is an Associate Professor of International Business & Strategy at China Europe International Business School (CEIBS) in Shanghai. He previously taught at Nottingham University Business School and Glasgow University Business School, after earning his PhD from the University of Strathclyde in Scotland, UK. His research focuses on how new ventures and large multinationals partner with each other.Catherine is a leading professional in the Health and Beauty, Luxury Goods, High-end Service and Retail industry with more than 20 years of experience in Sales, Marketing and General Management. She is now the founder and CEO of PHISKIN, a leading brand on female anti-aging therapy, functional cosmetics, beauty cosmetology and plastic surgery.Many thanks to our host Oscar Ramos; our guests Jill, Shameen, and Catherine; editors David and Geep; producers Eva Shi and Matthew Wu; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsors People Squared and Himalaya. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.comIf you like us, please give us a review and share with your friends!Follow us on Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/Email us: [email protected]

Today we’re bringing you the second episode from our Chinaccelerator 8x8 Speakers Series. Twice a year, we invite some of the most accomplished and thoughtful members of the China startup ecosystem to share key lessons for startups in eight minutes or less.Our theme for this episode is investor insights. We have three people with very different perspectives on Asia investment: Shirley Mao, Paul Meyers, and Katherine Lui.[2:18] Shirley Mao, Finding Opportunities Overseas[10:10] Paul Meyers, Doing Well By Doing Good (Impact Investing)[21:35] Katherine Lui, How to Ruin Your FundraisingShirley Mao is Executive Director and Head of India Investment at Xiaomi Technology. Previously she was the Managing Director of PreAngel Partners, a one billion RMB fund focused on early stage mobile internet startups. Shirley has an extensive experience in investments and financial risk management.Paul Meyers, a serial entrepreneur with over 25 years of experience building the startup ecosystem in Asia. Paul is currently an Advisor at ADBVentures, helping to build the Asian Development Bank’s emerging market impact fund. He previously ran Telstra’s muru-D early stage accelerator program in Asia, and was Southeast Asia EIR for SOSV’s MOX - The Mobile Accelerator.Katherine started her professional life with KPMG. In 2005 Katherine co-founded Centerstone Partners, a cross-border private equity firm. Later she carried out financial due diligence on over 100 up-and-coming technology companies. Inspired by these fast-growing companies, Katherine created CanCan 看看, which provides automated CFO services to tech/internet companies.Many thanks to our host Oscar Ramos; our guests Shirley, Paul, and Katherine; editors David and Geep; producers Eva Shi and Matthew Wu; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsors People Squared and Himalaya. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.comIf you like us, please give us a review and share with your friends!Follow us on Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/Email us: [email protected]

We have a special episode today, it’s the Chinaccelerator 8x8 Speakers Series! Twice a year, we invite eight speakers to share key lessons for startups in eight minutes or less. This time, our speakers include serial entrepreneurs, investors, professors, and more. They are some of the most accomplished and thoughtful members of the China startup ecosystem, so we are thrilled to bring you their insights.This week, the theme is entrepreneurship lessons. We have three talks from successful founders who have experience building companies from the ground up. Stay tuned for insights from T.R. Harrington, Sarah Keenlyside, and Guy Sivan!Show notes:[2:08] T.R. Harrington, 8 Startup Lessons in 8 Minutes[13:15] Sarah Keenlyside, How to Hire Better[20:32] Guy Sivan, Growth SimplifiedT.R. Harrington is the current Program Director at MOX – the Mobile Only Accelerator. He is also a startup mentor, an angel investor, and the founder and CEO of Darwin Marketing which was successfully acquired by iProspect in 2016.Sarah Keenlyside is Founder and CEO Bespoke Travel Company. She was recently nominated for the 'Most Pioneering Woman in Travel' Award by the Telegraph Newspaper, and an 'Inspiring Woman Award' in the British Business Awards.Guy is a serial entrepreneur in China. In 2010, he sold his third startup's core technology to a publicly listed company. He is currently the co-founder of Vericant, a company that helps US schools better understand their Chinese applicants through on-demand video interviews.Many thanks to our host Oscar Ramos; our guests T.R, Sarah, and Guy; editors David and Geep; producers Eva Shi and Matthew Wu; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsors People Squared and Himalaya. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.comIf you like us, please give us a 5-star review and share with your friends!Follow us on Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/Email us: [email protected]

Navigating the world of B2B in China is tough business, especially when you are dealing with giant state-owned enterprises. It can be even more difficult when you are a foreigner. As a result, most foreign entrepreneurs focus on the B2C space, yet a few have found the key to creating successful B2B companies.One of these business people is today's guest, Olivier d'Arros. Olivier started his career in venture capital, and then co-founded 4 technology companies, all in B2B applications. He is now Managing Partner at MAVIE Technologies, an investment banking boutique with a focus on cross-border transactions in healthtech and industry 4.0.In his many years working in China, Oliver has seen firsthand how B2B has evolved, and there's plenty to learn from his experience. Join us for this week's episode, as we dive into China's B2B landscape.Show notes:[2:23] Starting a B2B business in a short period of time[4:56] Why B2B is an interesting space for startups to explore[7:46] Increasing competition forcing companies to innovate or die[9:29] What industries have the most opportunities in China?[11:28] Why startup founders are afraid of the B2B space[14:07] Jobs in China at risk of automation[16:14] Do B2B companies find value in paying for software?[17:30] Software value and the influx of robotics technology into China[20:07] Why was it easier to sell to state-owned enterprises?[22:33] IP protection issues in state-owned enterprises[26:57] Trends in Chinese technology expanding overseasMany thanks to our host Oscar Ramos, our guest Olivier d'Arros, editors David and Geep, producers Eva Shi and Matthew Wu, organizer Chinaccelerator and SOSV, and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.comIf you like us, please give us a 5-star review and share with your friends!Follow us on Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/Email us: [email protected]

To many people in the West, China is thought of as a copyer rather than an innovator. However, according to today's guest Richard Turrin, there are many areas in which China is out-innovating even the most advanced Western countries. Richard says "Innovation is really about people and how they relate to new technologies," and in China both companies and people develop and adopt new technologies at an astonishing rate—they are "some of the best users of technology on the planet." This innovation isn't only happening on the tech side, but also in the corporate space. Richard is the former head of IBM’s Cognitive Studio and author of the book‘Innovation Lab Excellence’, with over 20 years experience in innovation in both China and the West. During this conversation, he also shares insights on why innovation labs become ineffective. Big corporates all around the world are spending massive amounts of resources to connect with startups. Yet, there are still doubts about the tangible impact of many innovation labs. Tune in for a provacative conversation on the mistakes innovation labs make, and the differences in attitude towards innovation in the West and China.[01:24] Intro of Richard Turrin[02:23] Why some Innovation Labs work well and others don’t [03:40] A short History of Innovation Labs[04:09] Why best-practices are more suitable for Innovation Labs than fixed rules[05:27] Are Innovation Labs unable to attain their goal or are they failing to actually set goals?[06:56] How fear of competition is an obstacle to Innovation Labs[10:41] Innovation in China & Difference in attitude towards innovation in the West and in China[12:02] Chinese companies biggest advantages[15:52] The growing trend of Chinese Innovation aimed at the whole World[19:55] The three major reasons why people might not be thinking about China?[25:29] Difference between R&D and Innovation[28:00] Push vs Pull innovation strategy[30:05] Blockchain in China[32:19] People’s Bank of China supported Cryptocurreny[35:17] Message to companies who are not thinking about China[37:43] Contact Information Richard Turrin Many thanks to our host Oscar Ramos, our guest Richard Turrin, editor David and Geep, producer Eva Shi, organizer Chinaccelerator and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com If you like us, please give us a 5-star review and share with your friends!Follow us on Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/ Email us: [email protected] 

Every technology has a human impact. Live streaming is certainly no exception. In China, live streaming platforms have connected millions of viewers with a small number of idols who receive massive amounts of donations—but at what personal cost?Hao Wu, knows more about the societal impact of live streaming than anyone else on the planet. In his award-winning documentary, People’s Republic of Desire, he explores why live streaming has been so successful in China and examines the effect that these platforms have on both viewers and creators.In this episode, Hao Wu and Chinaccelerator Managing Director Oscar Ramos cover all aspects of live streaming: from the business models and the future prospects of the industry, to the social consequences of this technology.Show Notes:[01:17] Hao Wu’s journey from tech executive to independent filmmaker[03:50] Introducing Hao Wu’s documentary People’s Republic of Desire[06:38] Overview of live streaming in China[07:57] How to become a successful live streamer, and the livestream agency ecosystem[10:40] Differences between live streaming in China and vlogging in the US[11:22] The audience: Who’s paying live streamers and why?[15:00] Live streaming outside of China (US, Middle East, emerging markets)[18:04] The profitability of live streaming business models in China[21:43] Misunderstandings that Europeans and Americans have about tech in China[23:16] Is technology making people happier? Are live streamers happy?[29:31] Live streaming platforms and regulation[31:30] Outro and where to find Hao Wu’s documentariesMany thanks to our host Oscar Ramos; our guest Hao Wu; producers Eva Shi and Matthew Wu; editors David and Geep; organizer Chinaccelerator; sponsors People Squared and Himalaya App. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.comPlease take a moment to review and share with your friends!Follow us on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/Email us: [email protected] Credits: Adam Place founder of NUSIC (https://nusic.fm/)

In the gaming space, China's strength is taking technological innovation and applying it to the market. This is the claim of Richie Zhu, Partner at Makers Fund and lifelong gamer. Makers Fund is a venture capital fund specializing in the interactive entertainment market, which includes gaming, live-streaming, interactive storytelling, virtual content, and more.In this episode, Richie and venture capitalist Oscar Ramos take a comprehensive look at China's interactive entertainment industry, with a focus on the gaming space. They discuss how the US-China trade war is impacting the global gaming industry, what technology has high potential to take off on China, and ways that foreign gaming companies can enter China successfully.Show Notes:[01:24] Introduce Richie Zhu [03:22] Makers Fund: investment philosophy and team[06:47] How to evaluate companies for potential investment[09:00] China innovation inside the gaming Industry[10:18] Innovative business models in China[13:24] Technology with high potential in China[14:37] AI singularity in the Interactive Entertainment Industry[15:59] How US-China trade war is impacting the global gaming industry[17:00] Opportunities for foreign gaming companies to enter China[18:52] Emerging trends in the gaming industry[22:17] Get in touch with Richie ZhuMany thanks to our host Oscar Ramos, our guest Richier Zhu, producer Eva Shi, editor David and Geep, organizer Chinaccelerator and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com If you like us, please give us a 5-star review and share with your friends!Follow us on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/Email us: [email protected] Credits: Adam Place founder of NUSIC (https://nusic.fm/)

Understanding Influencer Marketing in China with Hillary Han, Director of iResearch Training AcademyKey Opinion Leaders (KOLs)—or "influencers" as they are often called—are a vital part of online marketing today. And their reach is only getting bigger: According to an iResearch report, last year the number of KOLs in China with a fanbase of over 100k was increased by 51%, of which 23% have over 1 million fans. According to Weibo big data, the KOL market is valued at over 100 billion RMB.  The KOL industry in China is more advanced than anywhere else in the world, according to today's guest Hillary Han. Hillary runs a KOL training program at iResearch, one of the country's leading market research firms. In today's episode, we're doing a deep dive into the industry, from the basic concepts, like how brands utilize KOL resources, to practical suggestions about KOL marketing on different platforms. Hillary not only has experience working with many KOLs, but also she is KOL herself, so we're thrilled to have her as our guide to this fascinating topic.Timestamps:[01:30] Introducing Hillary Han[02:30] What is iResearch[03:19] What is KOL[04:18] The importance of KOL marketing[05:48] The differences between Chinese KOLs and Western influencers[07:30] Monetizing your presence on social platforms in China[08:58] KOLs signed with MCNs[10:30] China’s advantage of understanding the KOL industry and the variety of platforms[14:00] The powerful KOLs in China and how much money they make[16:15] When to use a KOL for your own brand[22:35] How to choose the right KOLMany thanks to our host Ryan Shuken, guest Hillary Han, editors David and Geep, producer Eva Shi, organizer Chinaccelerator, and sponsor People Squared. Make sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.comIf you like us, please give us a 5-star review and share with your friends!Follow us on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/Email us: [email protected] Credits: Adam Place founder of NUSIC

Getting your app off the ground in China is tough. No matter what industry, internet companies not only need to have a great product, but they also must use data, analytics, and growth hacking to gain an advantage on the competition.  In this area, there are plenty of lessons to learn from Ximalaya App, the biggest audio sharing platform in China with 530 million users and 73% market share. This podcast platform and content marketplace has dominated the Chinese “pay-for-knowledge” industry, which last year was valued at seven billion USD. A crucial reason for Ximalaya’s success is their smart use of data, from extensive A/B testing to an almost obsessive analysis of usage and bounce rates. At the center of this effort is Tian Sun, the Vice President of Business Intelligence Center at Ximalaya App. She has spearheaded Ximalaya’s efforts to utilize data on a daily basis to improve their app’s user experience and help creators make great content. This is a great conversation for anyone interested in how an industry-leading company is using data in exciting and efficient ways. Show notes:[02:36] Introducing Tian Sun[03:42] What is Ximalaya?[05:49] What makes podcasting in China different?[06:51] How people use Ximalaya[07:54] How Ximalaya uses data, analytics, and growth hacking[10:44] Using data and A/B testing to improve the customer experience[12:18] Data and customer acquisition[14:09] How Ximalaya launched a paid content marketplace and how young Chinese people consume content[18:14] The rise of audiobooks, micro-lessons, and more[19:54] Steps Ximalaya took to succeed in the “pay-for-knowledge” industry[23:38] How platforms help content creators and KOLs[25:29] Biggest trends in podcasting in China[26:49] The future of Ximalaya and a new AI speakerIf you would like to get in touch with Tian Sun, you can find her on Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/tian-sun-17243485/Many thanks to our host Ryan Shuken, guest Tian Sun, editors David and Geep, producer Eva Shi, organizer Chinaccelerator, and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.comIf you like us, please give us a 5-star review and share with your friends!Follow us on www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/Email us: [email protected] Credits: Adam Place founder of Nusic  (https://nusic.com.cn/)

Many foreign startups have tried to enter China, most have failed, yet aminority have flourished. Airbnb is one of the few living the China Dream, asafter only 4 years it is winning the China home-sharing market.In this episode, we invited Sean Pan, Head of China Operations at Airbnb,who hasoverlooked Airbnb’s transformation in their strategy, management system and brandingsince 2015 when Airbnb only had 6 people in the China team. As he mentioned,one obstacle confronted by many foreign companies who want to localize in Chinais the communication problem between the global and China team. How does Airbnbput efforts into that and build up the trust internally? Find the answer in thisepisode!Show Notes:[01:26] Introduction of Sean[05:33] The Philosophy behind Airbnb’soffice in Beijing[06:30] Building and maintainingAirbnb’s unique Culture in China[08:09] How to foster commitment toChina from global Team?[12:00] Key finding for Airbnb’ssuccess[15:38] Managing the relation withhead-quarters[16:12] Evolution of Airbnb’s China strategy[18:03] Creating a China specificbrand[22:38] Challenge foreignentrepreneurs are facing in China[26:00] Is there an opportunityfor foreign companies in China?Many thanks to our host Oscar Ramos, guest Sean Pan, editor David and Geep, producer Eva Shi, organizerChinaccelerator and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com If you like us, please give us a 5-star review andshare with your friends!Follow us on Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/Email us: [email protected]

996, 9am to 9pm, 6 days a week. You must have heard about 996 a lot in the past few months. This buzz has triggered discussion around the balance between work and life, employee engagement, productivity and the working environment, etc.  “996 is a signal of going backward, not forward,” said today’s guest Alicia Tung, Chief Operating Officer at Great Place to Work, Greater China. She stressed the importance of having a clear value and purpose to motivate employees in their work and pointed out the fact that 996 working hours are not necessarily leading to better efficiency. Alicia shared her observations about the working environment differences in China and overseas countries, how overseas entrepreneurs can fit into Chinese working culture and how founders can create a great place to work for their employees. Founded in 1990, Great Place to Work is a global people analytics and consulting firm that helps companies of all sizes produce better business results by focusing on the work experience for every employee.Show notes:[01:29] Introduction of Alicia and Great Place to Work[04:13] Having the right reasons before starting a business[05:28] Understanding/Identifying the concepts: co-working space vs shared office[06:47] How different is Great Place to Work in China and the rest of the world?[08:21] Same value, different implementations[11:18] How does the profile of those companies who care for their employees change over time?[13:02] Challenges and concerns for local companies[20:28] The magic number: 996[23:57] Does 996 achieve efficiency?[26:10] Opportunities and challenges for international startups coming to China[29:35] Best places to work in China[30:27] Creating an open working environment for women in ChinaMany thanks to our host Oscar Ramos, guest Alicia Tung, editor David and Geep, producer Eva Shi, organizer Chinaccelerator and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.comContact Alicia Tung: www.linkedin.com/in/aliciatung/If you like us, please give us a 5-star review and share the favorite moment with your friends!Check more exciting episodes on Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/Email us: [email protected]

“I was feeling completely drained, drained of energy and mental strength. Just being empty going through the days trying to cope with my daily work.” This is just one story we heard from entrepreneurs. While entrepreneurs are determined to change the world, they often don’t realize they are losing sleep and endangering their mental well-being during the process. Even worse, societal stigmas surrounding depression and anxiety prevent them from acknowledging their symptoms, much less getting the help they need.In this episode, we invited Enoch Li, author of "Stress in the City: Playing My Way Out of Depression” and Founder of BEARAPY to share her own struggles with mental health and the importance of taking care of employees' mental wellbeing. Mentors and investors also need to take on the role of creating a healthy environment for entrepreneurs.BEARAPY was founded with the mission to reduce burnout and mental health issues in the community through helping adults access their inner playfulness. Their work with startups and small companies and how to implement a healthy workplace culture, what it means to be playful in the company and what it means to care ut mental health of employees can be found in Enoch’s book.Show Notes:[01:40] Introduction of Enoch and BEARAPY[03:23] The idea behind BEARAPY and its contribution to the community[04:34] Burnout and mental health challenges in China[05:57] Lack of awareness in China inhibits mental health care[07:15] Traditional Chinese approach to mental health[08:00] China “996” culture results in what consequences and impact[10:38] High turnover affects the awareness of mental healthcare in business[12:21] Mental health and wellness responsibility: employee or organization?[13:58] How to recognize mental health problems[15:32] Individual approach to cultivating wellbeing for entrepreneurs[17:27] Redefining and using ‘play’ for positive mental health[23:30] Investor role in mental health and wellbeing[29:57] Check out Enoch’s book: "Stress in the City: Playing My Way Out of Depression”（ http://bearapy.me/books/）To connect with Enoch and BEARAPY, follow the WeChat account Bearapy小熊创意法.Many thanks to our host Ryan Shuken and Oscar Ramos, guest Enoch Li, editor David and Geep, producer Eva Shi, organizer Chinaccelerator and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.comIf you like us, please give us a 5-star review and share with your friends!Follow us on Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/Email us: [email protected] Credits: Adam Place founder of NUSIC （https://nusic.com.cn/）

Random seating at the hot desk area, flexible working style in a diverse environment and open interactions in a borderless office – these are just the tip of the iceberg as to what a co-working space actually entails! In this episode, Yintao Feng, Founder of MIXPACE, a Chinese co-working space brand, will give us a detailed breakdown of the co-working landscape and people’s working experience in China.To curate a well-connected community is not something you can do with a snap of your fingers. In China, the situation is very different from the west. You need an active community manager to orchestrate these activities and break down several layers of ice before people are comfortable with one another. This interaction is vital as most of the guys there are street-smart and resourceful when it comes to dealing with the challenges in today’s market.  Currently, MIXPACE has more than 20 sites in Shanghai and Beijing with more in the pipeline. MIXPACE received A round investment in 2017 and B round investment of 400 million RMB in 2018.Show notes:[01:53] Introducing Yintao Feng[04:28] His perspectives on starting a company in China  [05:18] Rising trend of urbanization  [06:57] Connecting to Chinese customers with new technology[08:32] Biggest mental shift from corporate to startup[09:55] Comparing rules and regulations inside and outside of China[10:57] His unusual transition from banking to co-working space[13:05] Catching a glimpse of the co-working scene in China[16:14] What are the benefits for small companies?[18:53] Bringing attention to the “996” phenomenon[20:35] Switching of working style from corporate to startup[22:15] Having more interactions: helpful or harmful?[25:05] Lets talk about the second tier cities[26:28] Improving user’s experience through technologyMany thanks to our host Ryan Shuken and Oscar Ramos, guest Yintao Feng, editor David and Geep, producer Eva Shi, organizer Chinaccelerator and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com If you like us, please give us a 5-star review and share with your friends!Follow us on Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/ Email us: [email protected] 

More thoughts are required when cultivating the relationship between the brands and users, from a level of “friendship” to being part of a one big “family”. As such, how can businesses deliver better experiences in this environment? Our guest Michael Lai has a diverse background with over 10 years consulting experience in the areas of branding, interaction design, service design, and experience design. We will learn more from this interview in terms of how he understands the importance of segmenting your customers, maintaining your perspective and moving at the right speed in today’s society.TANG is an experience strategy and design consultancy focusing on helping clients build a holistic ideal experience for their customers, whose clients have included Fortune 500 companies, startups, nonprofit organizations from financial, consumer electronics, automotive, and education industries. Show notes:[03:38] Introduction of TANG[08:36] Desire for “consumption upgrade”[11:35] Maintaining your perspective in a fast-paced society[15:25] Most interesting learning from Michael’s book: “The relationship model”[18:16] Human resources vs technology component in China[21:03] Innovate in China, implement it elsewhere out of China[23:50] Types of companies that are working with TANG[28:04] Moving at the right speed: speeding up or slowing down  [31:25] One lesson for startups: segmenting your customers[34:48] Knowing more about Michael’s book Many thanks to our host Ryan Shuken and Oscar Ramos, guest Michael Lai, editor David and Geep, producer Eva Shi, organizer Chinaccelerator and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website https://chinaccelerator.com/china-startup-pulse-podcast/If you like us, please give us a 5-star review and share the favorite moment with your friends!Check more exciting episodes on Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/Email us: [email protected]

Welcome back to the FINAL episode of Chinaccelerator 8X8 Speakers Series 2019 Spring with Maggie Tan, Former Co-head of Strategy & Planning, Uber China, Russell Flannery, Chief Editor of Forbes China, and Michael Lai, Partner & Dean of X Academy TANG.Now, stop for a second. Hold your breath and imagine yourself burning 20 million RMB per hour. Unbelievable? That’s what Uber and Didi actually did. Ultimately, burning money is a choice and Maggie advised that one should do the math before venturing into it. How do you actually pitch your company to the media in an impactful manner? For this, Russell provided us with some sage advice on how to stay ahead of the pack and carve your existence successfully. Lastly, the final chapter of this speaker series ends with a book. Michael revealed the essence of x-thinking, and how lessons learned from writing a book could also be applied to the domain of entrepreneurship.Don’t miss out the amazing insights they shared in this episode! Show Notes: [01:53] Maggie’s talk Maggie’s presentation slide: https://www.jianguoyun.com/p/DYCH0b4Qrai4BxiTu7cB [10:40] Russell’s talk Russell’s presentation slide: https://www.jianguoyun.com/p/DS21l40Qrai4Bxiku7cB [26:40] Michael’s talk Michael’s presentation slide: https://www.jianguoyun.com/p/DSU0GocQrai4Bxieu7cB Many thanks to our speakers Maggie Tan, Russell Flannery, and Michael Lai, editor David and Geep, producer Eva Shi, organizer Chinaccelerator and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com.If you like us, please give us a 5-star review and share with your friends!Follow us on Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/Email us: [email protected] 8x8: https://chinaccelerator.com/chinacceleraor-8x8-speakers-series/

Welcome back! We are heading to the 3rd episode of Chinaccelerator 8X8 Speakers Series with Alvin Graylin, China President of HTC, Neil Liang, Chief Product Officer & Co-founder of The Carevoice, and Lucas Englehardt, CEO of xixilab.Price, Product, Place, Promotion. Sounds familiar? Wait till you see how Alvin raised the bar for this business strategy by doubling it to 8Ps. The path of entrepreneurship, in all its variation, still holds some key principles for those who wish to embark on it. “The simpler u made your customer journey, the more likely your customers will actually repeat that journey,” remarked by Neil. In fact, good customer experience can even be regarded as a baseline that either makes or breaks your business. Finally, Lucas believed in the power of focusing on one thing that works. No buzzwords, no fancy terms. We are going to do things one step at a time and examine for ourselves the beauty in simplicity.Don’t miss out the amazing insights they shared in this episode!Show Notes:[01:50] Alvin’s talk (Alvin’s presentation slides: https://www.jianguoyun.com/p/DSzVz24Qrai4Bxii1LQB)[12:43] Neil’s talk (Neil’s presentation slides: https://www.jianguoyun.com/p/De8gdOAQrai4BxiY1bQB)[19:19] Lucas’s Talk (Lucas’s presentation slides: https://www.jianguoyun.com/p/DZJhjl4Qrai4BxiT1bQB)Many thanks to our speakers Alvin Graylin, Neil Liang and Lucas Englehardt, editor David and Geep, producer Eva Shi, organizer Chinaccelerator and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com.If you like us, please give us a 5-star review and share with your friends!Follow us on Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/Email us: [email protected]

This week, we shall continue with the second part of Chinaccelerator 8X8 Speakers Series with Lu Guo, Founder and CEO, USHOPAL, Jane Lin-Baden, Managing Partner of APAC, Publicis Group and Yintao Feng, Founder of MIXPACE.What does it take to be a capable CEO? Lu recalled how she had to raise a few hundred million RMB within a period of 12 months during her coldest winter. Despite all those setbacks, she managed to get the results done and keep the company afloat. Fear of pressure, fear of being unnoticed and fear of falling. Aside from the fear, Jane also revealed to us the secret of flying high above the crowd and bringing out the best quality of yourself even when no one is watching at all. Yintao walked us through the time when he experienced a culture shock after returning back to China. Sharing his transition from corporate to startup, we can get to learn how he adapted to this new environment and what were his techniques in managing and working with people. Show Notes:[01:50] Lu Guo’s talk (No slides)[10:01] Jane Lin-Baden’s talk - Jane’s presentation slide: https://www.jianguoyun.com/p/DdBZIIsQrai4Bxigr7EB[19:22] Yintao Feng’s Talk - Yintao’s presentation slide: https://www.jianguoyun.com/p/DdTJ8uEQrai4Bxikr7EB Many thanks to our speakers Lu Guo, Jane Lin-Baden and Yintao Feng, editor David and Geep, producer Eva Shi, organizer Chinaccelerator and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com. If you like us, please give us a 5-star review and share with your friends!Follow us on Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/Email us: [email protected]

Last month, we just hosted Chinaccelerator 8X8 Speakers Series where we invited 8 of our mentors - serial entrepreneurs, industry experts, and investors - to share their personal stories about entrepreneurship in Beijing and Shanghai, from where we selected several talks for our podcast listeners who couldn’t join us in person. Today we would like to present the first 3 talks delivered by Dirk Eschenbacher, Co-founder of Zanadu Travel & Media, Rhea See, Co-founder & COO of She Loves Tech and Jaeson Ma, Co-founder of 88rising.What comes first into Dirk’s mind when he looked back on his startup journey is an important lesson he learned - knowing your customers and focusing on the problem, not the solution. As a female entrepreneur, Rhea zeroed in on the female community and suggested entrepreneurs not to accept the conventional image and sell themselves short. Jaeson Ma brought the house down with his passion and vision to represent Asia media in mainstream culture the right way.Check out more suggestions they shared in the episode.Show Notes:[02:01] Dirk Eschenbacher’s Talk[09:00] Rhea See’s Talk (Rhea’s presentation slide: https://www.jianguoyun.com/p/DUf9NkoQrai4BxjqkK4B)[15:50] Jaeson Ma’s Talk (Jaeson’s presentation slide: https://www.jianguoyun.com/p/DZ4JsIQQrai4BxjwkK4B)Many thanks to our speakers Dirk Eschenbacher, Rhea See and Jaeson Ma, editor David and Geep, producer Eva Shi, organizer Chinaccelerator and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com.If you like us, please give us likes and share with your friends!Follow us on Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/Email us: [email protected]

What is your first impression when you think of a co-working space? Ricky Ng-Adam and Frederic Bazin envisioned it to be an open community of developers in a shared physical space focused on creating successful engineering team.It may sound ironic but the process of building software would necessitate social activities, and this requires a wide range of talented people. Coderbunker is right now having huge momentum and getting other non-developers into this community as well. The question is: could this business model be happening in other industries and become a game changer in the future of work?Show notes:[2:48] How does Coderbunker define community?[4:36] How to maintain a community[5:50] Recommended traits for those who want to be in it[8:52] Take care of the people first, followed by the project[13:04] Portfolio of people in this community[14:59] Difficulty in finding project owners[16:19] Getting the talented people onboard[18:26] Examples of big companies trying out this working style[20:54] Is this the future of all work?[22:47] Working onsite vs working remotely[26:30] Will this happen in other industries too?[27:47] Spreading of this model to other areas of a company[29:11] Growing a worldwide network[30:57] What about the issue of copycats?Many thanks to our host Ryan Shuken and Oscar Ramos, guest Ricky Adam and Frederic Bazin, editor David and Geep, producer Eva Shi, organizer Chinaccelerator and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.comIf you like us, please give us a 5-star review and share with your friends!Follow us on Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/Email us: [email protected]

Behind the Scenes of China Music Industry with Kenny Bloom, 40-year Music Guru and “Zero-man” for Warner in China许多人猜测下一次中国企业赴美IPO将是腾讯音乐，其估值已经奖金200亿。中国的音乐市场发生了什么？今天我们邀请了带华纳兄弟进入中国的第一人并有着40多年在全球娱乐媒体领域工作经验的Kenny Bloom作为演讲嘉宾。Kenny曾在20世纪80/90年代一手打造了摇滚明星崔健，联合发行了湖南卫视最早也是最流行的音乐比赛“超级女声”。在本期播客中，Kenny带我们回顾了20世纪80年代至今中国音乐产业的发展历程，并分享了他对市场各个方面的观察。下一个机会在哪里？Kenny认为是技术。Tencent Music, China’s answer to Spotify, is expected to be the next big U.S. IPO from China with its soaring valuation at approximately $20 billion. What is happening in China music and entertainment industry? Today we have Kenny Bloom who has 40-year experience in the global entertainment media space as the “Zero-man” for Warner in China to walk us through the history of China music industry from 1980s until now and share his observations from every angle of the market. Once controlling 85% of the international music market in China and producing the #1 Chinese rock star Cuijian, Kenny is telling us the next big opportunities to succeed in this competitive market.“If you think you can come to China and become a concert promoter, don’t come; if you want to start a record label, don’t come; but if you get innovative technology, this is a really great place to use as a launchpad to test.”Show notes:[2:53] Introduction of Kenny Bloom[4:42] Reception and Censorship[7:12] What were the Unique Opportunities that Kenny Saw?[11:22] Having a Simple Business Model that Actually Works[15:25] Evolution and Valuation of Baidu and other Big Boys [21:05] Is there Room for Creativity and Ideas in Today's Music Market? [24:08] You Just Don't Make Money off the Content [28:06] Getting Visibility in a Massive Chinese Market[29:14] Consumer is the Biggest Winner[31:40] What are the Opportunities in this Industry Now?[34:07] Chinese Bands and Music Outside of ChinaMany thanks to our host Ryan Shuken and Oscar Ramos, guest Kenny Bloom, editor David and Geep, producer Eva Shi, organizer Chinaccelerator and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.comIf you like us, please give us a 5-star review and share with your friends!Follow us on Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/Email us: [email protected]

本期播客我们非常荣幸在世界移动大会巴塞罗那2019与以色列科技教父和创新创业活动4YFN的主席Yossi Vardi展开了一次深入的对话。Yossi Vardi是以色列最早进入科技领域的创业者和投资人之一，他也是全球首个即时通信公司ICQ的创造者。ICQ是QQ和微信诞生的启发来源。在此次访谈中，我们的主播Oscar Ramos邀请Yossi分享了其对Copycat、创新、知识产权保护、以色列科技生态系统以及中国创业环境的见解。正如他所说，“就Copycat本身而言没有好坏之分，我们应该考虑整个图景和计划”。世界移动大会20194FYN上海开放1000张免费门票给China Startup Pulse播客的听众们，填写问卷预留门票：www.wjx.top/jq/35116917.aspxWith his five-decade experience co-founding and investing in over 90 IT companies, Yossi is unofficially titled with “Israeli hi-tech godfather” and twice received the Prime Minister Award for life achievements in the high tech area. He is also the creator of ICQ, the world’s first instant messaging company, which inspired many messaging products including QQ in China.We are honored to have Yossi to be on China Startup Pulse Podcast today where he shared his thoughts about the copycat, innovation, IP protection, Israeli tech ecosystem, and Chinese startups. As he mentioned, “We have to evaluate the whole picture...not just good or bad to be a copycat".MWC Shanghai 2019 4YFN Startup Event now is opening 1000 free tickets to Chinaccelerator and China Startup Pulse fans! Fill in this form to reserve your seats in advance: www.wjx.top/jq/35116917.aspxShow Notes:[01:45] Introduction of Yossi Vardi, Founder of ICQ[02:26] Transition from a Geek to an Investor[05:02] What is ICQ?[07:40] Why is ICQ so Special?[10:15] Is Copycat a Cause of Concern for Ecosystem in China?[13:00] How much can We Protect Companies that are Trying to Create New Things?[15:11] Make in China, Clone for Others?[17:51] Israel & its "Deep Complicated Technologies"[20:54] Barriers for Startups Entering China & How to Overcome Them[25:11] Further Expansion of Chinese Startups Across the Globe[27:51] The Impressive Chinese Phenomenon[28:30] Essential Fundamentals of an Economy in the Long Run[29:44] Future Plans by Yossi VardiMany thanks to our host Oscar Ramos, guest Yossi Vardi, editor David and Geep, producer Eva Shi, organizer Chinaccelerator and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.comIf you like us, please give us a 5-star review and share with your friends!Follow us on Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/Email us: [email protected]

247是中国领先的娱乐活动票务平台，最近刚融资200万美金Pre-A轮，由Artesian Venture Partners领投，SOSV和海涛资本跟投。2018年一年247全年收入达到490万美金。这期播客我们邀请了247的CEO Greig Charlton以分享公司的成长故事。247早期也参加过中国加速的加速器项目。247tickets is a leading social commerce platform for entertainment in China, which just secured $2M in Series Pre-A led by Artesian Venture Partners with the participation from SOSV and Haitao Capital, and the company’s annual revenue in 2018 reached $4.9M. Greig Charlton, CEO at 247tickets and alumni of Chinaccelerator, joined us to share 247’s growth story today. After listening to this episode, you will understand how the new idea was born, how to deal with your competitors, the biggest challenge to run a business in China, and also how difficult it is to fundraise in China. In the future, 247tickets plan to utilize AI technology for personalizing the user experience.Show notes:[1:15] Introduce Greig and 247[2:54] How did 247 start in Shanghai[6:30] Why those existing platforms couldn’t solve the problem[10:40] Traditional e-commerce VS Social Commerce[12:50]Why social commerce has been more successful in China[14:30] The market was too niche?[17:53] User profile[20:17] The team behind the product[21:50] Find the right people to join your team[24:10] Challenges to run business in China[29:35] Work with other well-funded competitors[33:31] Fundraising in China[38:10] Future for 247Many thanks to our host Oscar Ramos, guest Greig Charlton, editor David and Geep, producer Eva Shi, organizer Chinaccelerator and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.comIf you like us, please give us a 5-star review and share with your friends!Follow us on Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/Email us: [email protected]

95%的企业退出是收购，而非IPO。并且其中几乎一半是在B轮之前。今天这期播客我们邀请了全球领先硬件加速器HAX的合伙人Benjamin Joffe来分享他对于企业退出的调查和洞见。在本期播客中，你将知道中国企业退出与海外企业退出的区别，中国企业如何在全球开展收购策略，以及对创业者而言，你应当如何计划退出和如何在被收购后更好地与大企业整合。Benjamin在这一领域做过非常深入的研究。有兴趣者可以查看他的文章。https://techcrunch.com/2018/07/31/what-every-startup-founder-should-know-about-exits/如果喜欢我们，就请订阅我们吧！95% of exits are acquisitions rather than IPO. Also nearly a half of them are before Series B. In today’s episode, we invited Benjamin Joffe, who is a partner at the leading global hardware accelerator HAX and has made nearly a thousand angel investments, to share his insights about exits. Here you can find out the big differences between exits in China and exits in the rest of the world, how Chinese companies develop the acquisition playbook globally and also for entrepreneurs, how you can plan your exits and the better way to integrate yourself into another corporate body.Check out Benjamin’s articles about exits: What every startup founder should know about exits https://techcrunch.com/2018/07/31/what-every-startup-founder-should-know-about-exits/Show Notes:[2:02] The reality about exits[3:00] The big differences between exits in China and exits in the rest of the world[4:27] Motivations for Chinese companies to start exploring acquisitions[6:09] Are Chinese companies looking for new things that are not in China[7:52] Specific phenomenon across Chinese M&A activities[11:20] Chinese acquisitions in China[13:09] How founders plan exits[15:28] How founders should change the strategies based on the feedback[17:56] The typical exits happen before Series B[19:19] Sell your company before you close the round or do it right after[21:30] Competitions and options among corporates[24:42] Chances of International corporates seeking M&A opportunities in China[28:27] Founders’ challenges about potentially selling a company to Chinese buyers[32:03] Founders should be careful about the information disclosure in the due diligence process[35:19] How founders make themselves visible to potential buyersMany thanks to our host Oscar Ramos, guest Benjamin Joffe, editor David and Geep, producer Eva Shi, organizer Chinaccelerator and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.comIf you like us, please give us a 5-star review on the podcast platforms and share with your friends!Follow us on Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/Email us: [email protected]

创业公司增长、融资甚至退出的出路之一就是跨国企业。这些跨国企业在与创业公司合作时寻求的是经济回报还是策略价值？对于创业者而言，让跨国企业成为他们的利益相关者会产生什么挑战和机会？海外跨国企业如何看待在中国市场的机会？本期播客，我们采访了在跨国风投工作近20年的Andrew Gaule，从跨国企业和创业公司两方面分析，并提供建议。One way for startups to grow or even exit is to work with corporates. Are corporates looking for financial return or strategic values while working with startups? For entrepreneurs, what are the challenges and opportunities to have corporates as their shareholders? How do overseas corporates see the chances in China? In this episode, we invited Andrew Gaule who has almost 20 years experience in Corporate Venture Capital (CVC) to analyze both sides of the table and delivered insights and suggestions for corporates and startups.Show notes:[1:10] Introducing Andrew Gaule[4:57] The land of corporate venture capital (CVC)[7:50] Challenges to have corporates as shareholders[11:13] The motivation of CVC - financial return and strategic values[19:15] How to protect startups’ advantages[21:50] Things that CVC are doing wrong when approaching startups[24:10] Corporates to think about China[28:30] How to leverage the innovation in China for the rest of the world[32:40] Challenges of CVC in China[38:08] Concerns for startups to work with Chinese investors[39:24] The impact of Trade WarMany thanks to our host Oscar Ramos, guest Andrew Gaule, editor David and Geep, producer Eva Shi, organizer Chinaccelerator and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com.If you like us, please give us a 5-star review on the podcast platforms and share with your friends!Follow us on Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/Email us: [email protected]

很多人对中国市场中养老健康服务的需求保持怀疑态度。我们今天邀请的嘉宾China Senior Care的 CEO Mark Spitalnik就是在整个领域的先行者，他很早便在中国建立提供养老产品和服务的公司，试图教育市场、将国际化经验带到中国以及将产品本土化给中国消费者。正如他所说，“中国消费者不是没有需求，而在于他们并不知道这些服务指的是什么”。此外，在本期播客中，他还分享了他如何开始建立这家公司，最初建立时所遇到的挑战以及他眼中中国市场的潜在机会等。Many people don't believe that the senior care is a big healthcare need in China. Our guest for today, Mark Spitalnik, CEO of China Senior Care, is actually one of the first movers in this area from 2009 to educate the market, bring the international experience to China and also localize the product for the aged in China. As he mentioned, the fact is “Chinese customers don’t know what senior care is” rather than “they don’t want it”.In addition, he also shared how he started the company, the initial challenge he was facing and also the untouched opportunities to look at in China.China Senior Care provides senior healthcare services to promote the health, happiness, and independence of residents in China. It offers geriatric care services for the aged. The company was incorporated in 2009 and is based in Hangzhou, China.Show notes:[1:30] Introduction and Mark’s experience in China[4:30] How the single child policy influenced the China society[5:10] Introduce China Senior Care[6:18] First challenges Mark had to face while building up China Senior Care[9:10] How Mark introduced the product to Chinese customers even though people did not believe senior care is a giant healthcare need in China[12:00] How to educate the market[15:14] How localized the product is[16:00] How the dynamic of the team helped with the product and service[19:10] The biggest needs coming with more Chinese people saving money[24:00] The opportunities that are untouched in China to look at[26:20] Contact Information and sign offMany thanks to our host Ryan Shuken, guest Mark Spitalnik, editor David and Geep, producer Eva Shi, organizer Chinaccelerator and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com.If you like us, please give us a 5-star review on the podcast platforms and share with your friends!Follow us on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/ Email us: [email protected]

中国加速八分之约演讲系列的第二期由一位投资人、一位成功创业者和一个科技行业专家分享创业者应当避免的错误和失败。他们分别是Fenox Venture Capital的中国区总经理Sophie Yao，曾经负责Firefox亚洲区用户社群的Gen Kanai以及成功将自己的创业公司卖给腾讯的Hike Messenger的印度创业者PK。在这期播客中，他们将个人经历，以及从中习得的经验教训，与各位创业者分享。中国加速每年在上海举办两次公益性质的创业者分享峰会，邀请8位成功创业家在8分钟内和观众分享心路历程，新一期创业团队也将进行第一次公开的电梯路演，致力于帮助和鼓励更多在中国乃至全球的造梦者。The second episode of the 8X8 Speakers Series is about lessons learnt from failures from the perspective of an investor, a successful entrepreneur and a tech expert. The first talk in this episode is delivered by Sophie Yao, China Regional General Manager of Fenox Venture Capital, who shared 3 most “effective” ways to screw up a startup based on her experience working with startups. Problems include no market needs, wrong timing, management issues and also the way you spent the money, etc. We also have Gen Kanai who used to grow communities of tens of thousands of Firefox users across Asia, to share the lessons he got from Firefox’s failures. Currently, he works as the Director Of Strategic Partnerships at Animoca Brands.Prakhar Khandui (PK) is a serial entrepreneur who sold his company Pulse to Tencent-backed Hike Messenger in India. He also delivered 2 mistakes and 3 failures he learnt in this episode, for example, selling the startup too early is not a good choice.Chinaccelerator’s 8X8 Speakers Series invite 8 of Chinaccelerator mentors - serial entrepreneurs, industry experts and investors - to share their personal stories about entrepreneurship twice a year in Beijing and Shanghai.Show Notes:2:05 Sophie Yao’s talk13:39 Gen Kanai’s talk23:16 PK’s talk Many thanks to our speakers Sophie Yao, Gen Kanai, and Prakhar Khanduj (PK), editor David and Geep, producer Eva Shi, organizer Chinaccelerator and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com.

中国加速八分之约演讲活动回来啦！今天，我们从2018年秋季2场八分之约活动中精心挑选了其中3个演讲与您分享。这3个演讲都围绕着理解自我和实现自我如何影响创业为主题展开，演讲者包括Inner Circles创始人（女性创始人）Em Robin ，Beijing Mindfulness Centre北京冥想中心创始人Dalida Turkovic以及Grata创始人Andrew Schorr。中国加速每年在上海举办两次公益性质的创业者分享峰会，邀请8位成功创业家在8分钟内和观众分享心路历程，新一期创业团队也将进行第一次公开的电梯路演，致力于帮助和鼓励更多在中国乃至全球的造梦者。8X8 Speakers Series is back! Today, we are happy to present you the first 3 talks selected from Chinaccelerator 8X8 Speakers Series events in Autumn 2018 about how knowing yourself matters while running your business. Em Robin, Founder of Inner Circles, is a female entrepreneur for 8 years who shared “Entrepreneurship is about sharing what you created”. Founder of Beijing Mindfulness Centre Dalida Turkovic shared her personal journey including how she experienced the depression and financial crisis. Andrew Schorr, Founder of Grata, delivered his insights about how crucial it is to be honest with yourself, have passion and experiment.Chinaccelerator’s 8X8 Speakers Series invite 8 of Chinaccelerator mentors - serial entrepreneurs, industry experts and investors - to share their personal stories about entrepreneurship twice a year in Beijing and Shanghai.Show Notes:01:44 Em Roblin’s Talk10:57 Dalida Turkovic’s Talk22:12 Andrew Schorr’s TalkMany thanks to our speakers Em Roblin, Dalida Turkovic and Andrew Schorr, editor David and Geep, producer Eva Shi, organizer Chinaccelerator and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com.

新年快乐！Happy New Year everyone! Today we invited Sean O’Sullivan, Founder and Managing General Partner of SOSV, the fund behind Chinaccelerator, to start the Year 2019 for China Startup Pulse and our listeners. In this episode, Sean shared his experience in China and provided his analysis of the investment trends in biotech, food tech, hardware, and software areas. Also, he pointed out the role of China in the global technology ecosystem and the impact that US-China trade war will have on startups and investors.Sean’s entrepreneur life started in 1985 as a founder of MapInfo, bringing street mapping technology to personal computers. MapInfo went on to become a $200 million public company. He is also the co-creator of the term “cloud computing”. Now, Sean is managing SOSV, a Venture Capital firm which is running 6 accelerators in the world supporting investments in over 700 startups.Show notes:2:20 What brought Sean to China in the 1990s3:24 Start in Dalian6:20 Examples in Food Tech12:20 Chinese investors’ growing interest in Biotech companies13:57 Investing in the education industry16:41 Other important areas in China, such as machine learning18:57 Hardware accelerator HAX’s Chinese portfolio21:25 The perceptions of Chinese technologies from investors out of China24:25 How the US-China trade war impacts the startups and investors26:38 Sean’s opinions on the fast-growing Chinese software companies such as TikTok 28:10 Sean’s predictions about China in 2019Many thanks to our host Oscar Ramos and guest Sean O'Sullivan , editor David and Geep, producer Eva Shi, organizer Chinaccelerator and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com.Again, thanks to all of our listeners for the support in 2018 and the team is looking forward to providing more insights in 2019.

在投资人尽职调查系列播客的第2期，我们邀请了Blockchain Founders Fund的合伙人Aly Madhavji和Mansoor Madhavji分享其如何在尽职调查的过程中评估区块链创业公司。他们分享了其尽职调查过程、策略和偏好，以及他们与部分项目合作的案例和细节，这些建议同样对非区块链的创业公司有帮助。他们特别提及了：信任、产品、市场表现、财务等。In the second episode of our series on due diligence, we learn from Blockchain Founders Fund about how they evaluate blockchain startups and what they specifically look for in the due diligence process.Recording from Money 20/20 China in Hangzhou, our host Oscar Ramos had an in-depth discussion with Aly Madhavji and Mansoor Madhavji, partners of the Blockchain Founders Fund, who shared their insights about their due diligence process, strategy and preferences when evaluating blockchain projects, and the examples how they work with early-stage projects, which is also illuminating for other startups. Here are some keywords they mentioned: Trust, product, traction, finance, etc.Show Notes:01:32 Introducing Aly and Mansoor 03:00 Portfolio and their Investment Strategy & Philosophy06:10 How do they work globally? 07:21 Stages of Investment 07:35 First Step in Due Diligence for Blockchain 10:37 Transparency and Trust Matters11:54 Checking Background and Company’s Strategies13:30 How do companies react to your due diligence and how does that matter14:38 Bringing in External Parties to the Due Diligence Process15:23 Other Important Areas for Due Diligence16:48 Product Evaluation in Blockchain Companies19:06 Role of Stress Test 20:10 Measuring Traction and Evaluating Analytics 22:08 Financial Due Diligence25:52 Their Perspectives on Startups Outsourcing Key Team Roles (e.g. CFO)27:41 Do they look into Cliffs? �28:55 Additional Tips from Aly and Mansoor30:29 Due Diligence in East Asia32:37 Contact Information and Signing OutContact them!Twitter: @BlockchainFFTwitter: @aly_madhavjiEmail: [email protected] mentioned:https://www.cryptyk.com/https://every.shop/https://www.taloflow.ai/Many thanks to our host Oscar Ramos and guest Aly Madhavji and Mansoor Madhavji, editor David and Geep, producer Eva Shi, organizer Chinaccelerator and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com.

正在寻找融资的创业者不可避免地需要接受投资人的尽职调查。为了让创始人们更清楚地理解投资尽职调查的过程，我们制作了2期特别系列播客，邀请投资人来分享他们尽职调查中的注意点。这期播客录制于前不久在杭州召开的Money20/20中国活动。主播Oscar Ramos采访了Click Ventures的创始人兼管理合伙人Carman Chan。Click Ventures曾经成功投资Spotify, Meetup和其他科技公司。在这期播客中，Carman分享了她是如何评估市场表现、团队、产品、创始人应当有所准备的部分、公司的合适计划、以及针对亚洲公司和其他国家公司所做尽职调查的不同。Entrepreneurs looking for funding can not escape from the due diligence from investors. In order to have more founders to understand the process of investment due diligence, we are introducing a new and special series, where we talk with investors about due diligence.Recording from Money 20/20 China in Hangzhou, Oscar Ramos talked with Carman Chan, Founder and Managing Partner of Click Ventures who successfully invested in Spotify, Meetup and many tech companies.In this episode, Chan shared insights on how they evaluate traction, team, as well as what founders should have prepared for investors, the proper plan for companies to work on and lastly the differences in Asia versus the West in terms of due diligence.Show Notes:1:32 Carman Chan’s strong background in data and mathematics2:08 Introducing Click Ventures, investment thesis and projects3:38 Due Diligence process4:25 Importance of company metrics6:36 Best tools to measure traction8:30 Red flags Carman met in the process10:30 Due Diligence in product12:47 Product roadmap13:20 Importance of the founding team14:04 Missing team members15:07 Team related problems in Due Diligence15:55 Other parts Carman evaluates including advisors, founder vesting plan, etc17:22 Relationship with co-investors in Due Diligence18:25 Differences in Asian Companies compared to those from other countries22:11 Contact Information and Signing Off

中国用户体验（User Experience UX)市场和国际市场有何不同？如何本土化你的产品以适应中国市场？Samuel Jesse是UX研究实验室UXSPOT的创始人，坐标上海。他在UX领域有着长达10年的经验，他和我们分享了作为国际设计师与中国客户工作的经验，对中国消费者的最佳实践，以及为什么移动端如此重要以及产品本土化。What are the differences between the�Chinese market and international market regarding User Experience (UX)? What are the crucial principles to localize your design for the Chinese market? Samuel Jesse is the right person to talk with who co-founded a UX research lab UXSPOT in Shanghai. With 10 years of experience in UX, we talked with Samuel about his experience working with Chinese clients as an International designer, UX practices for Chinese consumers, Why mobile is crucial and more about product localization. Here’s a short quote from Samuel, “when something is [well] designed, it gives that perception of trust, it transfers that perception of quality.”Show Notes:00:00 Introduction & Summary�01:20 Introducing Samuel Jesse�2:00 Moving from Beijing to Shanghai�2:46 Working with Chinese Clients�3:40 Shanghai vs Beijing Environments�4:31 Initial UX Design Projects with Local Clients�6:14 Change in Chinese attitudes towards UX�7:31 A UX Research Lab in China�9:10 UX Approach and Test in Chinese market�10:21 Importance of Mobile�11:14 Differences between Chinese consumers and international market 12:48 Issues in Translation�14:10 User Verification for Mobile Users 14:45 UX Best Practices in China�16:20 Establishing Trust through Design�18:08 Good Design in China�19:40 International and Chinese UX Differences From Design Perspective 20:40 Implications of Familiarity with Local Companies�22:55 Copy-Cat Culture in China�25:03 Chinese Companies going International�26:34 Over-Localization�27:33 Contact Information and Sign OffMany thanks to our host Oscar Ramos and guest Samuel Jesse, editor David and Geep, producer Eva Shi, organizer Chinaccelerator and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com.

PK 是一位在内容、社交媒体和直播领域的印度创业者和天使投资人，他的创业公司InstaLively和Pulse曾被腾讯的Hike Messenger收购。之后，他前往中国走出自己的舒适圈，探索新的机会和挑战。目前他为Various Startups担任咨询师，帮助中国和印度企业和风投理解印度和印度尼西亚市场，同时担任中国第一家加速器中国加速的导师。在本期播客中，PK分享了他将创业公司卖给腾讯的过程，以及其对中国和印度市场的分析和理解，例如中国企业如何在印度市场本土化以及中国的数据驱动模式是否在印度仍然行得通等。PK is an Indian entrepreneur and angel investor in social network, content and live-stream space who built, grew and finally sold his startups InstaLively and Pulse to Tencent-owned company Hike Messenger. After selling them, PK came to China for new opportunities and challenges where he started being a consultant for Various Startups which helps China-India Startups and VCs in building the next billion Internet users in Indonesia and India, as well as mentoring founders for Chinaccelerator.In this episode, PK shared his journey about selling startups to Tencent and also delivered insights about the China-India startup and investment ecosystem, including the challenges to localize Chinese companies in India and how the Chinese data drive model works in India, etc.Show Notes: 1:00 Introducing PK 1:37 Introducing InstaLively 2:51 Process of Tencent Buy-Out 6:57 Experience with Mergers and Acquisition 9:28 Transition with Hike Messenger 10:10 Difficulties from culture differences 11:50 Due Diligence 13:30 Alignment with the new team 15:02 Moving to Beijing and the experience in China 17:20 China-India tech ecosystem 20:45 The Belt and Road Initiative in China 23:01 Advantages and obstacles of Chinese investment and startups in India 26:05 Challenges for Chinese companies to localize in India 28:20 What works in China doesn’t necessarily work in India 30:19 Will Indian companies be able to come to China? 31:38 PK’s future plans 32:20 Contact PK (Full name: Prakhar Khanduja)Feel free to leave a comment and start a conversation with us! If you have an ideal guest whom you would like to listen to, please let us know and we'll do our best to realize it!Many thanks to our host Oscar Ramos and guest PK, producer Eva Shi, editor David and Geep, organizer Chinaccelerator and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com

英语流利说由国内领先的人工智能教育公司LAIX在2013年发布，是一款人工智能驱动的英语学习平台，其于2018年9月在纽约股票交易所上市。本期China Startup Pulse，我们很荣幸邀请到了英语流利说的联合创始人、首席科技官兼成人英语负责人胡哲人。他在本期播客中分享了英语流利说的从最初的6个月到后来上市的增长故事，以及他从管理5个人至200多个人的团队管理经验。他认为，兼具同理心和策略性思考是团队管理的必要要素。截止2018年6月，英语流利说已有超过8380万用户，720万月活跃用户，在175个国家运营。平均每用户每日使用时长超过1小时。Liulishuo is an AI-powered English language learning platform operated by the AI firm LAIX founded in 2012 and it went public on New York Stock Exchange in Sept 2018. We are lucky to have Ben Hu, Co-Founder, CTO and Head of Adult English of Liulishuo to share the first 6 months of starting the company, their early successes, the growth, as well as his insights about managing a team from 5 to 200 people. “Empathy and strategic thinking together make the management easier.”As of June 30, 2018, Liulishuo has over 83.8 million registered users and 7.2 million average monthly active users in 175 countries. The average daily time per user is 60+ minutes.Show Notes:0:00 Summary 1:24 Introducing Ben Hu 2:13 What is Liulishuo? 4:25 Artificial Intelligence’s Evolution and Change 6:56 Ben Hu talks about the product launch and first version of Liulishuo 9:05 Length and process from ideation to first launch 10:44 Ben Hu shares about Liulishuo’s beta experience 11:15 Engagement with Liulishuo’s beta user experience 11:55 Metrics used in Early Days 13:19 Ben’s advice for past-Ben, in the Early Days of Liulishuo 15:16 Practices for entering Chinese Markets 19:17 Management in Liulishuo’s expansion 22:10 How Hu developed management skills? 24:00 Decision-making in Management 25:36 Ben Hu’s management framework for unlocking potential 28:34 Exciting technology in Education Space 30:43 Wrapping Up and Closing Thoughts 31:35 Contact Information and Job Postings 31:52 Close Off and Partner AppreciationFeel free to leave a comment! If you have an ideal guest whom you would like to listen to, please let us know and we'll do our best to realize it!Many thanks to our host Oscar Ramos and guest Ben Hu, editor David and Geep, producer Eva Shi, organizer Chinaccelerator and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com.

Drew Kirchhoff是一位出色的产品经理，曾发行全球下载量超过1亿的移动游戏，之后成为一名创始人，联合创办了英语学习产品Yoli，用户可以直接通过微信小程序在线随时随地学习英语。在这期播客中，他分享了如何抓住微信崛起的机遇、创立公司、开发语言学习产品以及不断学习技术以发展产品的过程。Drew Kirchhoff is a product guy. After studying finance in the USA and working for a diamond investment firm in China, Drew became one of the most successful product managers to publish the game Crossy Road in the market achieving more than one hundred million downloads.“A great product manager makes a great CEO”. After being a product manager, he co-founded Yoli which allows users to learn English directly through WeChat. He shared how he and his co-founders found the market opportunities driven by the advent of WeChat, how they launched the company, developed Yoli WeChat mini-program and later, he explored deeper in the technical area to improve the product.Show Notes: 1:20 Drew’s background and his experience in China 5:50 Working in a mobile gaming company 7:50 Brought the game Crossy Road to the market 10:28 Performance of Crossy Road worldwide - 9/10 kids were playing the game 11:38 Product management to being a WeChat Mini-program entrepreneur12:02 How WeChat changes Chinese business 14:00 Formation, MVP launch and goal of Yoli 21:40 Importance of Mini-programs for User Experience 24:00 Relationship with funding and development 26:30 Competing with huge competitors in the market 26:52 Exciting developments in Yoli’s language education service 30:50 Understanding Conversion Rates - from product to business 33:30 Drew Kirchhoff’s contact informationFeel free to leave a comment and start a conversation with us! If you have an ideal guest whom you would like to listen to, please let us know and we'll do our best to realize it!Many thanks to our host Oscar Ramos and guest Drew Kirchhoff, editor David and Geep, producer Eva Shi, organizer Chinaccelerator and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com

与搜狗语音交互中心技术总监陈伟探讨语音人工智能技术的突破和前景  人的感知系统是多方位的，声音是目前在人工智能领域应用较为广泛的主题之一。搜狗在2012年成立语音识别团队，探索智能语音、机器翻译等科技，是中国语音技术的领先者。这一期播客，我们邀请到搜狗语音交互中心的技术总监陈伟，介绍搜狗翻译产品背后的技术突破，包括语音识别、机器翻译和语音合成等。陈伟及其所在的团队还开发了知音os系统，践行着”语音交互+知识计算”战略。这一技术的边缘还延伸到了硬件设施、视觉识别等领域。收听这期播客，还能获得免费票参加NewCo上海创新嘉年华2018，参观商汤科技、哔哩哔哩、IDEO、新车间、唐硕创新体验咨询等公司，与公司高管见面交流。票数有限，先到先得。https://chinaccelerator.com/newco-shanghai-2018/The system of human perceptions is multi-faceted and voice is one of the perceptions that people pay the most attention to in Artificial Intelligence areas. Sogou established a speech recognition team in 2012 to explore technologies such as intelligent voice and machine translation. Now it is obviously a leader in the Chinese voice technology field. In this episode, we’ve invited Chen Wei, the Chief Scientist of Sogou Voice Interaction Technology Centre, to introduce the technological breakthroughs in speech recognition, machine translation and speech synthesis behind Sogou translation products.Chen Wei and his team also developed the Zhiyin OS system which is a system with multi-modal perception capabilities including speech recognition, handwriting recognition and lip reading ability. The edge of this technology also extends to areas such as hardware and visual identification.Perks for our listeners: You can find a promotion code to get free tickets for NewCo Shanghai in this episode. Limited tickets and first come, first serve.https://chinaccelerator.com/newco-shanghai-2018/Show notes:01:23 Introduce Chen Wei02:14 His interest in voice AI technology03:17 Simultaneous translation demo in Chinese, English and Spanish04:56 The job of the Voice Interaction Technology Centre04:49 The technology breakthroughs of the translator06:09 The technology challenges of speech recognition in 42 languages   12:44  How does the Sogou input method work15:10 Explain the meaning of “Zhiyin” in Chinese15:39 The reason that Sogou creates a new system Zhiyin16:40 Realize AI technology in different Sogou products and develop Zhiyin system for different partners18:24 Why Sogou produces a translation hardware device19:37 Other interfaces for translation except for the voice21:21 Future projects, such as lip recognition and virtual anchor24:07 Potential partnerships24:41 The gap between the industry and the universities25:22 How to contact Chen Wei

本期播客我们采访拼多多早期投资人Nicolas du Cray分享其投资拼多多的理由以及其对拼多多商业模式的理解和评价。You must have heard of the Chinese social commerce legend Pinduoduo, the fastest-growing mobile shopping platform featuring “team purchase” and social sharing function in China which became a $23 billion empire in under 4 years.For this week’s episode, we invited Nicolas du Cray, an early investor of Pinduoduo and Partner at Cathay Capital - Innovation Fund to talk about Pinduoduo and Social Commerce in China. Nicolas shared how he decided to invest in this company, analyzed the strengths of Pinduoduo, and the challenges of internationalising the social commerce model. He also answered many questions collected from our listeners.Show Notes: 0:00 Welcome Back to China Startup Pulse 1:26 Introducing Nicolas du Cray 2:06 Du Cray’s experience in China 3:16 Shift from Engineering to Venture Capital 3:49 What is Cathay Capital? 4:28 Importance of Venture Capital to Multi-National Corporations 5:22 Cathay Capital’s Investments and Trends in Chinese Innovation 7:26 Value of Foreign Venture Capital to Chinese Startips 8:30 What is Pinduoduo? 9:07 Social Commerce, Pinduoduo, and WeChat ecosystem 11:44 Cathay Capital Innovation and their Investment in Pinduoduo 12:47 Audience Question: History of Pinduoduo and Cathay Capital 15:22 Audience Question: Pinduoduo’s Innovation in E-Commerce 17:54 Growth Trigger of Pinduoduo 19:07 Pinduoduo’s Business Model and Competition in China 20:15 Audience Question: Challenges for Pinduoduo’s model going Abroad 22:05 Future of WeChat’s platform 23:06 Audience Question: Future of Pinduoduo 23:36 Does Nicolas use Pinduoduo?24:31 Signing Out and du Cray’s Contact InformationFeel free to leave a comment and start a conversation with us! If you have an ideal guest whom you would like to listen to, please let us know and we'll do our best to realize it!Many thanks to our host Oscar Ramos and guest Nicolas du Cray, editor David and Geep, organizer Chinaccelerator and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com

本期播客我们邀请中国加速第7期校友创业团队Shopal 创始人郭璐分享Shopal的成长故事以及其早期在加速器的经历。2018年9月，国际新奢品牌集团Shopal获近2亿元B+轮融资。As an early pioneer in cross-border commerce, Lu Guo chose to leave a multinational company and jump into the jungles of entrepreneurship. She shared her belief behind building her startup Shopal which aims to help global brands to build a strong presence in China through a data-driven process. She also shared her early stage business life in an accelerator - Chinaccelerator. Here is a quote from her: “The scary piece is that you only believe in system”.Shopal is a solution provider for online and offline retailers in China which has secured RMB200 million (US$29.17 million) in a series B+ round in September 2018. Chinaccelerator SOSV invested in Shopal as one of Batch 7 companies.Show notes: 01:06 Introduce Lu Guo 02:00 First experience in cross-border commerce space 03:37 What is Shopal and stories behind Shopal 07:23 The concept of “TP” 07:57 Lu’s motivation to leave the comfortable zone 10:31 Differences between being an entrepreneur and working in corporates 13:47 As a Vice President in Johnson&Johnson 16:30 What triggered Lu to jump into the jungle of entrepreneurship 18:50 Change and opportunities in the commerce industry 22:29 How Shopal helps global brands in China 24:20 The biggest technology breakthrough for Shopal 26:23 Data driven process 27:23 The future of Shopal 29:11 Business and life in Chinaccelerator 31:00 Contact ShopalFeel free to leave a comment and start a conversation with us! If you have an ideal guest whom you would like to listen to, please let us know and we'll do our best to realize it!Many thanks to our host Oscar Ramos and guest Lu Guo, editor David and Geep, organizer Chinaccelerator and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com

这期播客，我们与ofo前全球合作伙伴负责人畅谈中国企业走向海外的挑战与机遇。Many opportunities and challenges are found in the startup world under the impact of globalization. Today, we have invited Omid Scheybani, former Global Head of Partnerships and Business Development at ofo to share the challenges of Chinese business going international from the perspective of management, product and brand, and also opportunities for overseas talents working in China.Ofo is a leading bike sharing company in China, which was valued at up to $2 billion and had over 62.7 million MAU (monthly active users) in 2017.Show Notes: 0:00 Welcome Back and Introduction 1:50 Introducing Omid Scheybani 2:50 How Omid came to China and why he stayed 4:45 Chinese perceptions on Global Markets 8:15 Chinese Technology Going Global and shift in Chinese exports 12:27 Diversity in Chinese Business and need for International Talent 14:57 Omid’s Advice on working for Chinese companies 17:55 Challenges in Internationalization for Chinese Businesses 19:25 Adapting to Chinese Business Norms and Treatment of International Talent 20:25 Perspectives of Chinese products in International Markets 26:34 Lightning Round Questions 29:19 Spread of Chinese Products to Foreign Markets 33:31 Omid’s Contact InformationFeel free to leave a comment and start a conversation with us! If you have an ideal guest whom you would like to listen to, please let us know and we'll do our best to realize it!Many thanks to our host Oscar Ramos, Ryan Shuken, and guest Omid Scheybani, editor David and Geep, organizer Chinaccelerator and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com

冥想正念训练对创业者的重要性Mindfulness as a tool for businesses has been growing in the West and is now starting to come to China. Brandon Mehrgut, of Shanghai Mindfulness, explains what mindfulness meditation is and how beneficial it is to the Chinese start-up culture and community. Practicing mindfulness can help improve attention, focus, and stress. It has also been practiced by important people and businesses, such as Steve Jobs and DiDi. Join us, and listen to how mindfulness can improve your business.Shanghai Mindfulness is an English-speaking mindfulness organization. It was founded by Brandon Mehrgut and has become China’s largest mindfulness community. Shanghai Mindfulness helps overworked, stressed out people find peace and balance.Show Notes: 0:04 Introducing Brandon 1:40 Explaining Mindfulness Meditation 2:36 Why is Shanghai interested in mindfulness? 3:09 Mindfulness application to Entrepreneurs 4:18 How can entrepreneurs practice mindfulness? 5:12 Reasons for entrepreneurs to seek mindfulness training 7:00 Silicon Valley-style mindfulness and China 9:37 How do hard-working, Chinese start-ups adapt mindfulness? 14:07 Who are the pioneers promoting mindfulness? 15:19 Mindfulness Arrives to China 17:40 Shanghai Mindfulness’s work with DiDi and other Chinese Companies 19:38 How does management implement mindfulness? 22:25 What is the data behind mindfulness? 25:55 How to contact Brandon MehrgutFeel free to leave a comment and start a conversation with us! If you have an ideal guest whom you would like to listen to, please let us know and we'll do our best to realize it!Many thanks to our host Oscar Ramos, guest Brandon Mehrgut, editor David and Geep, organizer Chinaccelerator and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com

中国科技企业对企业可持续化发展日益关注，比如饿了么的RELAB实验室，美团对环境保护计划的支持。围绕共享单车模式的争议之一，就是怀疑其是否真正引领绿色的生活方式。在中国，有许多行业，许多机会，能够让你试验和执行你的可持续发展理念。Richard Brubaker是企业可持续发展领域的专家，曾在多个大学开讲。这期播客，他会带来他的看法。Chinese companies are exploring many initiatives to achieve business sustainability, including Ele.me‘s RELAB and Meituan’s emphasis on environment protection. One hot topic is that are Chinese bike sharing companies truly leading the sustainable lifestyle or just creating the waste. You can see many opportunities in different industries in China to experiment and implement your idea of sustainability. Today, we have Richard Brubaker, expert in business sustainability, to share his perspectives.Collective Responsibility is a Shanghai-based firm to design and develop corporate responsibility, sustainability, and leadership strategy for corporates, nonprofit and academic institutions.Show notes: 01:20 Introduce Richard 02:06 What makes Shanghai special 03:44 Why sustainability is a very important thing in China 06:19 How sustainability in China is relevant with the rest of the world 10:44 Is sustainability leading the born of China innovation 13:05 Chinese consumers are amazing early adopters. Is Shanghai a perfect lab for sustainability? 15:13 Is the booming E-Commerce industry in China sustainable? 18:16 How do you see that ele.me launched ele.me Lab because of the impact of sustainability 22:05 Are these bike sharing companies truly leading the sustainable lifestyle? 25:00 Mobike’s GPS functionality helps improve the sustainability 28:08 How consumers think about sustainability 34:14 How can a founder start thinking about sustainability in the user experience and core of the company 38:00 In the space of sustainability, which industries in China are more friendly for foreigners 40:20 How to contact RichardFeel free to leave a comment and start a conversation with us! If you have an ideal guest whom you would like to listen to, please let us know and we'll do our best to realize it!Many thanks to our host Oscar Ramos, guest Richard Brubaker, editor David and Geep, organizer Chinaccelerator and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com

新零售对传统零售行业的冲击以及国际传统品牌面临新零售的挑战和变化。The buzzword “New Retail” has swept through China for over one year. What challenges does it bring to the traditional retail industry and how can international brands cope with the new retail concept? Today, we have invited Stephane Monsallier, founder of shops for the future. He shared with us his views on the very exciting concept that was born in China and is now rapidly spreading to the rest of the world.Shops of the Future helps international brands navigate the new innovation in the retail space in china.Show Notes:1:27 Introduction 3:13 How things have changed in China4:30 Changes in retail industry and how mobile payments are disrupting the industry in China 7:08 International brands coming to learn in China 8:56 Relevancy for all brands or brands that have presence in China 10:00 China is not an easy market 11:50 Hema experience in China 13:17 New retail wave of startups 15:39 Not too much about technology, but mindset change is key 17:00 Embrace the wave of new retail 19:10 The China speed 21:31 Importance of business thinking 22:45 Traditional Chinese retailers 24:49 Convenience stores 26:41 New retail changes consumer habits 28:28 How to reach out to Stephane MonsallierFeel free to leave a comment and start a conversation with us! If you have an ideal guest whom you would like to listen to, please let us know and we'll do our best to realize it!Many thanks to our host Oscar Ramos, guest Stephane Monsallier, editor David and Geep, organizer Chinaccelerator and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com

很多创始人认为IPO是退出的唯一选择。今天，我们邀请了Shanghaivest的联合创始人Bruno Bensaid，他也是中国加速的导师，活跃于中国创业生态圈内很多年。在这期播客中，他分享了他对于提前退出以及被企业风投收购的见解。他认为，“All options should be on the table from very early on”。Shanghaivest 帮助很多海内外公司制定和实施投资、扩张、融资以及退出策略。感谢主播Oscar Ramos，嘉宾Bruno Bensaid，主办方中国加速以及赞助方P2联合创业办公社。Many founders believe an IPO is the only option for an exit. Today, we sit down with Bruno Bensaid, co-founder of Shanghaivest, mentor at Chinaccelerator, and long-term player in China’s startup ecosystem to share his insights on early exits and acquisitions by corporate bodies. Here’s a short quote: “All options should be on the table from very early on”.Shanghaivest helps build and execute investment, expansion, fundraising and exit strategies for companies in China and Overseas.Show Notes:01:10 Introduce Bruno01:52 How Bruno made transitions from engineering to business03:48 Is go public the only ultimate goal?8:19 All options should be on the table from the very early on10:40 How’s the acquisition market in China and how it involves11:55 More transactions in gaming and healthcare industry12:33 What are those Chinese buyers? What acquisitions are they looking for?17:35 Local corporate VCs are more active than Google - they have a large range of investment possibilities19:13 The early exit doesn’t mean that founders get less return. Do you see early exit is good for founders in China?22:30 You need to think about your exit early. Check out the article: “Why founders need to prepare for exits”https://medium.com/sosv-accelerator-vc/why-founders-need-to-prepare-for-exits-97766d86541025:01 Example of App Annie29:03 Why does it make sense to consider an early acquisition in China and what’s the criteria for corporates to decide on acquisition36:06 Contact BrunoMany thanks to our host Oscar Ramos, guest Bruno Bensaid, editor David and Geep, organizer Chinaccelerator and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com

- 收听这期播客，有机会免费参加Slush Shanghai 2018！Slush is one of the fastest growing events and communities for startups globally, bringing together both local and international companies to help inspire and support youth to pursue their dreams of entrepreneurship.  Today, we welcome Chen Wang, the person who helped the event break into the Chinese market, starting with Beijing in 2015. With Slush Shanghai coming up next month (September 7 to 8), Chen talks to us about the challenges of entrepreneurship, including maintaining good relationships with the government, protecting intellectual property and other essential tips to prospering in China. Listen to the end for a special surprise for our dedicated listeners, on behalf of Slush China!Show Notes:1:30 Introduce Chen2:23 What’s so special about Slush6:15 Finding support and security in Finland8:40 Global Community in Shanghai11:05 The Chinese roots of Slush13:03 The importance of government relations in China15:31 Advice to organizations coming to China18:58 Intellectual property concerns19:51 The Chinese presence at Slush24:25 Contact Info Feel free to leave a comment and start a conversation with us! If you have an ideal guest whom you would like to listen to, please let us know and we'll do our best to realize it! Many thanks to our host Oscar Ramos, guest Chen Wang, editor David and Geep, organizer Chinaccelerator and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website!

Fintech has come a long way in China, from barely being recognized to one of the fastest growing markets in the region. As the world’s leader in Fintech technology, China is a breeding ground for Internet finance companies, and accordingly, investment in the industry. With millions of users and an ever-growing number of fintech unicorns, the future of Internet finance looks exceedingly bright in China.Today, we present another special episode recorded live at RISE Conference 2018, where Oscar Ramos sat down with venture capitalist and fintech investor Wei Hopeman. After beginning her career in financial services and investment banking, Wei co-founded Arbor Ventures in 2013, the first VC fund specialized in fintech in the Asian ecosystem. She talks to us about the growth of fintech, the benefits of corporate VCs, and how founders and corporate VCs can improve their interactions with each other, as well as many other topics.Many thanks to RISE Conference 2018 for gathering global elites in Hong Kong and supporting China Startup Pulse to present good quality content for our listeners.Show notes: 1:02 Intro 1:40 How Wei got into financial services 5:20 Going into investment banking 7:04 The growth of fintech in Asia 9:06 The lack of infrastructure in financial services 11:52 Launching fintech in China 14:52 Benefits of corporate VCs 16:42 Key questions a founder should ask corporate VCs 18:05 Key difference between types of VCs 20:36 Educating corporates in working with startups 22:51 Women in VC 29:51 The future of Arbor VenturesAs always, thanks to our host Oscar Ramos, guest Wei Hopeman, editor David and Geep, organizer Chinaccelerator and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website at chinaccelerator.com.

On this day 2 years ago, China’s ride-hailing industry experienced a major turning point - Didi purchased Uber’s China operations and Uber took a 20% stake in Didi. So far Uber has expanded in more than 449 cities and 66 countries. Today, many companies are still trying to elbow into this crowded industry.In this episode, we are lucky to have Sam Gellman as our guest, the first international Uber employee that took care of the company’s expansion in Asia and China. Sam shared his past experience in redesigning Uber’s playbook to adjust to China’s unique ecosystem, channels for communication and user acquisition. Despite knowing only a bit of Chinese, Sam was assigned to create a Chinese name for Uber. Fortunately, the Chinese name 优步 turned out to be one of the most well-received foreign company names. As the person who worked on market localization for Uber, Sam also shared how they took the company from nothing to a massive exit within 3 years.Also check out Uber CEO and Co-Founder Travis Kalanick's statement on the merger: https://www.uber.com/newsroom/uber-china-didi/Many thanks to RISE Conference 2018 for gathering global elites in Hong Kong and supporting China Startup Pulse to present good quality content for our listeners.Show notes: Intro 1:44 Coming to Hong Kong with Goldman Sachs 2:40 Scaling Uber to Europe 8:30 The most surprising part of launching in Asia 10:08 Choosing a Chinese name for Uber 12:35 The key lesson learned from Uber 17:31 Having a global footprint while still improving your product 23:31 What’s keeping Sam busy 25:30As always, thanks to our host Oscar Ramos, guest Sam Gellman, editor David and Geep, organizer Chinaccelerator and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website at chinaccelerator.com!

What do investors look for in startups? This week, we have invited Jörn Helms, Senior Advisor at the Bank of Taizhou and Country Director for China with Portier Technologies. Portier is a smartphone platform for luxury hotels allowing guests to access the internet as well as order hotel services thereby increasing hotel revenues. With an extensive background in small business landing (as the former VP of Bank of Taizhou) and angel investing, Jörn is experienced with both large companies and small startups entering China.From his first days in Taizhou, when he had to re-learn Chinese because of the local dialect, to his time as a mentor for Chinaccelerator, Jörn has personally crossed borders and found success in a new environment. Hear what he has to say about succeeding in the China startup scene from the perspective of an investor!Know more about Bank of Taizhou: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2017-11-15/military-drills-help-china-s-best-bank-toughen-up-its-staffShow Notes: Jörn’s background 1:44 Banking Career in China 3:16 The principal of “see and touch” 12:39 Being a mentor 15:29 Breaking the China barrier as a foreign investor 21:03 Lightning round questions 23:20Feel free to leave a comment and start a conversation with us! If you have an ideal guest whom you would like to listen to, please let us know and we'll do our best to realize it.Many thanks to our host Ryan Shuken, guest Jörn Helms, editor David and Geep, organizer Chinaccelerator and sponsor People Squared. www.chinaccelerator.com

China is obsessed with data. But how can you access it, and leverage it to your benefit? Kenneth Cheung shines a light on how you should be using data to market yourself or your company, and shares with us the “golden rule of WeChat marketing”. From initially acquiring data to actually learning how to use it properly, Kenneth walks this integral process while talking about his work in consulting on brand management and KOL influencer marketing in China. He also talks about the power of mini-apps, the first principals of market, and much, much more! If you want to market your brand on WeChat to its maximum potential, this is a can’t-miss episode.Show Notes 1:42 Introduction 3:02 Describing China’s business ecosystem 5:11 China’s obsession with data 7:45 The process of doing a data search 11:00 Getting around closed systems 14:00 WeChat as a future platform for e-commerce 18:27 The power of mini apps 22:50 A crash course on KOLs 27:18 Lightning round questionsFeel free to leave a comment and start a conversation with us! If you have an ideal guest whom you would like to listen to, please let us know and we'll do our best to realize it.Many thanks to our host Ryan Shuken, guest Kenneth Cheung, editor David and Jeff, organizer Chinaccelerator and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website at chinaccelerator.com!