Asia Startup Pulse

Assumptions will never become facts untill you validate it. How to validate your idea? Design helps. Grace Ng, Co-Founder of Lean Startup Machine shared how and why she built the Javelin Board and many interesting ideas about optimisation in design needs for questions. As a female entrepreneur, she has also observed how the global scene is opening up to women in technology ecosystem.

When you're focusing on the design, the biggest design challenge is to validate the customer's problem. Grace has really good ideas about how to build your startup and integrate design into what you do, talk to your team, design for success, and make it happen.

Show Notes: Jump ahead to topics

Building something that doesn't exist is what some entrepreneurs thrive on. The risk, challenges, and potential drove Archie Hamilton to pioneer an entire industry in China. Archie Hamilton founder and CEO of Split Works, started in 2006 to help build the music festival industry in China. Realizing that there was no audience here, he started to make up the rules and fought to understand his audience while learning how to survive, and built one of the greatest music festivals in China.

We talk with Archie about what it was like to jump into China, risking it all to build an international music festival scene. Archie talks about how to make up your own rules, be lean, and how the hard lessons of China business made him a better CEO. This is a great episode for the dreamers and believers who want to build their own empire in the East.

Thanks as always to our sponsors Chinaccelerator, People-Squared, and our syndication partner Technode. A huge thanks to our Producer, Vivian Law and Production Editor David Xu, and finally our listeners –Thank You!

Step 1: Validate your assumptions! Startups all over the world make the same mistake; they build a startup based on assumptions, with no data to validate a need. Trevor Owens, Co-Founder of the Lean Startup Machine, and author of The Lean Enterprise takes us through his winning method. His vision: "I want to create more millionaire entrepreneurs; if you really want to start a unicorn, it really helps if you already built a successful company, it really helps even more if you have a few million in your bank."

China's start-up scene is energised by top down support and heavy competition. Trevor shares his secret to help startups validate and pivot to beat the competition. The focus is on building a company which impacts your consumers life; the money is a by product, not the goal. Listen in for the lean startup method from the master himself.

Show Notes: Jump ahead to topics

PayPal and Pinterest; recognised instantaneously and an embodiment of the Unicorn Startup. This week, recorded Live!, and 3rd part series from Chinaccelerator's 8x8 event in Shanghai, Peter Davison, serial unicorn investor, breaks down the journey of these superstar startups having invested and built up both Pinterest and Paypal. David Chen Co-Founder of Angelvest, the first and largest seed investment group in China, also sheds light on how success is defined by the investor and the secret to getting funded in the East.

Thanks as always to our sponsors Chinaccelerator, People-Squared, and our syndication partner Technode. A huge thanks to our Producer, Vivian Law and Production Editor David Xu, and finally our listeners –Thank You!

If you don't plan, then plan to fail. This week, Geoffrey Handley challenges the assumption that start-up failure is good and emphasises how founders shouldn't settle for mediocre wins.

Having co-founded 5 companies with his brothers, and invested in 30 (including acquisitions from Twitter, Salesforce and AOL!), Geoffrey is able to switch between the perspective of an investor, entrepreneur and mentor. He offers advice on selecting mentors strategically, as part of a grand master plan, and underlines the importance of ignoring the doubters and beating the odds with a bold, scary vision.

A very happy one year anniversary to the China Startup Pulse! A special thank you to our Producer Vivian Law and previous Producers Darren O'Connell and Qi Liu, Production Editor David Xu, our sponsors Chinaccelerator, People-Squared, syndication partner Technode and finally our listeners –Thank You!

Founders talk about hard work, as much as good luck. This week, Arthur Hayes, Co-Founder of Bitmex, tells us why to build something that makes money right away, the importance of having supreme confidence in your own vision as an entrepreneur, and cuts right to the core of what bitcoin enables the World to do -financial inclusion and more open trade.

From a corporate banking background, to being awarded Asia's No.1 Tech Startup in 2016, Arthur shares why Asia innovates so well and explains how bitcoin is just the first contender in a future made up of digital currency.

Thanks as always to our sponsors Chinaccelerator, People-Squared, and our syndication partner Technode. A huge thanks to our Producer, Vivian Law and Production Editor David Xu, and finally our listeners –Thank You!

Living China comes hand-in-hand with having Wechat -one does not function without it. With payment solutions, business accounts, taxi services and more, Wechat's efficient utility services are far surpassing the likes of Whatsapp and Facebook messenger. This week, we podcast Live! From the Chat conference -China's largest Wechat conference for the international community, hosted in Shanghai by China Channel and Walk the Chat.

From the leafy rooftops of the conference, we caught up with Andrew Schorr, Co-Founder of Grata, and Edaan Getzel, Co-Founder of Rikai Labs after their speeches on stage, to share their thoughts on why we shouldn't celebrate too myopically the successes of Wechat, how chatbots can be built with personalities, and also contrary to it's name, why artificial intelligence actually lacks intelligence.

Thanks as always to our sponsors Chinaccelerator, People-Squared, and our syndication partner Technode. A huge thanks to our Producer, Vivian Law and Production Editor David Xu, and finally our listeners –Thank You!

Wechat hacks are the new cheat sheet for optimising user and business growth. This week, recorded Live! from Chinaccelerator's 8x8 event in Shanghai, Jenny Zhu, Co-Founder of Open Language, shares how to fine-tune content strategy, avoid cheap tricks, allow users to buy what they love, and the importance of tracking campaigns for sustained growth.

Want to join our next September 8X8 event? Then click to join us at Beijing or Shanghai -and all for FREE! This year, 8x8 Shanghai will also capstone NewCo Shanghai, a new kind of event experience -a mashup of an open studio tour and a business conference with the vibe of a music festival.

Thanks as always to our sponsors Chinaccelerator, People-Squared, and our syndication partner Technode. A huge thanks to our Producer, Vivian Law and Production Editor David Xu, and finally our listeners –Thank You!

"Mobile payments in China are at least 3-5 years ahead of Europe." This week, Tobias Pfütze, Consultant at Mediaman Shanghai, Partner at China Fintech, and G20 delegate for the Young Entrepreneurs Summit, makes a strong case in arguing how Fintech in Asia is not only different from everywhere else, but in fact, proves that China is leading the World in Mobile Payment Solutions, with the Fintech crown jewels of Wechat Wallet and Alipay.

The end of copycat China, as we discuss examples of process innovation in China, how the Chinese are more open to digital solutions, and whether the lack of regulations has actually benefited the market. Want to geek out on Exchange-traded Funds, VIE structures, or simply want to hear about the disruptions in the Chinese Fintech innovation space? Then listen in to this superstar CA mentor's podcast!

Thanks as always to our sponsors Chinaccelerator, People-Squared, and our syndication partner Technode. A huge thanks to our Producer, Vivian Law and Production Editor David Xu, and finally our listeners –Thank You!

Throughout time, superheroes have had a common set of attributes: unmatched resilience, defiance against doubters, and generally making the World a better place. Superhero Entrepreneurs are no different! This week, we welcome two awesome storytelling film makers, SiokSiok and James Fong, recorded Live! from Chinaccelerator's 8x8 event in Shanghai, as they share how to market yourself as a Superhero Entrepreneur in a movie style narrative.

A bite-sized guide to extracting the 'geek talk', storytelling your business model and investment deck so that normal folks can understand your idea.'Live by discipline, not by mood'. Many a quote-bomb to takeaway from this episode.

Want to join our next 8X8 event? Then click here and register for either Beijing or Shanghai -and all for FREE! This year, 8x8 Shanghai will also capstone NewCo Shanghai, a new kind of event experience -a mashup of an open studio tour and a business conference with the vibe of a music festival.

Thanks as always to our sponsors Chinaccelerator, People-Squared, and our syndication partner Technode. A huge thanks to our Producer, Vivian Law and Production Editor David Xu, and finally our listeners –Thank You!