Asia Startup Pulse

01:53 About Alex and KAWO

02:37 What brought Alex to China

03:45 How Alex started working for a technology company

05:26 What has KAWO achieved

06:28 What makes dynamic social media ecosystem in China

11:06 Challenges that western brands have in China

14:56 Social media is way more influential than it was

19:28 Localization: trust the local team and listen to users

20:01 Brands are also facing risks from publicity

25:40 Startups being impacted by the PR crisis

27:20 The reason why there were more PR crises

29:24 KAWO’s competitors and challenges

Many 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.com

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[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 Gululu

Many 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.com

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01:16  Innovation in the US and China

04:39 The landscape of the travel Industry in China

06:54 Chinese innovation with global potential

07:49 Exciting travel innovation practices

10:20 Hype around new technology

11:30 China as the early adopter market

13:40 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 markets

20:25 The collaboration models with startups

23:12 Running pilots

26:03 Pilots in B2B space

27:24 User experience

29:40 Early stage investment

Many 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.com

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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 SAIF

Many 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.com

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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.

[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-Founder

Jill 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.com

If you like us, please give us a review and share with your friends!

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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. 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 Fundraising

Shirley 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.com

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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!

[2:08] T.R. Harrington, 8 Startup Lessons in 8 Minutes
[13:15] Sarah Keenlyside, How to Hire Better
[20:32] Guy Sivan, Growth Simplified

T.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.com

If you like us, please give us a 5-star review and share with your friends!

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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 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 businesspeople 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.

[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 overseas

Many thanks to our host Oscar Ramos, our guest Olivier d'Arros, editors David and Geep, producers Eva Shi and Matthew Wu, organizer Chinaccelerator, and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com

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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 provocative 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 Matthew Wu and Eva Shi, organizer Chinaccelerator and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com

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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:

Many 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.com

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Music Credits: Adam Place founder of NUSIC (https://nusic.fm/)