Asia Startup Pulse

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 in China, and ways that foreign gaming companies can enter China successfully.

Show Notes:

Many 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

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

Key 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

Many 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.com

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

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

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.

Timestamps:

Contact Tian Sun at LinkedIn: 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.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]

Music Credits: Adam Place founder of NUSIC

Many foreign startups have tried to enter China, most have failed, yet a minority have flourished. Airbnb is one of the few living the China Dream, as after 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 has overlooked Airbnb’s transformation in their strategy, management system and branding since 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 China is the communication problem between the global and China team. How does Airbnb put efforts into that and build up the trust internally? Find the answer in this episode!

Show Notes:

Many thanks to our host Oscar Ramos, guest Sean Pan, 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]

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:

Many 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.com

Contact Alicia Tung: www.linkedin.com/in/aliciatung/

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“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 about mental health of employees can be found in Enoch’s book.

Show Notes:

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.com

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

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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 technology

Many 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 of 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

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Check more exciting episodes on Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/

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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]

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]